unflyableadj.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈflʌɪəbl/, U.S. /ˌənˈflaɪəb(ə)l/ 1. Of an aircraft, kite, etc.: not able to be flown. Also (rarely) of a bird: not able to fly.
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1902 Field Naturalist's Q. Aug. 207 The Gulls..providing food for their as yet unflyable young.
1908 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 5 Nov. 6/2 The south is no longer to be kept as..a mere tail to what by itself would be an unflyable northern democratic kite.
1978 Sci. Amer. Nov. 139/1 Now, however, the machine was so much more unstable that it was practically unflyable.
2011 Times (Nexis) 23 July 25 Some of these planes were virtually unflyable.
2. Esp. of weather conditions: impossible or unsafe for flying.
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1920 Aeronaut. Jrnl. May 233 Probably days on which the fog patches are more than 24 miles across will be considered unflyable in any case.
1991 Air Display Internat. Nov. 19/1 Thursday morning was unflyable as the rain and cloud did not finally move away until lunch-time.
2004 J. Nichol & T. Rennell Tail-end Charlies (2006) x. 259 The targets..were being attempted in weather that before would have been considered unflyable.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1902