Plain English Meaning

A small steering wheel or handle in the cockpit that the pilot uses to turn the front wheel of the airplane while taxiing on the ground.

Full Definition

A cockpit control, typically a small wheel or hand lever mounted on the side panel, used by the pilot to steer the nose wheel during taxi, especially for sharp turns beyond the range provided by the rudder pedals.

Context Anchor

You encounter it during taxi, ramp movement, and ground handling in aircraft equipped with nose wheel steering.

Derivation

‘Tiller’ comes from the old word for the bar used to steer a boat’s . Borrowed into because the pilot uses a similar hand-operated lever to steer the nose wheel on the ground.