Definition
The angular position of the cockpit power lever, measured from the idle stop, used by the engine control system as the pilot's commanded power input on a turbine engine. The fuel control unit (or FADEC) interprets this angle and schedules fuel flow and other engine parameters to produce the requested thrust or power.
Plain English
How far forward or back the pilot has moved the power lever. The engine's control system reads that lever position as a number — an angle — and uses it to decide how much fuel to send to the engine.
Context Anchor
Seen in turbine-engine, engine-control, and maintenance troubleshooting discussions where lever position must match engine response.
Derivation
The term is descriptive: the power lever rotates through an arc as the pilot moves it, and the system measures that movement as an angle (in degrees) from the idle position. Calling it an angle rather than a position reflects how the sensor actually reports the lever to the engine computer.
Why Pilots Care
The PLA position directly governs thrust, fuel flow, and engine response, affecting takeoff performance, climb capability, and safe power changes in flight.
Analogy
PLA is like the position of a car’s accelerator pedal. The pedal position is not the engine power itself; it is the driver’s command for more or less power.
Intuition Check
PLA does not mean the actual power the engine is producing. It means the position of the power lever that commands the engine to change power.
Example Sentence 1
The FADEC uses power-lever angle as one of its primary inputs when scheduling fuel flow to the engine.
Example Sentence 2
During a power check, the mechanic confirmed the sensor matched the commanded PLA before releasing the aircraft.