Abstract The problem of stabilizing steady, wings level flight of a fixed-wing aircraft to a specified inertial velocity (speed, course, and climb angle) is addressed. Target rotational dynamics are designed to minimize control-induced sideslip. The aircraft is modeled as a port-Hamiltonian system and the passivity of this system is leveraged in devising the nonlinear control law. The aerodynamic force model in the port-Hamiltonian formulation is quite general; the static, state feedback control scheme requires only basic assumptions concerning lift, side force, and drag. The control design approach involves a feedback transformation inspired by canonical transformation theory in classical mechanics.