Plain English Meaning
How the airplane behaves when you move the controls — how responsive, heavy, light, or sluggish it feels, and how it reacts when you ask it to turn, climb, or descend.
Full Definition
The way an aircraft responds to the pilot's inputs on the flight controls — how quickly, how strongly, and how predictably it pitches, rolls, and yaws when the controls are moved. Control characteristics depend on aircraft design, weight, balance, airspeed, and configuration, and they describe the feel and behavior of the airplane during maneuvering.
Context Anchor
Used in instrument flying when learning how an aircraft reacts without relying on .