Definition
A method of attitude instrument flying in which the pilot establishes a desired aircraft attitude and power setting using the control instruments (attitude indicator and power indicators), then cross-checks the performance instruments (altimeter, airspeed indicator, vertical speed indicator, heading indicator, and turn coordinator) to confirm the aircraft is achieving the intended flight path, making small corrections to attitude or power as needed.
Plain English
A way of flying on instruments where you first set the airplane's nose position and engine power to what should produce the flight you want, then you check the other instruments to see if it actually worked, and adjust if it didn't.
Context Anchor
Used in instrument flying when the pilot cannot rely on outside visual references and must fly by reading the instruments.
Derivation
The name describes the two instrument groups the method uses: 'control' instruments (those that show what the pilot is directly commanding -- attitude and power) and 'performance' instruments (those that show the resulting performance of the aircraft -- altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, heading). The method is built around the relationship between the two groups.
Why Pilots Care
Provides a systematic way to establish and maintain precise flight parameters during instrument flight without relying on outside visual references.
Analogy
It is like driving a car by setting the steering and gas pedal, then checking the speedometer and road position to see whether the car is doing what you intended.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as two separate topics: airplane controls and airplane performance numbers. In this context, control and performance is a flying method: set the controls, then verify the result.
Example Sentence 1
Using the control and performance method, the student set pitch on the attitude indicator and cruise power, then scanned the altimeter and airspeed to confirm level flight.
Example Sentence 2
During an instrument approach the instructor emphasized control and performance by having the student establish the correct pitch and power before checking descent rate.