Plain English Meaning

Flying by what your body feels rather than what the instruments say. It works when you can see outside, but your body lies to you when you can't, so it must never be trusted in the clouds.

Full Definition

An informal term for flying an aircraft by relying on bodily sensations -- the feel of acceleration, pressure on the seat, and the pull of gravity -- rather than on flight instruments. It is reliable in visual conditions where the pilot can also see the horizon, but it becomes dangerously misleading in clouds or other instrument conditions because the body cannot accurately sense aircraft attitude without outside visual references.

Context Anchor

Seen in instrument flying discussions, especially when explaining why body sensations are not a safe guide in clouds or poor .