Plain English Meaning

Pushing on the left rudder pedal with your left foot to make the nose move left or to keep the aircraft flying straight when something is pulling it to the right.

Full Definition

Force applied by the pilot's left foot on the left rudder pedal to yaw the aircraft's nose to the left, coordinate a turn, or counteract a yawing tendency such as that produced by engine torque, P-factor, or slipstream effect.

Context Anchor

Seen when using the turn-and-slip indicator during instrument flight, especially when the ball shows that rudder correction is needed.

Derivation

Rudder comes from an old word for a steering oar on a boat. That helps because an ’s rudder also steers by changing direction, but it does this in the using the pilot’s foot pedals.