Definition
The amount of force a pilot applies to the flight controls (yoke or stick, and rudder pedals) to move or hold a control surface in a desired position. Pilots are trained to fly by feel of pressure rather than by watching how far the controls move, because the force required reflects the airplane's response to the air loads acting on the control surfaces.
Plain English
How hard you are pushing or pulling on the controls, rather than how far you are moving them.
Context Anchor
Used when describing how the airplane feels in the pilot’s hands and feet during maneuvers, speed changes, takeoff, landing, and trimming.
Derivation
Pressure comes from a Latin word meaning “to press.” In this term, it does not mean air pressure; it means the pilot’s physical pressing, pushing, or pulling on the controls.
Why Pilots Care
Applying the right amount of pressure produces smooth, coordinated flight; too much or too little creates overcontrol, pilot-induced oscillation, or loss of precision.
Intuition Check
Do not read “pressure” here as weather pressure or hydraulic pressure. In this context, it means the force the pilot applies to the flight controls.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor told the student to relieve back pressure on the yoke once the airplane was trimmed for level flight.
Example Sentence 2
With proper flight control pressure the airplane rolled smoothly into a 30-degree bank without any pitching motion.