control stick

American

noun

Aeronautics.

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

control stick British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of control stick

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

control stick

A pilot was seriously injured in a crash shortly after take-off because a container of de-icing fluid was blocking the control stick.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2022

To wipe the table, for example, you move the control stick in specific directions.

From The Verge ● Jun. 2, 2022

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023