Definition
An instrument system that computes and displays steering guidance cues on the attitude indicator, showing the pilot the pitch and bank attitudes required to fly a selected flight path. The flight director processes inputs from navigation, air data, and mode-control sources and presents the resulting commands as visual bars or a cue symbol that the pilot follows by hand-flying, or that the autopilot follows automatically when coupled.
Plain English
A guidance display that shows the pilot exactly how to position the aircraft to follow a chosen path. The pilot keeps the aircraft symbol matched to the cue, and the desired flight path is flown.
Context Anchor
Seen on the primary flight display or attitude indicator during instrument flying, especially when selecting autopilot or flight guidance modes.
Derivation
Flight director is plain English: a system that directs the flight. The term came into use as autopilot computers became capable of generating steering commands the pilot could either follow manually or hand off to the autopilot.
Why Pilots Care
Enables precise, low-workload tracking of instrument procedures and reduces the chance of deviating from published courses or glidepaths.
Intuition Check
FD on does not automatically mean the autopilot is on. The FD can tell you what to fly while you are still hand-flying the airplane.
Example Sentence 1
After intercepting the localizer, the pilot followed the flight director cues down to minimums.
Example Sentence 2
With the autopilot coupled to the FD, the aircraft followed the missed approach procedure automatically.