Definition
A visual indicator on the attitude indicator of a flight director system that shows the pilot the pitch and bank attitude needed to fly the selected flight path. The pilot follows the cue by maneuvering the aircraft so that the aircraft symbol aligns with it.
Plain English
A symbol on the attitude display that tells the pilot exactly how to pitch and bank the aircraft to follow the chosen course, climb, or descent. Fly the airplane to match the cue, and you are flying the planned path.
Context Anchor
Seen on the attitude display when the flight director is turned on, especially during instrument flight.
Derivation
From 'command' (an instruction to do something) and 'cue' (a signal prompting an action). Together: a signal that tells the pilot what to do. The wording is literal — the cue commands the next control input.
Why Pilots Care
It lets the pilot fly the airplane manually with the same guidance logic an autopilot would use, improving accuracy and reducing workload during instrument approaches.
Intuition Check
Do not read “command” as an air traffic control instruction or as the airplane taking control by itself. Here, the command cue is a visual guide telling the pilot what movement is needed to follow the selected flight guidance.
Example Sentence 1
On the ILS approach, the pilot kept the aircraft symbol centered on the command cue all the way down to minimums.
Example Sentence 2
With the flight director on, the command cue showed a slight nose-up pitch to maintain the glidepath.