Definition
The orientation of an airplane in flight relative to the horizon, described by its pitch (nose up or down) and bank (wings tilted left or right), and sometimes also its yaw (nose left or right of the flight path).
Plain English
How the airplane is positioned in the air — whether the nose is pointing up, down, or level, and whether the wings are level or tilted to one side.
Context Anchor
Used when controlling the airplane by outside visual references or by the cockpit instrument that shows the airplane’s nose and wings relative to the horizon.
Derivation
In everyday speech, 'attitude' usually means a person's mood or outlook. In aviation, it comes from an older meaning of the word: the position or posture of an object. So 'flight attitude' simply means the airplane's posture in the air.
Why Pilots Care
The current flight attitude determines airspeed, lift, drag, and stall margin; incorrect attitudes lead directly to loss of control or inefficient flight.
Intuition Check
Attitude does not mean a pilot’s mood or mindset here. In this context, it means the airplane’s physical position relative to the horizon.
Example Sentence 1
After the gust pushed the nose up, the pilot applied gentle forward pressure to return the airplane to a level flight attitude.
Example Sentence 2
In the traffic pattern the student maintained a level flight attitude while turning from base to final.