The reduction of an aircraft's forward speed when thrust is insufficient to overcome aerodynamic drag, or the gradual loss of a spacecraft's orbital altitude due to friction with the upper atmosphere. In both cases, uncorrected decay leads to a loss of flight capability, resulting in a stall for aircraft or atmospheric reentry for satellites.
Heard on the job
Watch your energy state in this turn, you have a rapid airspeed decay.
Also heard as
- orbital decay
- speed decay