Definition
A bank-angle indicator on an attitude indicator (or attitude director indicator) consisting of a fixed inverted triangle at the top of the instrument that points down to a moving bank-angle scale. As the aircraft banks, the scale rotates beneath the stationary pointer, and the pointer indicates the bank angle directly against the scale.
Plain English
A small triangle at the top of the attitude indicator that shows how steeply the aircraft is banked. It stays still while the scale behind it turns, so you read the bank angle where the triangle is pointing.
Context Anchor
Seen on some attitude indicators during the pilot’s instrument scan, especially when checking whether the wings are level or banked.
Derivation
Called a 'sky pointer' because it points up toward the sky portion of the attitude indicator and reads the bank angle from the top of the instrument, rather than from the bottom like the older-style 'ground pointer' design.
Why Pilots Care
Gives immediate up-direction reference when the horizon line is hard to interpret.
Intuition Check
A sky pointer is not an arrow in the actual sky and it is not a navigation pointer. It is a marker on the attitude indicator that helps show the aircraft’s left or right bank.
Example Sentence 1
During the steep turn, she cross-checked the sky pointer and confirmed she was holding 45 degrees of bank.
Example Sentence 2
During partial panel practice the instructor covered the horizon line and asked the student to use only the sky pointer for orientation.