Aircraft Instruments
Aircraft Instruments
Aircraft Instruments
Pitot
Static System
Airspeed Indicator
Aircraft Airspeeds
Vso Stall speed in landing configuration Vs Stall speed in clean (flaps up) configuration Vy Climb speed for the max amount of height v. time VxVx- Climb speed for the max amount of height for distance VfeVfe- Flap Extension speed: Flaps should not be used above this speed Va Design maneuvering/rough air speed: Speed at which abrupt full control inputs can be used without risking structural damage. Should never be exceeded in rough air. Changes with weight Vno Max structural Cruise speed Vne Never Exceed Speed
Types of Airspeeds
Calibrated Speed corrected for installation and instrument errors. At high angle of attack, the pitot tube does not point straight into the relative wind, this tends to make the airspeed indicate lower than normal at low airspeeds. Not usually a problem in cruise, usually we only worry about calibrate airspeed when we are converting to true airspeed. True The actual speed of your airplane is moving through undisturbed air. On a standard day, Calibrated airspeed will be equal to TAS. As density altitude increases, true airspeed increases for a given CAS or amount of power. TAS can be calculated by using CAS with temperature and pressure on your E6B Equivalent Calibrated airspeed corrected for adiabatic compressible flow at a particular altitude. Above 200 kts and 20,000 feet air compresses in front the pitot tube causing abnormally high airspeeds. Many flight computers are designed to compensate.
Airspeed Indicator
Uses ram air from the pitot tube as well as static air. Ram air pushes against a diaphragm inside the airspeed indicator, which will then be able to expand or contract accordingly. This movement of the diaphragm is then translated into needle movement.
Airspeed Indicator
If the Pitot tube is blocked and the drain is open, speed will go to zero. If the Pitot tube is blocked and the drain is open, it will act as an altimeter. If the the Static vent is blocked, the airspeed will read higher than it should above altitude where it became blocked and lower than it should below. If all three all blocked, the needle will freeze.
Questions?
How does the airspeed indicator compute indicated airspeed? How will we know if we have a blocked pitot tube?
What would you do?
Altimeter
Altimeter
Static Input Only Manufacturer seals the aneroid wafer(s) at a specific pressure. As the static pressure fills in the area around these sealed wafers, they will be able to contract or expand accordingly
Altimeter Operation
Air moves out
8 7 6 5 4 9 0 1 2 3
Wafers expand
9 0 1 8 7 6 5 4 2 3
Air moves in
8 7
9 0 1 2 3 6 5 4
Wafers contract
Types of Altitude
Indicated What you read on the altimeter when it is correctly adjusted to show approximate height above mean sea level Calibrated Indicated altitude corrected to compensate for instrument error Pressure Displayed when altimeter is set to standard sea level (29.92). Vertical distance above the standard datum plane Density Pressure altitude corrected for non standard temperature Used to determine aircraft performance, when high (temp above standard), performance will be worse. True Actual height above mean sea level Sectional charts Absolute Actual height of aircraft above the earths surface.
Altimeter Errors
Make sure you update your altimeter setting as often as possible (or at least every 100 miles) If you fly to an area with a lower altimeter setting, without resetting your altimeter, you may fly at a lower altitude than you had intended. High to low, look out below On warm days, true altitude is higher than indicated. Aircraft true altitude is lower than indicated in colder air. Static Blockage
Altimeter will freeze at the altitude the blockage occured
Questions?
How does the altimeter work? What altitude is displayed on a sectional chart? If I fly from an area of a pressure setting of 29.92 to an area where it was 30.00, would I be likely to be flying above or below where I should? How would you know if the static port was blocked?
If you then turned on alternate air, what kind of indication would you generally expect?
Rate of climb and descent Trend will show immediate indication of an increase in the airplanes rate of climb or descent Rate shows a stabilized change in altitude
Pitot
Static Summary
While the Altimeter, VSI and airspeed indicator all use Static air, only the airspeed indicator uses Pitot If you notice all of your pitot static instruments are giving conflicting information, try turning using the alternate air source If only your airspeed indicator is not working properly, try turning on pitot heat
Gyro Instruments
Which instrument(s) are powered by the vacuum system? Which are powered by the electrical system?
Why?
Gyroscopic Principles
Rigidity in Space
A wheel with a heavily weighted rim spun rapidly tends to remain fixed in the plane in which it is spinning The wheel is mounted on a set of gimbals so that the gyro is able to rotate freely in any plane As the gimbals base tilts and twists, the gyro remains spinning in its original plane Allows a gyroscope to measure changes in the attitude or direction of an airplane
Precession
What is precession?
When an outside force tries to tilt a spinning gryo, the gyro responds as if the force had been applied at a point 90 degrees in the direction of rotation
Precession side
effects?
Friction in gimbals and bearings may cause a slow drifting in the heading indicator and occasional small errors in the attitude indicator
Questions?
Why is the turn coordinator powered by the electrical system? A spinning wheel tends to stay in its original plane when disrupted, this refers to what concept? Our heading indicator has become inaccurate by 5 degrees since takeoff, what is causing this?
Vacuum Instruments
Attitude Indicator
Only instrument that gives immediate and direct indication of the airplane s pitch and bank attitude. Operation
Gyro spins in the horizontal plane, mounted on dual gimbals that allow it to remain in the plane regardless of aircraft movement. Pendulous vanes allow the attitude indicator erect itself on taxi
Heading Indicator
What does it do?
Senses rotation about the aircraft s vertical axis.
Errors?
Precession can cause heading to drift, so remember to re check about every 15 min.
Turn Indicators
Turn Coordinator:
Rate and Roll
Standard Turn?
Compass
Bar Magnet aligns itself with the magnetic field
Compass Errors
Variation: Difference between the true and magnetic poles. Use correction indicated on sectional
Compass Errors
Deviation: Compass error due to disturbances in magnetic field de to metals and electrical accessories in the airplane. Use deviation card in airplane to correct.
Compass Errors
Magnetic Dip: Bar magnet contained in compass is pulled by the earth s magnetic field, it tends to point north and somewhat downward. Greatest near the poles
Compass Errors
Acceleration Error: Occurs when accelerating or decelerating on an easterly or westerly heading. As you accelerate, inertia causes the compass weight on the south end of magnetic to lag and turn the compass toward north. As you decelerate, inertia causes weight to move ahead, moves the compass toward a southerly heading.
Compass Errors
Turning Error: Most pronounced when turning to or from headings of north or south. When you begin a turn from a heading of north, the compass initially indicates a turn to the opposite direction. When the turn is established, the compass begins to turn in the correct direction, but it lags behind the actual heading.
Questions?