Definition of "unstart"
unstart
noun
plural unstarts
A sudden compressor stall that can occur in the jet engines of supersonic aircraft.
Quotations
An unstart was usually a very unpredictable and violent manoever of the aircraft. […] At altitudes above 75,000 feet, aileron control may in ineffective in controlling the roll during an unstart unless the Angle of Attack is immedicately reduced. the instant an unstart occurs, the pilot's first action is to arrest any pitch-up motion of the aircraft.
1996, Richard H. Graham, “Technical Features of the SR-71”, in SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story, Zenith Imprint, Unstarts and Aerodynamic Disturbances (ADs), page 56
At supersonic speeds, adverse interactions between shock waves and boundary layers can increase drag and cause engine unstart.
2006, National Research Council (U.S.). Steering Committee for the Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics,, Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics: Foundation for the Future, National Academic Press, Appendix A: R&T Challenges for Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics, page 73