Flight vs. Sortie — What's the Difference?

Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e.

A sortie (from the French word meaning exit or from Latin root surgere meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare.

The motion of an object in or through a medium, especially through the earth's atmosphere or through space.

An armed attack, especially one made from a place surrounded by enemy forces.

An instance of such motion.

A flight of a combat aircraft on a mission.

The distance covered in such motion

To go on a sortie.

The act or process of flying through the air by means of wings.

An attack made by troops from a besieged position; a sally.

The ability to fly

(aviation) An operational flight carried out by a single military aircraft.

A swift passage or movement

(by extension)

A scheduled airline run or trip into space

An act of venturing out to do a task, etc.

A group, especially of birds or aircraft, flying together.

(figuratively)

A number of aircraft in the US Air Force forming a subdivision of a squadron.

(astronautics) An operational flight carried out by a spacecraft involving a return to Earth.

A round of competition, as in a sports tournament.

(military) sally port

An exuberant or transcendent effort or display

(photography) A series of aerial photographs taken during the flight of an aircraft; (by extension) a photography session.

A series of stairs rising from one landing to another.

(intransitive) To carry out a sortie; to sally.

A curved plate or flange that winds in a spiral around the center shaft of an auger, designed to transport loose material upward or backward along the shaft as the auger rotates. Also called flighting.

The sudden issuing of a body of troops, usually small, from a besieged place to attack or harass the besiegers; a sally.

A set of small samples, as of different kinds of wine or beer, that are served at the same time for comparative tasting.

A military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position

The act or an instance of running away; an escape.

(military) an operational flight by a single aircraft (as in a military operation)

To migrate or fly in flocks.

The act of flying.

An instance of flying.

(collective) A collective term for doves or swallows.

A trip made by an aircraft, particularly one between two cities or countries, which is often planned or reserved in advance.

A series of stairs between landings.

A group of canal locks with a short distance between them

A floor which is reached by stairs or escalators.

The feathers on an arrow or dart used to help it follow an even path.

A paper airplane. en

(cricket) The movement of a spinning ball through the air - concerns its speed, trajectory and drift.

The ballistic trajectory of an arrow or other projectile.

An aerodynamic surface designed to guide such a projectile's trajectory.

An air force unit.

Several sample glasses of a specific wine varietal or other beverage. The pours are smaller than a full glass and the flight will generally include three to five different samples.

(engineering) The shaped material forming the thread of a screw.

An episode of imaginative thinking or dreaming.

The act of fleeing.

(obsolete) Fast, swift, fleet.

To throw the ball in such a way that it has more airtime and more spin than usual.

To throw or kick something so as to send it flying with more loft or airtime than usual.

The act of flying; a passing through the air by the help of wings; volitation; mode or style of flying.

The act of fleeing; the act of running away, to escape danger or expected evil; hasty departure.

Lofty elevation and excursion; a mounting; a soaring; as, a flight of imagination, ambition, folly.

A number of beings or things passing through the air together; especially, a flock of birds flying in company; the birds that fly or migrate together; the birds produced in one season; as, a flight of arrows.

A series of steps or stairs from one landing to another.

A kind of arrow for the longbow; also, the sport of shooting with it. See Shaft.

The husk or glume of oats.

A trip made by or in a flying vehicle, as an airplane, spacecraft, or aeronautical balloon.

A scheduled flight{8} on a commercial airline; as, the next flight leaves at 8 o'clock.

A formation of aircraft in flight

An instance of traveling by air;

A stairway (set of steps) between one floor or landing and the next

The act of escaping physically;

An air force unit smaller than a squadron

Passing above and beyond ordinary bounds;

The path followed by an object moving through space

A flock of flying birds

A scheduled trip by plane between designated airports;

Shoot a bird in flight

Fly in a flock;

Decorate with feathers;