Definition
The coordinated technique of increasing or decreasing airspeed while maintaining constant altitude and heading. As airspeed changes, the pilot must adjust pitch attitude and trim to offset the change in lift, and adjust power to achieve and hold the desired airspeed, all while keeping the wings level and the heading fixed.
Plain English
Speeding up or slowing down without climbing, descending, or turning. Because lift changes when speed changes, the pilot must re-trim and adjust the nose attitude as power is added or reduced, so the airplane stays at the same altitude and heading.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument training when a pilot must slow for an approach, speed up after leveling off, or hold an assigned speed without climbing, descending, or turning.
Why Pilots Care
Allows safe speed changes in instrument conditions without altitude or heading deviations that could lead to loss of control or airspace violations.
Grounding Statement
Picture reducing power to slow down while gently adjusting the nose so the airplane stays level instead of sinking or ballooning upward.
Intuition Check
Do not treat this as just a throttle change. In straight-and-level flight, changing airspeed also requires holding altitude and heading while adjusting pitch and trim as needed.
Example Sentence 1
Approaching the initial approach fix, the pilot reduced power and gradually raised the nose to slow to 110 knots while holding 4,000 feet — a textbook airspeed change in straight-and-level flight.
Example Sentence 2
During training the instructor called for an airspeed change in straight-and-level flight to simulate a go-around scenario.