Definition
The cockpit control, normally the control yoke or stick, that the pilot moves fore and aft to deflect the elevator on the tail and thereby change the airplane's pitch attitude about its lateral axis. Pulling back deflects the elevator up, which pitches the nose up; pushing forward deflects it down, which pitches the nose down.
Plain English
The yoke or stick movement that raises or lowers the airplane's nose. Pull back, nose goes up. Push forward, nose goes down.
Context Anchor
You encounter this when learning how the primary flight controls affect the airplane, especially during takeoff, climb, level flight, descent, landing, and airspeed control.
Derivation
‘Elevator’ comes from the Latin elevare, meaning ‘to lift up.’ The name fits because moving this control is what lifts (or lowers) the nose of the airplane.
Why Pilots Care
Precise elevator control is required to establish and maintain desired pitch attitude, airspeed, and climb or descent rates.
Grounding Statement
Pulling back generally moves the elevator so the nose tends to rise; pushing forward generally moves it so the nose tends to lower.
Intuition Check
Elevator does not mean the airplane goes straight up like a building elevator. Here, it means the tail control surface and the pilot input that change the airplane’s nose-up or nose-down attitude.
Example Sentence 1
During the flare, the student gradually applied back pressure on the elevator control to raise the nose for touchdown.
Example Sentence 2
During the landing flare the pilot gradually relaxed forward pressure, allowing the elevator control to raise the nose smoothly for touchdown.