control stick

American  

noun

Aeronautics.

1. a lever by which a pilot controls the ailerons and elevator of an aircraft.

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control stick British  

noun

1. Also called: control column.   joy stick.  the lever by which a pilot controls the lateral and longitudinal movements of an aircraft

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Etymology

Origin of control stick

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The game generally requires you to constantly push the control stick for upwards of 30 minutes to survive against hordes of baddies, so being able to switch sticks helps my left hand from getting tired.

From The Verge • Jun. 30, 2022

Their shuttle had dials, switches and a control stick.

From BBC • May 24, 2020

Scott takes another handful of Cheetos, grabs the control stick, and leans back.

From Scientific American • Feb. 12, 2018

And then Bonin made a simple mistake: he pulled back on his control stick and the plane started to climb steeply.

From The Guardian • Oct. 11, 2016

The scrappy puppy in the back seat, however, hops into the pilot's lap and starts gnawing on the control stick!

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein