fly-by

fly·by also fly-by  (flb)

n. pl. fly·bys also fly-bys

A flight passing close to a specified target or position, especially a maneuver in which a spacecraft or satellite passes sufficiently close to a body to make detailed observations without orbiting or landing.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

fly-by - a flight at a low altitude (usually of military aircraft) over spectators on the ground flypast, flyover flying, flight - an instance of traveling by air; "flying was still an exciting adventure for him" aircraft - a vehicle that can fly armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"