Definition
A cockpit instrument that combines a heading indicator and a course deviation display into a single pictorial presentation, showing the aircraft's heading, the selected course, and the aircraft's position relative to that course on one face. It is the display element of a remote indicating compass system and is sometimes referred to as a horizontal situation indicator (HSI).
Plain English
A single instrument that shows where the airplane is pointing and where it is in relation to the course you want to fly, so you can see the whole navigation picture at a glance.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying and remote indicating compass discussions, especially when describing displays such as a horizontal situation indicator.
Derivation
Pictorial' comes from the Latin 'pictura' meaning 'a painting' or 'picture.' The instrument is called pictorial because it draws a small picture of the aircraft's situation rather than presenting raw numbers, making the navigation picture easier to interpret quickly.
Why Pilots Care
Provides immediate visual situational awareness of heading and course deviation, reducing the need for mental interpretation during instrument flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read “pictorial” as meaning a moving map or a literal outside picture. Here it means the navigation information is arranged visually so the pilot can quickly picture the airplane’s relationship to the selected course.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot cross-checked the pictorial navigation indicator to confirm the aircraft was tracking the inbound course to the airport.
Example Sentence 2
After the heading change, the pictorial navigation indicator showed the new compass card orientation and updated course deviation.