Definition
Course indicators are the cockpit navigation instruments that display the airplane's position relative to a selected course or radio navigation signal, allowing the pilot to track and intercept that course. Common examples include the VOR indicator (CDI), the horizontal situation indicator (HSI), and the radio magnetic indicator (RMI).
Plain English
These are the instruments on the panel that show whether you are on the path you've chosen to fly, and which way to steer if you've drifted off it.
Context Anchor
Seen on the instrument panel during instrument flying, especially when following a radio or satellite-based navigation path.
Derivation
Course comes from an older word meaning a run, path, or direction of travel. Indicator comes from a word meaning to point out. Together, course indicators are instruments that point out how the airplane is doing compared with its intended path.
Why Pilots Care
They allow precise tracking of airways and approaches without visual references.
Intuition Check
Do not read course here as a class or lesson. In this context, a course is the path the airplane is meant to track over the ground.
Example Sentence 1
As the airplane crossed the airway, the pilot watched the course indicator center, confirming they were established on the radial.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach, the course indicator helped maintain alignment with the runway centerline.