Definition
A ground-steering system in which the pilot directs the airplane on the surface by turning the nose wheel left or right, typically through inputs from the rudder pedals. On many light airplanes the rudder pedals are mechanically linked to the nose wheel; on larger or more complex airplanes a separate tiller and a hydraulic or electric actuator may control nose-wheel angle.
Plain English
It is the way the pilot steers the airplane while it is rolling on the ground, by turning the front wheel using the rudder pedals (or sometimes a small steering tiller).
Context Anchor
Encountered during taxi operations and during the after-landing roll, especially when correcting for crosswind after the main wheels are on the runway.
Why Pilots Care
Effective nose-wheel steering keeps the airplane tracking straight after touchdown and prevents drift or runway departure when a crosswind tries to push the tail.
Intuition Check
Nose-wheel steering does not mean the front wheel does all the control work after landing. In a crosswind, the pilot may still need other control inputs, and the nose wheel becomes more useful as the airplane slows and has weight on the front wheel.
Example Sentence 1
As the airplane slowed during the landing rollout, the pilot transitioned from rudder to nose-wheel steering to keep the centerline.
Example Sentence 2
While taxiing to the ramp on a narrow taxiway, small inputs through the rudder pedals provided enough nose-wheel steering to stay within the lines.