Definition
The force a pilot applies to the control yoke or stick in the fore-and-aft (forward/back) direction to move the elevator and control the airplane's pitch attitude. In a steep turn, increased back pressure on the elevator is required to maintain altitude because part of the wing's lift is acting horizontally rather than vertically.
Plain English
How hard the pilot is pulling or pushing on the control yoke to raise or lower the airplane's nose. Pulling back tilts the nose up; releasing pressure lets it come down.
Context Anchor
Encountered during steep turns, altitude control, and any maneuver where the pilot must adjust nose position with the yoke or stick.
Derivation
"Pressure" here is used in the everyday sense of physical force applied by the hand, not in the engineering sense of force per unit area. It refers to how firmly the pilot is pressing or pulling on the controls.
Why Pilots Care
Proper elevator pressure maintains altitude and prevents unintended pitch changes as load factor rises.
Grounding Statement
As the turn gets steeper, the pilot normally feels the need to pull a bit more to keep the airplane from descending.
Intuition Check
Do not read pressure here as air pressure. Elevator pressure means pilot-applied control force, usually a push or pull on the yoke or stick.
Example Sentence 1
As the bank angle steepens past 30 degrees, the pilot increases elevator pressure to keep the nose from dropping.
Example Sentence 2
Releasing elevator pressure in a steep turn causes the nose to drop and altitude to be lost.