Definition
In aircraft flight control systems, cables are flexible steel wire ropes that transmit pilot control inputs from the cockpit controls (yoke, rudder pedals) to the control surfaces (ailerons, elevator, rudder). They run through pulleys, fairleads, and turnbuckles inside the airframe and are tensioned to a specified value so that movement of the controls produces a corresponding movement of the surface.
Plain English
Long steel wires inside the airplane that connect what the pilot moves in the cockpit to the moving parts on the wings and tail.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft control-system discussions and during preflight checks where visible control cables may be inspected for condition and movement.
Derivation
Cable comes through French from a Latin word meaning a rope or halter. That helps the aviation meaning: a cable is a flexible line meant to carry a pull.
Why Pilots Care
Cables are a primary mechanical link between the pilot and the aircraft's response. Frayed, loose, or improperly tensioned cables can cause sluggish or jammed controls, so they are checked during preflight and inspected during routine maintenance.
Intuition Check
Do not think of these as electrical cords or computer cables. In this context, cables are mechanical lines that move controls by being pulled.
Example Sentence 1
When the pilot pulls back on the yoke, cables running through the fuselage move the elevator up.
Example Sentence 2
Rudder cables run from the pedals back through the fuselage to the tail.