Definition
A flight maneuver performed solely by reference to cockpit instruments, without using outside visual cues, to control the aircraft's attitude, heading, altitude, and airspeed.
Plain English
Flying a specific movement of the aircraft — like a turn, climb, or descent — by watching the cockpit instruments instead of looking outside.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument training and in procedures for maintaining control when clouds, darkness, or other conditions make outside references unreliable.
Derivation
Instrument' comes from the Latin instrumentum, meaning a tool or implement. 'Maneuver' comes from the French manoeuvre, meaning a planned movement or operation. Together it points to a deliberate flight movement carried out using cockpit tools rather than the view outside.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures pilots can maintain aircraft control and orientation when outside visibility is lost.
Grounding Statement
If the aircraft enters a cloud and the pilot starts a turn by watching the attitude indicator and other flight instruments, that turn is an instrument maneuver.
Intuition Check
Do not read “instrument maneuver” as a special trick done to an instrument. It means a normal aircraft maneuver flown by using instruments as the main reference.
Example Sentence 1
After entering the cloud layer, the pilot transitioned to instrument maneuvers to hold heading and altitude.
Example Sentence 2
During the checkride, the examiner requested an instrument maneuver to demonstrate recovery from unusual attitudes.