Definition
A pitch-and-power relationship stating that when engine power is held steady and the pitch attitude is raised (nose up), the airspeed will decrease. With power fixed, raising the nose redirects some of the aircraft's energy from forward speed into climbing or maintaining altitude, so the airspeed indicator shows a lower number.
Plain English
If you keep the throttle exactly where it is and pull the nose up a bit, the airplane will slow down. Same engine push, but the nose is now angled higher, so the plane trades speed for height.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying when using the airspeed indicator to understand how pitch and power changes affect speed.
Why Pilots Care
Understanding this relationship lets a pilot predict and control airspeed changes during climbs, descents, or level flight without changing power, which is essential for instrument approaches and precise speed management.
Grounding Statement
Picture holding the throttle still and gently raising the nose: the airplane has not gained extra power, so its speed begins to drop.
Intuition Check
Do not read “pitch” here as sound or steepness in a general sense. In this context, pitch means the airplane’s nose position relative to the horizon: nose up usually slows the airplane if power is unchanged.
Example Sentence 1
Holding cruise power, the instructor raised the pitch slightly and the airspeed bled off from 110 to 95 knots, demonstrating that constant power plus increased pitch equals decreased airspeed.
Example Sentence 2
During the instrument approach the crew maintained constant power while increasing pitch to hold the target approach speed.