The word "porpoise" with airplane

Mr. TomHow do you find the use of "porpoise" here?

Entirely unremarkable.

RayHEntirely unremarkable.

but nicely descriptive (though I shudder to think what you might be writing about...)

I have discussed the use of this word with a few native speakers, and none of them liked it. One of them bet it was WRONG, but it was indeed used by a native speaker in this documentary--you will just have to listen to it for 20 seconds.

Hi Tom

Apparently my shudders were entirely justified.

Mr. TomOne of them bet it was WRONG

Well, I guess no one has a monopoly on command of the language. Still, I find it fairly odd that a native speaker would not have known this usage of "porpoising."

What to do, dear Amy; somehow or the other this thought doesn't leave me--and I'm flying home in less than two weeks.

Well, what cannot be cured must be endured!!

Tom

I agree with Ray.

The very thought of a plane porpoising had me shuddering -- I don't like to even think about a plane having that sort of movement. It's not the way a plane is supposed to fly.

Dictionary.com has an entry for the verb:

Mr. TomWhat to do, dear Amy; somehow or the other this thought doesn't leave me--and I'm flying home in less than two weeks.

Tom, before you board the plane, remind yourself about this little bit of statistical information:

In the US, each year there are about 40,000 deaths in automobile
accidents vs. about 200 in air transport.

My cousin retired from the Air Force, and still flies professionally.
"Porpoising" is nothing compared to the aerobatics that certain airplanes can handle - loops and rolls and even vertical figure 8's.

It actually sounds like fun to me!

I've flown commercial flights through the up and down air drafts - not gentle rises and falls like porpoising!

AlpheccaStars"Porpoising" is nothing compared to the aerobatics that certain airplanes can handle

But it's always nice to know the aircraft is under control.