Definition
Force applied by the pilot pulling back on the control yoke or stick to deflect the elevator upward, which raises the aircraft's nose. In the context of tailplane icing, sustained or increasing nose-up elevator pressure is one of the symptoms a pilot may feel as the iced horizontal stabilizer begins to lose its ability to hold the tail down.
Plain English
The backward push or pull the pilot puts on the controls to lift the nose. When the tail is iced up, the pilot may notice they need to pull back harder than normal to keep the nose where they want it.
Context Anchor
Seen in icing and tailplane stall discussions, especially when describing what the pilot feels in the controls and how the airplane responds in pitch.
Derivation
“Elevator” comes from the idea of raising something. On an airplane, the elevator is the control surface used to raise or lower the nose. “Pressure” here means force applied by the pilot, not air pressure or hydraulic pressure.
Why Pilots Care
This pressure change is an early warning of tailplane stall and, if ignored, can lead to an uncommanded nose-down pitch and loss of control.
Grounding Statement
Picture pulling the yoke gently toward you because the nose wants to drop and you want it to stay up.
Intuition Check
Do not read “pressure” here as pressure in the air or in a system. It means the physical force the pilot applies to the elevator control.
Example Sentence 1
As the flaps extended on final approach, the pilot noticed an unusual increase in nose-up elevator pressure, an early symptom of possible tailplane icing.
Example Sentence 2
The instructor pointed out that any sudden need for nose-up elevator pressure in icing conditions should prompt an immediate de-icing procedure check.