Plain English Meaning

How the pilot uses the foot pedals to keep the nose pointing where it should, especially during turns and when keeping the wings and nose working together smoothly.

Full Definition

The pilot's use of the rudder pedals to manage the airplane's movement about its vertical axis (yaw), keeping the nose properly aligned and coordinating turns so the airplane is neither slipping nor skidding.

Context Anchor

Seen in straight-and-level instrument flight when the pilot is maintaining heading by reference to the flight instruments.

Derivation

From the old nautical 'rudder,' the hinged board at the back of a ship used to steer it. On an airplane, the rudder is the hinged on the 's , and the pilot moves it with foot pedals. '' here means the pilot's input, not an .