Cooper vane

noun

A mechanical aerodynamic wedge that prevents the ventral airstair of an aircraft from being lowered during flight.

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Meanings

nounCooper vane (plural Cooper vanes)

plural Cooper vanes

  1. aeronauticsA mechanical aerodynamic wedge that prevents the ventral airstair of an aircraft from being lowered during flight.

Origin

After Dan Cooper, the false name used by an unidentified hijacker who used the rear stairway to exit a Boeing 727 in flight and escape using a parachute.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Cooper vane. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cooper%20vane

MLA

“Cooper vane.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cooper%20vane. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cooper vane,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cooper%20vane.

Source: Cooper vane on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.