Definition
A component of a flight director system that calculates the pitch attitude required to satisfy the selected flight mode (such as altitude hold, vertical speed, or glideslope capture) and sends that command to the flight director display, where it appears as the pitch command bar for the pilot or autopilot to follow.
Plain English
The part of the flight director that works out how much the nose needs to go up or down to fly the selected mode, then shows that as a command on the attitude indicator.
Context Anchor
Seen in flight director system discussions, especially where the instrument display shows pitch guidance for climbs, descents, altitude holding, or airspeed control.
Derivation
Pitch refers to nose-up or nose-down attitude. Selection here means choosing the correct pitch angle to satisfy the active flight mode. Computer is the unit doing the calculation. Together: the box that picks the right pitch for the job.
Why Pilots Care
It supplies the vertical steering commands shown on the attitude indicator, reducing pilot workload and improving precision during climbs, descents, and instrument approaches.
Intuition Check
Pitch here does not mean sound, a sales talk, or propeller blade angle. In this term, pitch means the airplane’s nose-up or nose-down position, and selection means the vertical goal chosen for the flight director.
Example Sentence 1
When the pilot engaged altitude hold, the pitch selection computer commanded a slight nose-down attitude to stop the climb at the target altitude.
Example Sentence 2
On the ILS approach the pitch selection computer continuously adjusted the command bars to keep the airplane on glide slope.