Definition
The reference marks arranged around the top of the attitude indicator that show the aircraft's angle of bank. Standard markings are placed at 10°, 20°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° on either side of the top center index, allowing the pilot to read bank angle by where the bank pointer aligns against these marks.
Plain English
Tick marks across the top of the attitude indicator that tell you how steeply the aircraft is banked left or right.
Context Anchor
Seen on the attitude indicator during instrument flying, especially when setting or checking a standard bank in a turn.
Derivation
In aviation, “bank” means the aircraft is tilted sideways, with one wing lower than the other. “Angle” means the measured amount of that tilt. The term points to lines that mark that sideways tilt on the instrument.
Why Pilots Care
They let a pilot maintain precise, controlled bank angles without outside visual references, preventing over-banking or loss of situational awareness.
Intuition Check
Do not read “bank” here as a financial bank or a river bank. In this term, “bank” means the airplane’s sideways tilt left or right.
Example Sentence 1
She rolled into the turn until the bank pointer touched the 30° bank-angle line.
Example Sentence 2
After the rollout, the pilot checked that the wings were level by confirming the miniature airplane sat between the bank-angle lines.