Was reading in another forum about that Piper Pawnee that lost its engine and was forced to land in the water. One participant (quite correctly, by my lights) referred to it as a "Ditching" and not a "Crash."

Which got me to wondering... how did "Ditching" become slang for landing a plane on the water? After all, ditches, conventionally, aren't that wide or long. Given the option, most pilots would prefer to land on adjoining dry ground.

Planes landing in the English Channel during WWII came to mind...Napoleon himself referred to the Channel as a "mere ditch." The British often seemed to refer to the Channel as "The Last Ditch," especially in their defense against Germany in WWII.

Anybody got any ideas on the history of this aviation term?

Ron "It bugs me, even without the 'N'" Wanttaja