Plain English Meaning

The basic rules of physics that explain why an airplane flies the way it does and why it responds the way it does when the pilot moves the controls.

Full Definition

The fundamental physical principles that govern how an airplane produces lift, generates drag, maintains stability, and responds to control inputs in flight. These include the relationships between airspeed, angle of attack, weight, thrust, and the balance of forces acting on the airplane.

Context Anchor

Seen in airplane handling discussions, especially when explaining why control inputs, airspeed, angle of attack, turns, and stalls behave the way they do.