Plain English Meaning

Something pushing the nose of the airplane sideways — to the left or right — like turning your head without tilting it.

Full Definition

A force that rotates the aircraft about its vertical (yaw) axis, swinging the nose left or right while the wings remain roughly level. In the context of the turn-and-slip indicator, the yawing force is what initiates a turn by causing the nose to move horizontally before the aircraft begins to bank and curve through the air.

Context Anchor

Seen when reading about the turn-and-slip indicator, especially the ball that shows whether the airplane is turning smoothly or being pushed sideways.

Derivation

‘Yaw’ is an old nautical word meaning to deviate from a straight course, originally used to a ship swinging . In it was adopted to describe the same kind of side-to-side nose movement around the .