Definition
The position of an aircraft as determined by the relationship of its longitudinal and lateral axes to the natural horizon. Attitude describes how the aircraft is oriented in space — nose up or down (pitch) and wings level or banked (roll) — relative to the horizon.
Plain English
How the aircraft is sitting in the air — whether the nose is pointing up, down, or level, and whether the wings are level or tilted to one side.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in flight training, instrument flying, and any discussion of controlling the airplane by reference to the horizon or flight instruments.
Derivation
From the Italian 'attitudine,' meaning posture or position of a figure in art. The aviation use carries the original sense — the posture of the aircraft in space — not the modern everyday sense of a person's mood or outlook.
Why Pilots Care
Proper attitude control directly governs airspeed, altitude, lift, and stall prevention.
Analogy
Think of attitude as the airplane’s body posture. Just as a person can lean forward, stand upright, or tilt to one side, an airplane can point its nose up or down and hold its wings level or tilted.
Intuition Check
Attitude does not mean the pilot’s mood or opinion here. In aviation, it means the aircraft’s position compared with the horizon.
Example Sentence 1
After takeoff, the pilot established a climb attitude with the nose held about ten degrees above the horizon.
Example Sentence 2
A steep bank attitude during the turn increased the load factor.