Definition
The unprocessed navigation information displayed directly from individual navigation sources (such as VOR, ILS, GPS, or DME), shown on primary flight instruments without being interpreted or combined by a flight director or autopilot system. The pilot reads the underlying signals and decides how to fly the aircraft.
Plain English
The original navigation readings shown on the instruments, before any automation has translated them into commands telling you what to do. You see the actual needles and indicators and figure out the corrections yourself.
Context Anchor
You see this term when comparing basic instrument indications with flight director cues or autopilot behavior.
Derivation
Raw' here means uncooked or unprocessed -- the data straight from the source. The contrast is with 'processed' data, where a computer has already done the thinking and is showing you a command bar or steering cue instead of the underlying signal.
Why Pilots Care
Proficiency in raw data flying is required for training and remains essential when flight director or autopilot systems become unavailable.
Intuition Check
Raw data does not mean rough, unreliable, or unofficial information. Here it means the direct instrument information before an automated system interprets it.
Example Sentence 1
During training, the instructor turned off the flight director and had the student fly the ILS using raw data only.
Example Sentence 2
The training syllabus requires demonstrated raw data proficiency before students may rely on flight director guidance.