Plain English Meaning

A cockpit instrument that shows whether the airplane's nose is pointed up or down and whether the wings are level or tilted, by displaying a small aircraft symbol against a moving horizon line.

Full Definition

A gyroscopic flight instrument that displays the airplane's orientation relative to the natural horizon, showing pitch (nose up or down) and bank (wings level or tilted) in real time. The instrument uses a gyro-stabilized horizon line as its reference, with a miniature aircraft symbol fixed in the center; the horizon line moves to indicate how the aircraft is oriented in space.