Definition
A method of controlling an airplane by establishing and maintaining specific pitch and bank attitudes in relation to the natural horizon (or the attitude indicator), combined with appropriate power settings, to produce a desired performance such as a climb, descent, level flight, or turn.
Plain English
Flying by setting the airplane's nose position and wing angle to a known picture, then adjusting power to match — instead of chasing individual instruments. Pick the right attitude and power, and the airplane does what you want.
Context Anchor
Seen in basic airplane control, especially during level flight, climbs, descents, and turns while using outside visual references.
Derivation
In aviation, 'attitude' does not mean a mood or disposition. It comes from the same root as 'aptitude' and originally meant the position or posture of a figure in art or sculpture. Applied to aircraft, it means the airplane's orientation in space — how its nose and wings are positioned relative to the horizon.
Why Pilots Care
It forms the foundation for precise visual control of the aircraft and prevents over-reliance on instruments during normal VFR operations.
Grounding Statement
In level flight, the pilot holds the airplane’s nose at the correct height on the horizon and keeps the wings level, then checks that the airplane stays level.
Intuition Check
Attitude here does not mean the pilot’s mood or mindset. It means the airplane’s position compared with the horizon.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor emphasized attitude flying, teaching the student to set a known pitch picture on the horizon rather than constantly watching the airspeed indicator.
Example Sentence 2
In the traffic pattern the instructor emphasized attitude flying so the student could set the correct pitch for approach speed without staring at the airspeed indicator.