Definition
A throttle (and, where applicable, propeller) setting that is held unchanged while the pilot uses pitch attitude alone to control airspeed in level flight. With power held fixed, raising the nose slows the aircraft and lowering the nose increases speed, allowing the airspeed indicator to be used as a reference for small pitch corrections.
Plain English
You leave the throttle alone and change your speed by gently raising or lowering the nose.
Context Anchor
Used in straight-and-level instrument flight when comparing power, attitude, and airspeed indications.
Why Pilots Care
Holding power steady reduces the need to constantly adjust the throttle, allowing smoother and more precise airspeed management through pitch alone.
Intuition Check
Constant power setting does not mean constant airspeed. It means the engine power is held steady; the airplane can still speed up, slow down, climb, or descend.
Example Sentence 1
With a constant power setting, the instructor asked the student to slow to 100 knots using pitch alone.
Example Sentence 2
With a constant power setting in level flight, airspeed deviations are corrected by adjusting attitude rather than throttle.