Plain English Meaning

All the things about how air moves around an aircraft and how the aircraft moves through it that affect the way it flies.

Full Definition

The forces and physical principles acting on an aircraft in flight — including lift, weight, thrust, drag, stability, and the effects of airspeed, attitude, load, and atmospheric conditions — that determine how the aircraft performs and responds to control inputs.

Context Anchor

Seen in instrument flying when learning how changes in pitch, power, speed, and aircraft setup affect what the airplane does when you are flying mainly by to instruments.