Definition
A power setting that is held unchanged while other flight variables (such as pitch attitude or configuration) are adjusted. In instrument flight, it is used as a fixed reference so that changes in airspeed or altitude can be attributed to pitch or configuration changes rather than to throttle movement.
Plain English
You set the throttle to a chosen value and leave it there. Anything that changes about the airplane after that is caused by what you do with the controls or flaps, not by the throttle.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying when learning straight-and-level flight and watching how the airspeed indicator responds while power is kept steady.
Derivation
Constant comes from a Latin idea meaning “standing firm” or “remaining the same.” In aviation, it points to a setting that is deliberately held steady instead of being changed.
Why Pilots Care
Allows precise airspeed changes and energy management during instrument flight without repeated throttle adjustments.
Intuition Check
Constant power does not mean constant airspeed. It means the engine power setting stays the same; the airspeed may still change as the airplane’s attitude or drag changes.
Example Sentence 1
During the climb-to-cruise transition, the instructor told her to hold constant power and lower the nose to let the airspeed build to cruise.
Example Sentence 2
With constant power the pilot raised the nose slightly to reduce airspeed while remaining on altitude.