porpoising
Repeated surface breaching
Porpoising is a repeated bouncing motion where something rises and dips like a porpoise breaking the water's surface.
In aviation, it describes an aircraft oscillating between climbing and descending during landing or takeoff.
In motorsport, particularly Formula 1, it refers to a car's violent vertical bouncing at high speeds caused by aerodynamic instability: The team struggled with porpoising all season.
Springing back repeatedly
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
- bobbingRhythmic vertical movement
- pitchingDelivering toward the plate
- hoppingLeaping in succession
undulating · chatter · vibration · jounce · rebound · shimmy · judder · lurching
Springing into air
- arcingMoving along curved trajectory
- surfacingComing to the surface
- divingEntering water deliberately
- breachingBreaking through something
swimming · cetacean · marine · aquatic · pod · playful · gliding · skimming
Removing surface material
- skippingRhythmic hopping locomotion
- hoppingLeaping in succession
- bouncingSpringing back repeatedly
- hullOuter covering or frame
speedboat · throttle · trim · chop · waves · spray · hydrodynamic · instability
Moving in waves
- bobbingRhythmic vertical movement
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
- risingAct of ascending
- fallingMoving downward freely
rhythmic · wavelike · dipping · cresting · surging · cyclic · pitching · heaving
Swinging back and forth
- pitchingDelivering toward the plate
- undulatingMoving in waves
- climbingAscending by physical effort
- divingEntering water deliberately
instability · trim · autopilot · altitude · nose · longitudinal · damping · overcorrection
bouncing
Springing back repeatedly
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
- bobbingRhythmic vertical movement
- pitchingDelivering toward the plate
hopping · undulating · chatter · vibration · jounce · rebound · shimmy · judder · lurching · rocking
leaping
Springing into air
breaching · swimming · cetacean · marine · aquatic · pod · playful · gliding · skimming · cresting
planing
Removing surface material
hull · speedboat · throttle · trim · chop · waves · spray · hydrodynamic · instability · slamming
undulating
Moving in waves
- bobbingRhythmic vertical movement
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
- risingAct of ascending
falling · rhythmic · wavelike · dipping · cresting · surging · cyclic · pitching · heaving · repetitive
oscillating
Swinging back and forth
- pitchingDelivering toward the plate
- undulatingMoving in waves
- climbingAscending by physical effort
diving · instability · trim · autopilot · altitude · nose · longitudinal · damping · overcorrection · descent
porpoisinggliding
Engineless aerial movement
even keel · linear progression · linear motion · diving · bottom-dwelling
porpoisingsmooth ride
Comfortable, uninterrupted travel
steady state · level flight · controlled descent · equilibrium · smooth sailing