Definition
The simultaneous, proportioned adjustment of pitch, power, and trim required to transition smoothly from one flight condition to another — for example, leveling off from a climb or descent into cruise flight — so that altitude, airspeed, and aircraft attitude all settle on the new target values together rather than one at a time.
Plain English
Changing pitch, power, and trim together, in the right amounts at the right time, so the airplane settles into its new flight condition smoothly instead of overshooting or wallowing through the transition.
Context Anchor
Used in instrument flying when leveling off from a climb or descent while watching the flight instruments.
Derivation
‘Coordinated’ comes from the Latin ‘co-’ (together) and ‘ordinare’ (to arrange in order). In this context it means the control inputs are arranged to happen together and in the right proportions — not one after the other.
Why Pilots Care
Prevents overshooting the assigned altitude and keeps the airplane under smooth, positive control during altitude transitions.
Intuition Check
Do not read “coordinated change” as simply “any change made smoothly.” Here it means the separate control actions are matched in timing and amount so the airplane levels off correctly.
Example Sentence 1
Approaching cruise altitude, the pilot made a coordinated change — lowering the nose, reducing power to cruise setting, and re-trimming — so the airplane levelled off cleanly at the assigned altitude and airspeed.
Example Sentence 2
During the descent the student made a coordinated change of pitch and throttle to capture the target altitude without ballooning.