Plain English Meaning

How the airplane is positioned in the air (nose up, down, level, banked) together with how much engine power you are using. Set those two things correctly and the airplane will fly the way you want.

Full Definition

The combination of aircraft pitch/bank position and engine power output that, taken together, produces a specific flight performance — such as a particular airspeed, rate of climb, rate of descent, or level cruise. In the control and performance method of instrument flying, attitude and power setting are the two primary inputs the pilot adjusts; the resulting performance is then verified on the .