droop snoot

plural droop snoots · alternative droopsnoot

1. An aeroplane nose which tends to lower or which can be lowered.

   At left and below left, the two photographs show P-38s with a droop snoot finish from the 20th Fighter Group.

   2007, American Fighters Over Europe: Colors & Markings of USAAF Fighters in WWII, Kaimbach Publishing Co., →ISBN, page 104

   2 more examples

   ln normal flight, the droop snoot is straightened out as in normal aircraft. The American built XB-70 plane also had such a droop snoot for this same reason.

   1970, William Zuk, Roger H. Clark, Kinetic architecture, Van Nostrand Reinhold, page 24

   His new dilemma was whether to lower the droop snoot; doing so would enable him to see what he was doing when landing, but might also use up the last of his hydraulic pressure.

   2010 October 7, James Hamilton-Paterson, Empire of the Clouds: When Britain's Aircraft Ruled the World, Faber & Faber, →ISBN, page 179

2. datedA leading edge of an airfoil which can move as a unit to adjust camber.

   On their first flight, the pilots also made sure about the "droop snoot".

   1962 January 18, E. Colston Shepherd, “New features in the Trident”, in New Scientist, volume 13, number 270, Reed Business Information, →ISSN, page 134

   2 more examples

   […] insufficient data have been gathered so far to establish how much of the good low speed characteristics are due to the "droop snoot" and how much are due to the regular flap.

   1947, “In Peacetime Grumman Is Still Going Strong”, in Naval Aviation News, page 5

   It is noted that in cross sectional view, the underside (pressure side) of the droop snoot airfoil is relatively smooth.

   1975, Verti-flite, volumes 21-23, page 72