Definition
In a Flight Director System, steering commands are the computed pitch and roll guidance signals that tell the pilot (or autopilot) exactly how to maneuver the aircraft to capture and hold a selected flight path, such as a heading, altitude, course, or glideslope. These commands are displayed visually on the attitude indicator as command bars (or a single cue), which the pilot follows by flying the aircraft symbol into alignment with them.
Plain English
The flight director's instructions for which way to pitch and bank the airplane to fly the path you've selected. You follow the cue on the attitude display, and if you keep it lined up, the airplane goes where you asked it to go.
Context Anchor
Seen when using a flight director, especially when command bars or other guidance cues appear on the attitude display.
Why Pilots Care
They allow precise manual control without the pilot having to interpret raw instrument data or calculate corrections mentally.
Intuition Check
Do not read “commands” as orders from air traffic control. Here, steering commands are guidance from the airplane’s flight director system about how to fly the selected path.
Example Sentence 1
Once established on the localizer, she engaged the flight director and flew the steering commands down to minimums.
Example Sentence 2
Steering commands guided the aircraft through the turn onto the final approach course.