aircraft instruments (groups b/d)
TRANSCRIPT
Aircraft InstrumentsGroups A and B: First Year Beginning
Essential Questions
• What are the instruments?
• What do the instruments do?
• How do the instruments work?
• How do you read the instruments?
The Standard “Six Pack”
• 6 most important instruments all side-by-side
The airspeed indicator shows speed through the air --- not over the ground.
The pitot tube on the wing catches on-rushing air. This “ram air” is compared to “static” air to determine air speed.
The static port measures static or still air – air that is not affected by the airplane’s speed through the air
The attitude indicator gives an artificial horizon to show the pilot the airplane’s position in relation to the ground.
Tells you 3 things:
1.Degrees of pitch
2.Degrees of bank
3.Climb or descenet
Here, the airplane is banking left with its nose on the horizon —where brown “ground” meets blue “sky.”
The altimeter measures air pressure outside the airplane and compares it to air pressure at sea level to determine altitude.
Like the hands of a clock, the long hand shows smaller increments (100s of feet) while the shorter hand shows larger increments (1,000s of feet). The hand with the triangle on the end shows the largest increments (10,000s of feet).
This altimeter is reading 1,719 feet.
The vertical speed indicator uses changes in air pressure to indicate rate of climb or descent.
VS is measured in feet per minute
This airplane is descending at 180 feet per minute.
The turn coordinator shows if the wings are level or banked. The position of the ball indicates if the airplane is coordinated during a turn.
The ball is centered when the turn is coordinated by therudder.
Turn Coordinator
The heading indicator shows you which direction you’re going relative to Earth’s latitude and longitude lines.
Since Earth is a sphere, there are 360 numbers, each being a different direction. For example, east is 90 and south is 180. On the heading indicator, the last 0 is omitted.
Runway numbers work the same way that the numbers on the heading indicator do. The last 0 is omitted and the numbers on the runway match the number on the heading indicator, +/- 5 degrees.
When landing here, your heading indicator should read 27 because you’re landing on runway 27, which is actually 270 degrees.
Other Instruments
• Instruments that you look at less than the main six including fuel indicators, oil temperature, RPMs, etc.
Quiz Time!
• Your attitude indicator has just failed. What other instruments can you use combined to read the same information that the attitude indicator tells you and why?• Turn coordinator - indicates whether
you’re banking or not• VSI - indicates climbs and descents
(remember 4 second delay!)
Quiz Time!
• What is the VSI measured in?• Feet per minute
Essential Questions
• What are the instruments?
• What do the instruments do?
• How do the instruments work?
• How do you read the instruments?
NO MEETINGS AT ATLANTIC NEXT MONTH!!!!!• October 8th - picnic meeting under the
pavilion next to the control tower
• October 23rd - Lockheed in Marietta
