step climbing

A form of step climb — To periodically climb to higher and higher altitudes during cruise flight, as the aircraft becomes lighter from fuel burnoff, to take advantage of the reduced drag at higher altitudes; like cruise-climbing, but with the aircraft climbing in discrete steps instead of continuously.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of step climb
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: step climbing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.