Fly by the seat of one's pants

[WonderMary]

This idiom sounds really weird to me, I didn't understand in which situations there's a sense to use it and how it is using.

Any help?

 

[Rover_KE]

I googled your thread title and found this page for you (click on the underlined link).

 

[GoesStation]

I looked at the first result of the search you linked to and I don't agree with it. It mentions aerial navigation, but I think the phrase originated in what pilots call stick-and-rudder skills.

When you turn an airplane in flight, you have to coordinate two main controls: the ailerons, which make one wing drop and the other rise; and the rudder, which makes the plane rotate on its horizontal axis. If you don't coordinate them correctly, you feel your bottom -- the "seat of your pants" -- pull to one side.

An instrument called the "turn coordinator" displays this for the pilot. If the turn coordinator fails, you have to fly by the seat of your pants: by feeling in your rear end when you need more or less rudder.

By extension, any time you rely on more fundamental skills to get through a challenging situation, you can say you're flying by the seat of your pants.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Pilots who flew without navigators or navigation gear flew by the seats of their pants. Today, it has a more general meaning of trusting your instincts and experience - not metrics or measuring tools - to make decisions.

It's also called "winging it."

 

[GoesStation]

While the term originated in aviation, I think it's related to piloting skills that are more fundamental than navigation. You have to be able to keep the airplane in the air and maintain a heading before you can think about how to get where you're going.

 

[GoesStation]

I agree with what you said in post 3 from a language point of view. On the flying side, you did not mention the forward/back movement of the joystick, controlling the elevators that make the noseof the aircraft rise or fall. This is part of the 'seat of the pants' feeling.

True. I was thinking mostly about keeping turns coordinated, where the seat of your pants can substitute for the turn coordinator. Uncoordinated turns can be dangerous, potentially leading to a spin. I thought bringing the elevator into my explanation would make it unhelpfully overcomplicated -- and I don't remember my flight instructor ever mentioning paying attention to my perceived weight as a seat-of-the-pants way to gauge my elevator input.

 

[Tdol]

This is a thread that has taught me where an idiom comes from- I had no idea.

 

[charliedeut]

This is a thread that has taught me where an idiom comes from- I had no idea.

You had no idea you could learn something in the Forum? :shock: :lol:

 

[Tarheel]

WonderMary, please familiarize yourself with the "Thank" and "Like" buttons.