Definition
A flight control surface or system that is not used during normal flight operations and is activated only under specific abnormal or emergency conditions, such as a backup hydraulic system, a manual reversion mode, or a control deployed only for unusual configurations.
Plain English
A control that you don't use in everyday flying. It only comes into play when something out of the ordinary happens, like a system failure or an emergency procedure.
Context Anchor
Seen in abnormal and emergency procedure discussions, training scenarios, and aircraft system descriptions.
Derivation
Non- means 'not.' Normal here means 'standard or routine operation.' Together: a control that operates outside the standard flight regime.
Why Pilots Care
Recognizing non-normal control prevents loss of control by prompting appropriate pilot intervention when automation is reduced.
Intuition Check
Non-normal does not mean careless, wrong, or uncontrolled. It means the airplane is being controlled by a backup, alternate, or abnormal method instead of the usual method.
Example Sentence 1
The manual reversion system is a non-normal control that engages only if both hydraulic systems fail.
Example Sentence 2
The crew reviewed the non-normal control procedures before continuing the approach with one hydraulic system inoperative.