Plain English Meaning

Moving the controls with purpose so the airplane actually does what you want it to do — not too little, not too much.

Full Definition

Deliberate, decisive control inputs of the correct size and direction that produce a clear, predictable change in the aircraft's attitude, heading, altitude, or airspeed. Positive control responses are firm but smooth — large enough to make the desired correction visible on the instruments, small enough to avoid overcontrolling.

Context Anchor

Used in instrument flying when the pilot must respond to what the instruments show and keep the airplane under precise .