Definition
An aircraft attitude in which the wings are level with the horizon, with no bank to the left or right. In this attitude, the aircraft's lateral axis (wingtip to wingtip) is parallel to the horizon and the aircraft is not turning.
Plain English
The wings are flat — neither tipped left nor right. The aircraft is flying straight, not banking into a turn.
Context Anchor
You see this in instrument flying and bank control when the pilot is using the flight instruments to keep the airplane from turning unintentionally.
Derivation
‘Lateral’ comes from the Latin lateralis, meaning ‘of the side.’ A laterally level attitude refers to side-to-side levelness — the wings, which extend out to the sides, are even with the horizon.
Why Pilots Care
A laterally level attitude keeps the aircraft on the desired heading without unintended turning forces and supports accurate altitude and airspeed control.
Grounding Statement
Picture the left and right wings sitting evenly across the horizon instead of one wing being lower than the other.
Intuition Check
Attitude does not mean mood here. Laterally level does not mean the airplane is holding the same altitude; it means the wings are not tilted left or right.
Example Sentence 1
After rolling out of the turn, the pilot checked the attitude indicator to confirm a laterally level attitude before resuming the assigned heading.
Example Sentence 2
On the attitude indicator the miniature wings must remain aligned with the horizon bar to indicate a laterally level attitude in straight flight.