Aircraft General

Knowledge
Session 20
Aircraft Basic Flight Instruments
Recap
Session 19
Aircraft Flight Instruments

Flight instruments are the

instruments in the cockpit of an
aircraft that provide the pilot with
data about the flight situation of
that aircraft, such as altitude,
airspeed, vertical speed, heading
and much more other crucial
information in flight
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
CLASSIFICATION
OF FLIGHT Job they Perform
INSTRUMENTS
▪  Flight instruments
▪ Engine instruments
▪ Navigation instruments
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ Pitot-static systems
INSTRUMENTS
▪ Compass systems
▪ Gyroscopic systems
▪ Navigational systems
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Pitot-static Systems
INSTRUMENTS
– Altimeter
– Airspeed indicator
– Vertical speed indicator
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
BASIC
FLIGHT Six Basic Instruments
INSTRUMENTS
▪ airspeed indicator
▪ attitude indicator
▪ altimeter
▪ turn coordinator
▪ heading indicator
▪ vertical speed indicator
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
BASIC
FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS

Six basic
instruments in
an airplane are
typically
arranged in a
"basic-T"
Aircraft Flight Instruments

WORKING SYSTEMS : Pitot-static Systems

Session 20
Aircraft Flight Instruments

In order to safely fly any aircraft, a

pilot must understand how to
interpret and operate the flight
instruments. The pilot also needs
to be able to recognize associated
errors and malfunctions of these
instruments.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Pitot-static Systems
INSTRUMENTS
▪ Pressure Instruments
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Pitot-static Systems
INSTRUMENTS
Pressure Instruments
– Altimeter
– Airspeed indicator
– Vertical speed indicator
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Pressure Instruments
INSTRUMENTS
– Pressure instruments
measure atmospheric
pressure by using the pitot-
static system
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Pitot-Static System detects
INSTRUMENTS
– Total pressure
– Static pressure
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Pitot-Static System detects
INSTRUMENTS
Total pressure also called pitot
pressure, which is measured by a pitot
probe
Static pressure alone, which is
measured by either the static port on a
pitot probe or by a separate static vent
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Pitot-Static System
INSTRUMENTS
detects
Total pressure - Static pressure
= Dynamic pressure
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS

Dynamic and/or static pressure

measurements are the basis of
the flight instrument readings.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS

Total pressure - Static

pressure
= Dynamic pressure
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ Pitot Tube
INSTRUMENTS – Measures dynamic and static
pressures (AKA
pitot pressure)

– Positioned clear of
slipstream and facing line of
flight.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ Static Port (AKA Static Vent)
INSTRUMENTS
– Measures static pressure

– Allows instrument cases to be same

pressure as outside

– Normally on side of aircraft and not

into airflow
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Airspeed Indicator (ASI)
INSTRUMENTS
▪ Shows speed through air (not
over ground)
▪ Shows Indicated Airspeed
(IAS) in Knots or Miles Per
Hour (MPH) or Kph
Aircraft Flight Instruments
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Airspeed Indicator (ASI)
INSTRUMENTS ▪ Aneroid capsule is connected to
pitot pressure. Instrument Case is
connected to static pressure.
▪ Aneroid capsule inflates with more
airspeed, moving dial clockwise.
▪ Static pressure in case corrects for
altitude
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Airspeed Errors
INSTRUMENTS
▪ Density – Atmospheric density
Varies and thus changes
accuracy of ASI
▪ Position – Eddies/turbulence
created by aircraft disrupt
normal airflow into pitot tube
or around static port.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Airspeed Errors
INSTRUMENTS ▪ Lag - Slowness of mechanical
parts due to friction
▪ Icing - Ice can block pitot tube
or static port
▪ Water - Can block pitot tube or
static port
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Airspeed Indicator (ASI)
INSTRUMENTS ▪ Indicated Airspeed (IAS) - What’s
read off dial
▪ Calibrated Airspeed (CAS) - IAS
corrected for instrument and
installation errors
▪ True airspeed (TAS) - CAS corrected
for density and temperature (actual
speed through the air)
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Airspeed Indicator (ASI)
INSTRUMENTS
▪ Groundspeed (GS) - the actual
speed of the airplane over the
ground. It is TAS adjusted for
wind. GS decreases with a
headwind and increases with a
tailwind.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ What does each colored arc
INSTRUMENTS mean?

– White Arc
▪ Flap Operating Range

– Green Arc
▪ Normal Operating Range
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ What does each colored arc
INSTRUMENTS mean?

– Yellow Arc
▪ Caution Range

– Red Radial Line

▪ Never Exceed Speed
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS

A static line
blockage means that
the static pressure in
the ASI instrument
case remains at
constant value.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Over Read
INSTRUMENTS

A static line
blockage means that
the static pressure in
the ASI instrument
case remains at Under Read
constant value.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT Over Read
INSTRUMENTS

A pitot line blockage

means that the total
pressure in the ASI
instrument capsule
remains at a constant Under Read
value
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS

Blocked Static
System
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS

Vertical Speed Indicator

(VSI / VVI)
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ Vertical Speed Indicator
INSTRUMENTS (VSI / VVI)
▪ What does a VSI show?
– Climbs
– Descents
– Level Flight
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ Trend Information: shows an
INSTRUMENTS immediate indication of an
increase or decrease in the
airplane’s rate of climb.
▪ Rate Information: shows a
stabilized rate of change in
altitude.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS
▪ Indicates speed up or down
(rate of climb/descent) in feet
per minute (FPM)
▪ Tends to lag. Will only show
accurate rate after several
seconds.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ The VSI uses a logarithmic scale
INSTRUMENTS display that has a greater
sensitivity at small rate of climb
or descent (ROC/ROD) values.
▪ Zero is usually at the 9 o'clock
position with an ROC scale
above and an ROD scale below.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT
INSTRUMENTS
▪ The VSI instrument measures
the rate of change of static
pressure and displays this as a
rate of climb or descent
(expressed as feet per minute,
or fpm) on the VSI instrument
face.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ The capsule is fed with static
INSTRUMENTS pressure and reacts immediately to
any change in static pressure
▪ Whereas the static pressure feed into
the case is restricted or slowed by a
metering unit
▪ Thus creating a differential static
pressure between the capsule and
the case.
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ The instrument measures the
INSTRUMENTS difference between the two
pressures

– The air where you were

Vs
– The air where you are
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT ▪ As long as the aircraft continues
INSTRUMENTS to climb or descend, the VSl will
translate this as a rate of climb
or descent measurement on the
instrument dial face
 Aircraft Flight Instruments
WORKING SYSTEMS
OF FLIGHT VSI / VVI Errors
INSTRUMENTS
▪ Instrument time-lag error
▪ Pressure error (also known as
position error)
▪ Maneuver error
QUESTIONS ?