Definition
The V-shaped steering symbol displayed on a flight director that shows the pilot the pitch and bank attitude required to follow the selected flight path. The pilot flies the airplane symbol up into the V-bars to satisfy the flight director's commands.
Plain English
A V-shaped pointer on the cockpit display that tells the pilot exactly which way to pitch and bank the airplane. You match a small airplane symbol to the V to fly the path the system is commanding.
Context Anchor
Seen on some attitude indicators or electronic flight displays in airplanes equipped with a flight director, especially during instrument flying and approaches.
Derivation
Named for their shape — two angled bars meeting like the letter V. The visual form of the symbol is the whole reason for the name.
Why Pilots Care
Following the V-bars lets the pilot maintain accurate course guidance without constant mental calculations of heading, altitude, or descent rate.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse V-bars with V-speeds. Here, “V” refers to the shape of the display bars, not an airspeed limit or target.
Example Sentence 1
On the ILS approach, she kept the airplane symbol tucked neatly inside the V-bars all the way down to minimums.
Example Sentence 2
Once the autopilot captured the localizer, the V-bars commanded a gentle left turn to intercept the final approach course.