Plain English Meaning

Recovery is what the pilot does to get the airplane back to safe, normal flight after it has ended up in an unusual or out-of-control attitude.

Full Definition

In Upset Prevention and Recovery Training, recovery is the deliberate sequence of pilot actions that returns an airplane from an upset attitude (one that exceeds normal flight parameters in pitch, bank, or airspeed) back to stabilized, controlled flight within the normal flight envelope.

Context Anchor

Seen in upset prevention and recovery training, especially when discussing how to respond after the airplane has entered an unusual or unsafe flight condition.