Definition
To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment.
To use one's judgment, initiative, and perceptions as events unfold in order to improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan or without the desirable data inputs to decision making.
In Context
- "Between world wars, when Douglas Bader was a cocky, teen-age R.A.F. cadet . . . a man could navigate by eye and the nearest railroad track and fly by the seat of his pants."
- "“Unlike Obama and his methodical process, McCain was flying by the seat of his pants,” the authors observe."
See Also
- in flight
- on the fly
- pantser
- pantsing
- seat-of-the-pants