Definition
A control input in which the pilot pulls the control yoke or stick all the way back to its rearward stop, deflecting the elevator to its maximum nose-up position. In spin entry and recovery procedures, full back elevator is used to hold the airplane at a high angle of attack beyond the stall.
Plain English
Pulling the yoke or stick all the way back, as far as it will go, and holding it there.
Context Anchor
Seen in spin-entry procedures, especially when describing the control position used after the airplane is brought to a stall for spin training.
Derivation
“Elevator” comes from “elevate,” meaning “to raise.” In an airplane, the elevator helps raise or lower the nose. “Back” refers to moving the cockpit control aft, toward the pilot, not to the elevator surface sliding backward.
Why Pilots Care
Full back elevator is required to produce the stall that initiates a spin when combined with rudder yaw.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as the elevator surface moving backward. It means the pilot’s control is fully back, which commands the strongest nose-up elevator position.
Example Sentence 1
As the airplane approached the stall, the instructor applied full back elevator and added rudder to enter the spin.
Example Sentence 2
Full back elevator is held until the spin stabilizes before recovery actions begin.