Flight Academy
Basic Flight Instruments
If you are to make yoursellf comfortable in the cockpit then make sure you
know all about the six most important instruments in the cockpit. Scan these instruments
continually while in flight and be safe!
Basic Flight Instrument
The examples shown are from the Cessna aircraft, but you will find all these instuments in all
aircraft. They may be of a different format, and some may be a combination of two or more
instruments, but you will find them all.
The above image is a shot of the six main flight instruments from the Cessna 172 panel. Lets
take a look at them in a little more detail.....
Attitude Indicator
Shows the aricrafts attitude relative to the horizon. The outer ring
shows increasing bank angles of 10, 20, 30, 60 and 90 degrees, while
the two white diagonal lines show bank angles of 15 and 45 degrees.
The central scale indicates nose pitch above and below the horizon in 5
degree increments.
Heading Indicator
This instrument is a directional gyro and shows you the direction you
are heading. The outer ring numbers are at 30 degree intervals with 5
and 10 degree increments between. When talking about headings it is
important to understand their meaning. The image shows that we have a
heding on the dial of 4, which is 40 degrees. This is normally spoken as
Zero Four Zero degrees. Remember to always multiply the displayed
heading by 10 and you wont go far wrong.
Airspeed Indicator
The airspeed indicator shows the speed of the air flowing around your
aircraft, this does not mean the same as how fast you are moving.
Speed in an aircraft is measured in knots (nautical miles per hour) and
the instrument (left) shows your airspeed as 85 knots. You will hear
terms such as IAS (Indicated Air Speed), TAS (True Air Speed) and
GS (Ground Speed) when discussing aircraft speeds .. I'll leave this to
you for additional research.
Altimeter
From a pilot's perspective the altimeter shows height above Mean Sea
Level (MSL), the instrument actually measures changes in barometric
pressure. It is important to calibrate this instrument (press the 'B' key)
as it is affected by the current weather conditions. The instrument to the
left is calibrated for 29.92 (two niner niner two) which is the standard
pressure reading and shows a current altitude of 1,500 feet. Remeber
this reading is Altitude MSL, if the ground underneath you is at 1,300
feet then you are only 200 feet Above Ground Level (AGL).
Vertical Speed Indicator
The VSI indicates your rate of climb (or descent) in feet per minute.
This instrument is very sensitive and allows you to control a change in
altitude. The image on the left shows we are in level flight (VSI = 0).
Keep in mind that all aircraft tend to vary their altitude, even when
trimmed for straight and level flight.
Inclinometer
The Inclinometer or Turn Co-ordinator indicates the Roll and Yaw of the aircraft. The aircraft
image shows the bank and its direction. The lower part of the instrument is a ball in a glass tube,
when centered it indicates that the nose of the aircraft is pointing in the direction of the turn i.e a
co-ordinated turn. To ensure the Ball stays centralised use the rudder control during turns.
In summary, the instruments above show that this aircraft is flying with a slight nose-up pitch
attitude, heading 040, at 85 knots. We can also state that it is at 1,500 feet MSL, flying straight
and level.
