Definition
A signal returned from a servo (a powered control device) to the system that commands it, reporting the servo's actual position or output so the system can compare it to the commanded position and correct any difference.
Plain English
It is the servo telling the controller, 'Here is where I actually am right now,' so the controller can check whether it matches what was asked for and adjust if it does not.
Context Anchor
Seen in autopilot, flight control, trim, and aircraft maintenance discussions involving powered control movement.
Derivation
Servo comes from the Latin servus, meaning 'servant' — a device that serves a command. Feedback is the signal fed back from the output to the input. Together it means the servant reporting back on what it has done.
Why Pilots Care
Accurate servo feedback prevents control surface errors, oscillations, or autopilot disengagement during flight.
Analogy
It is like telling someone to turn a knob and then asking, “Did it move, and how far?” Without that answer, you only know the command was given, not whether the movement actually happened.
Intuition Check
Do not read feedback here as advice, opinion, or noise. In this context, feedback is measurement information sent back from the servo to the control system.
Example Sentence 1
When the autopilot commanded a roll to the right, servo feedback confirmed the aileron servo had moved to the requested position.
Example Sentence 2
Loss of servo feedback caused the system to disengage and alert the pilot to take manual control.