Definition
The primary flight control in many airplanes used to operate the ailerons and elevator. Turning the yoke left or right banks the airplane by deflecting the ailerons; pushing or pulling the yoke pitches the nose down or up by deflecting the elevator.
Plain English
The wheel-shaped control in front of the pilot that is used to roll the airplane left or right and to raise or lower the nose.
Context Anchor
Seen in cockpit and flight-control discussions, especially when describing how the pilot uses the primary flight controls.
Derivation
From Old English 'geoc', the wooden crosspiece placed on the necks of two oxen so they could pull together. The aviation yoke borrows the shape and the idea of a two-handed crossbar used to steer something larger than yourself.
Why Pilots Care
It is the main way a pilot controls the aircraft's attitude and direction during flight, takeoff, and landing.
Intuition Check
Do not read yoke as an animal harness here. In this FAA context, a yoke is the airplane’s hand control for pitch and roll.
Example Sentence 1
She turned the yoke gently to the left to begin a shallow bank toward the downwind leg.
Example Sentence 2
As the airplane crossed the threshold, the pilot eased the yoke forward slightly to maintain the proper descent angle.