Definition
A flight director display format that presents pitch, roll, and collective (or thrust) guidance as three separate command cues on the attitude indicator. The pilot flies the aircraft to satisfy all three cues simultaneously, achieving the commanded flight path. Most commonly found in helicopter flight director systems, where the third cue manages collective control alongside pitch and roll.
Plain English
A flight director that shows three guidance signals at once — one for pitch, one for roll, and one for power or collective. The pilot follows all three cues to fly the path the autopilot computer has worked out.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of flight directors and automatic flight control systems, especially when describing how the system tells the pilot what control changes to make.
Derivation
Named simply for what it shows: three command cues. The single-cue and two-cue systems came first (pitch and roll only); the third cue was added to give guidance for the collective in helicopters, where power management is a separate control axis.
Why Pilots Care
It reduces pilot workload by presenting integrated guidance in all three axes, improving precision and reducing deviations during critical phases of flight.
Grounding Statement
A three cue system separates the guidance into three visible commands so the pilot can match each command with the correct control action.
Intuition Check
Do not read cue here as a hint or suggestion. In this context, a cue is a flight director command indication that the pilot is expected to follow.
Example Sentence 1
The helicopter's three cue system displayed pitch, roll, and collective commands on the attitude indicator during the coupled approach.
Example Sentence 2
With the three-cue system active, small thrust adjustments kept airspeed within limits during the missed approach climb.