missing man formation

noun — 2 senses

missing man formation

noun
1

Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aviation, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences An aerial salute to commemorate a deceased person, consisting of a formation of flying aircraft with a space where one plane should be flying.

2

Broadly A similar formation with one missing member in soccer or motor racing.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.