Aircraft Instruments Attitude Indicator Determines the position of

Aircraft Instruments

Attitude Indicator • Determines the position of the aircraft in relationship to the horizon • Red/orange marker represents wings • Blue and Brown represent the sky and ground

Airspeed Indicator • Tells you how fast you are moving through the air • Green band is safe speed range of the airplane • Instrument shows airspeed in knots, which are nautical miles per hour • Be sure to keep the airspeed of aircraft in the green zone

Vertical Speed Indicator • Tells you how your airplane is climbing or falling • White needle will point to O (zero) if you are flying level • If you are descending, the needle will point down • If you are climbing the needle will point up • Numbers on the instrument indicate the hundreds of feet aircraft is traveling up or down

Altimeter • Indicates your airplane’s altitude over sea level, not the ground • Long white hand points to altitude in hundreds of feet • Short white hand points to altitude in thousands of feet • If there is a third needle, long and thin it points to tens of thousands of feet

Turn Coordinator • Used to make smooth turns • Glass level in the bottom of instrument is like a carpenter’s level • White ball will stay in the center of the level if you are coordinating your rudder and aileron movements • Needle indicates the direction of slip in the turn • Keep the ball centered and your aircraft will be making efficient turns

Heading Indicator • Indicates your aircraft’s direction • Small orange aircraft at center of gage is pointed toward the top • The 360 degree compass dial spins under the aircraft as it turns • Heading is found by reading the number under the white mark at the top of the instrument. Heading is North at 360 degrees