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Flight Instruments
To give pilots an accurate indication of their current flight condition, planes come equipped with numerous flight
instruments. Similar to the gauges in a car, pilots can use their instruments to determine such things as: how fast they
are going, how high they are, the direction they are heading, et cetera.

If you have ever seen the inside of an airplane, youd know there can be a lot of instruments, and, at first glance, it can
look a bit overwhelming. Well organize the chaos into smaller, manageable groups of instruments and what theyre
showing, and how they work. Well start with the old analog round dial instruments, and then move over to the newer
advanced avionics and glass cockpit systems like the G1000.

This lesson will cover:
Pitot-Static Instruments
Gyroscopic Instruments
The Magnetic Compass
And the Garmin G1000

The Pitot-Static System

The pitot-static system is connected to the airplanes altimeter, airspeed indicator, and the vertical speed indicator.
These instruments tell the pilot how high they are, how fast they are going, and how fast they climb or descend. These
are determined by measuring the pressure of the atmosphere.

Before we go any further, let us become familiar with the atmosphere. If we take a column of air, starting at the ground,
and traveling up all the way into space, youd notice that the molecules of air at earths surface are much more
compacted together than the molecules up in space. The reason for this is gravity. Since air is matter, it has weight. So,
all the air molecules at the top of the column are pushing down on the molecules below them, which compresses them.
This compression results in higher pressure at sea level compared to the pressure on top of a mountain. How much of a
pressure change are we talking about? Well, if we say that the atmosphere goes up to about 375 miles above the
surface of the earth, 50% of those air molecules would be found in the first 18,000 feet of the surface.

So, because the pressure of the atmosphere decreases the higher up we go, our Pitot-Static Instruments are able to
measure that pressure and calculate our altitude and speed.

The pitot-static system gathers its pressure information from two sources: the pitot tube, and the static porthence the
name Pitot-Static. The pitot tube is designed to measure the pressure of the air as the airplane flies through it. In most
smaller aircraft, this tube is located under the wing so that it can measure the flow of air without any interference.
Sometimes aircraft manufacturers will use a pitot mast instead of the tube shape, but it still functions exactly the same
way. On the back side of the tube, there is a drain hole, which allows any rain or water that is collected while flying, to
drain out and not go into the system. Finally, the pitot tube can also be heated. This is used to prevent ice from forming
on the tube, which could potentially block the hole, and prevent the system from functioning correctly. The counter-part

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to the pitot tube is the static port. The location of this port will vary with different aircraft designs, but should be in a
location where it can measure the static pressure of the air, unaffected by the dynamic airflow around the airplane. On
the Cessna 172, the static port is located on the left side of the forward fuselage. The pitot tube and static port openings
are connected to tubes that join into the pitot-static instruments. The pressure inside the instruments match the
pressure of the outside atmosphere. All three pitot-static instruments connect to the static port, but only the airspeed
indicator connects to the pitot tube. Sounds simple right? Lets discuss how each pitot-static instrument works.
Altimeter
Perhaps the most basic of all the pitot-static instruments is the altimeter, which displays the airplanes altitude. The
instrument contains a set of aneroid wafers, which expand and contract based on the pressure. The air inside the wafers
is trapped, but the air in the rest of the case is able to change to match the pressure from the static port. As we increase
altitude, the static pressure goes down. This means that the air inside the case will escape out the back, and result in
there being less air pressure in the case compared to the wafers. Because of this, the wafers will expand until both
pressures are equal. Getting the wafers to result in an altitude readout is done through a series of gears, pinions, arms,
and levers, also known as the mechanical linkages. These linkages will rotate the hands on the face of the instrument
and show the airplanes altitude.

Now, when the airplane descends the opposite happens. Descending to a lower altitude results in a higher static
pressure. Air from the static port will now enter the case of the instrument and squeezes the aneroid wafers until both
the case pressure and the wafer pressure are equalized. The mechanical linkages will then rotate the hands on the face,
to show a lower altitude.

The face of the altimeter contains three hands: the 10,000 foot, 1,000 foot, and 100 foot hands. These hands move
clockwise and counterclockwise to display the appropriate altitude. Most altimeters in smaller aircraft will only work up
to around 20,000 feet, but those airplanes usually cant get that high anyway.

Here are some examples of altitudes.
3,000ft
8,400ft
12,000ft
5,280ft

This altimeter is actually called a sensitive altimeter, not because you have to hug it every once in a while, but because it
can be adjusted for the current atmospheric pressure. Because the pressure at any given point on earth never stays the
same, altimeters would always read incorrectly. Fortunately, pilots can correct this issue. Once the pilot knows the
current atmospheric pressure, also known as the altimeter setting, all they have to do is rotate the dial on the lower left
side of the instrument until the current pressure is selected in the little window on the face, called the Kollsman
Window. This then realigns the gears inside, and the instrument reads accurately. The realignment is accomplished by
rotating the entire inside mechanics of the instrument.

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There are five types of altitudes that pilots interact with on a daily basis; but an altimeter typically is only going to
display one: the height above Mean Sea Level, or in other words, the height above the average sea level. An indication of
3,000 on the altimeter is read off as 3,000 feet MSL.

The other types of altitude include:
AGL, or Above Ground Level
Pressure Altitude
Density Altitude
And, finally, True Altitude

As the name implies, an AGL altitude is the vertical distance between the aircraft and the ground below. This is simply
just the MSL altitude minus the terrain elevation.

Pressure and Density altitudes are theoretical altitudes used to calculate the performance of the airplane. Simply put,
its the altitude that the airplane performs like its flying at. This is based on the pressure and temperature of the
atmosphere. More of this will be explained in the Performance lesson.

Finally, there is True Altitude, which, similar to Pressure and Density altitudes, takes both the pressure and temperature
of the air into account to give a more accurate reading.
Altimeter Errors
Although the altimeter is very reliable, it is susceptible to a few errors.
Mechanical Error Every time you begin a flight you will check the accuracy of your instruments. When checking the
altimeter, it should not be more than 75 feet off the airports elevation, after setting in the correct altimeter setting. If
you notice that it is off by more than 75 feet, the instrument should be checked by an appropriate maintenance
technician.

The altimeter can read incorrectly as a result of a pressure change. If the altimeter setting is not corrected when flying to
an area of lower pressure, the airplane will then be lower than what the altimeter is reading. This could also pose a
threat for mountain or obstacle clearance. There is a saying to remember: When flying from an area of High to Low, look
out below.

Similar errors can also happen based on the temperature of the air. When the temperature is warmer than standard,
the air is less dense and the pressure levels are farther apart. What this means is that when the airplanes altimeter is
reading 5,000 feet on a warm day, that airplanes true altitude is actually higher than 5,000 feet. The opposite is also
appropriate on a cold day. Since cold air is more dense, the pressure levels are closer together, so an altimeter reading
5,000 will be at a true altitude that is lower than 5,000 feet. This could be a bad thing when the airplane is flying in an
area with mountains or obstacles. So, also remember the saying: When flying from HOT to COLD, look out below.

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Vertical Speed Indicator
Another instrument that uses only the information from the static port is the vertical speed indicator, more commonly
called the VSI. The VSI measures the vertical speed of the aircraft in terms of feet per minute. This is accomplished by
comparing the current pressure of the air with the pressure of the air from a few seconds ago.

Inside the VSI is a diaphragm connected to some mechanical linkages that move the needle on the face of the
instrument. The diaphragm has a direct connection to the static port, meaning that the pressure inside of it matches the
current atmospheric pressure from outside. The case of the instrument is also filled with static pressure, but the
connection between the case and the static port is constricted by, whats called, a Calibrated Leak. This calibrated leak
is nothing more than a tiny hole, which limits the rate at which the pressure of the case can change. When a plane
climbs or descends, the diaphragm pressure will change instantly, but the case pressure changes slowly. This results in
two different pressures. The difference in pressure allows the instrument to display the vertical speed. Be aware,
however, that it takes a few seconds to read accurately, so anticipate a slight amount of lag.

Here is an example of how it works.

Say you have a Cessna flying at 3,000 feet. The air pressure in the diaphragm and the case are the same, so the VSI is
reading zero feet per minute. If the Cessna starts to climb, the air pressure in the diaphragm is decreasing, but the case
pressure is decreasing more slowly. This results in the case having a higher air pressure than in the diaphragm. This
higher air pressure will squeeze the diaphragm, and make the VSI read a climb. Once the aircraft levels off again, the
case pressure will finally equalize with the diaphragm, and then the VSI will show zero again.
Airspeed indicator
The airspeed indicator is the only pitot-static instrument that uses both input from the static port and the pitot tube.
The pitot tube is used to measure whats called Ram pressure. The faster the airplane travels, the greater the ram
pressure is. The ram air entering the pitot tube gets sent to the airspeed indicator, and, similar to before, goes into a
diaphragm. The greater the pressure, the more the diaphragm expands. So, the diaphragm will expand as the airspeed
increases. Then, through mechanical linkages, the appropriate airspeed will display on the front of the instrument. But
what about the static port, you ask. Well, remember how the pressure of the atmosphere changes with altitude? Well,
if this wasnt taken into account, then the airspeed would indicate different speeds at different altitudes, even if the
plane was actually going the same speed. To fix this, the static port connects and fills the case surrounding the
diaphragm with static air. This will subtract out the static air pressure that the pitot tube captured and only allow for
the dynamic pressure to be read on the instrument. This keeps the airspeed indicator reading the correct values no
matter what the altitude of the airplane is.
[GRAPHIC: Ram Pressure - Static Pressure = Dynamic Pressure]

The face of the instrument displays various color-coded speed ranges that the pilot should be aware of while they fly to
avoid exceeding any limitations of the aircraft. The green arc is for normal operations; the white arc is when youre
allowed to extend the flaps; the yellow arc is limited to flight in smooth air only; and the red line indicates the maximum
allowed speed.

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Just like there were various types of altitude, there are also various types of airspeed. The most commonly used
airspeed is called Indicated Airspeed. Quite simply, this is the airspeed that is read directly off of the instrument.

Next, we have Calibrated Airspeed. This airspeed takes the indicated airspeed and corrects for any known installation or
instrument errors. To calculate this, the pilot must reference the charts in their flight manual.

The next airspeed on our list is Equivalent Airspeed. This takes the calibrated airspeed and corrects for any potential
compressibility. Compressibility is only a factor for speeds above 200 knots and altitudes above 20,000 feet. This
compression causes higher airspeed readouts than what they actually are, so Equivalent Airspeed is lower than
Calibrated Airspeed.

True Airspeed is next. This is the actual airspeed that you are traveling at, after all the corrections have been made. This
airspeed is found by correcting for the temperature of the air. Just like how temperature can affect the accuracy of our
altimeter, it can also affect out airspeed.

Finally, we get to Mach. Mach is the ratio of true airspeed to the speed of sound. If an aircraft is going Mach 0.74 is
going 74% as fast as sound travels. The speed of sound varies with temperature, but averages to be about 600 knots.
Blockages
The pitot-static system is subject to suffer from blockages of the pitot tube or static port from anything from ice, to
insects, or other debris. Because of the importance of these instruments, it is vital to know how this affects the
instruments and how to recognize these scenarios.

If the pitot tube opening gets blocked, but the drain hole remains open, the ram air is no longer able to enter the system
and any ram air that was in the system will vent out through the drain hole. Since the airspeed indicator compares the
pitot pressure to the static pressure, both pressures would be the same, so the airspeed indicator would read zero.

If both the pitot tube and drain hole become blocked, the pressure in the pitot tube is trapped and the airspeed
indicator will not change, as long as the airplanes altitude remains the same. If the airplane descends, the pitot tube
pressure will remain trapped but the static pressure will increase and push against the diaphragm. This will then show a
decrease in airspeed, no matter what the real airspeed actually is. If the airplane climbs, the opposite happens. The
pitot pressure will still be trapped, but the static pressure will decrease. As this happens, the pressure pushing on the
diaphragm decreases, which allows it to expand, which will show an increase in airspeed. As stated earlier, to minimize
the potential of the pitot tube from freezing over, it is equipped with a heater.

If the static port becomes blocked, it will affect all three of the pitot static instruments. First, the airspeed indicator. If
the static port gets blocked, the airspeed indicator loses its static reference so it will not be able to correctly show
dynamic pressure. For example, if an airplane were flying at 100 knots when the static port became blocked, the
airspeed indicator would remain at 100 knots. If the airplane starts to descend, the airspeed indicator would start to
increase because it is referencing static air from the higher altitude where the air was less dense. Because the lower air
is denser, the pitot is gathering more air molecules, which, when compared to the static pressure from higher up, will
make it read that the airplane is going faster. The opposite is also true. When climbing, the airspeed will decrease.

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The altimeter and VSI static blockages are much easier to explain. When the static port is blocked, the altimeter will
freeze at the altitude the blockage occurs because it is not getting any new static air inside the case to act on the aneroid
wafers. The same is true with the VSI, it will read zero because no static air is changing.

To combat this potentially dangerous problem, most aircraft are equipped with an alternate static source. A valve inside
the cabin of the airplane can be activated by the pilot, which would bypass the external static port and, instead, receive
the static pressure inside the cabin. The one downside to doing this is that the inside and outside pressures are not
quite the same. In fact, the cabin pressure is actually a little bit lower. As the air moves around the fuselage of the
airplane, a venturi-like effect takes place, which draws air out of the cabin, decreasing the pressure. This will cause a few
effects on the instruments. The airspeed indicator will read higher than the actual airspeed, the altimeter will read
higher than actual altitude, and the VSI, while in level flight, will momentarily show a slight climb. These are important
things to keep in mind if you ever find yourself in that type of situation.

Gyroscopic Instruments
The gyroscopic instruments include the attitude indicator, the heading indicator, and the turn coordinator. These are
considered gyroscopic instruments because each one relies upon a gyroscope to function. They can either be driven by
air suction or electricity. These instruments provide the pilot with such things as their pitch, bank, yaw, and heading.
Before we get into each instrument, lets talk about what a gyroscope, or gyro, is, and how it works.
In its simplest form, a gyro is a heavily-weighted spinning disc that is able to maintain its position and orientation. Gyros
operate based on two principles: Rigidity in Space, and Precession.
Rigidity in Space & Precession
Rigidity in space refers to a gyros ability to remain in a fixed position in the plane in which it is spinning. By mounting
the gyroscope on a set of gimbal rings, the gyro is able to rotate feely in any direction. Thus, if the gimbal rings rotate,
the spinning gyro will remain in the same plane in which it was originally spinning.
The other property of a gyro is known as Precession.
Precession is the tilting or turning of a gyro in response to a force. For instance, a small force is applied to the gyro
whenever the airplane changes direction. However, instead of the gyro responding at the source of the force, as
expected, the result will instead occur 90 degrees ahead of that point, in the direction of rotation. What this means to
you is that sometimes the instruments may have some unwanted errors, such as slow drifting and minor erroneous
indications in the instruments. The good news is that all the gyroscopic instruments have ways to either automatically or
manually correct for this precession error.
Sources of Power
In order for the gyroscopic instruments to work, the gyros have to spin at a very high speed. As previously stated, the
instruments can either be powered by air, or electricity. For safety reasons, different instruments are powered by
different sources, so that if one source fails, the other source will still work. The attitude and heading indicators are
typically powered by air, and the turn coordinator: powered by electricity.

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The spinning of the gyros with air is accomplished, not by blowing, but sucking air around it. A vacuum pump, connected
to and powered by the engine, draws filtered air from the cabin, through the instruments, spinning the gyros, and then
dumps the air out into the engine compartment. Also included in this vacuum system is a vacuum regulator, which
maintains the pressure of the system at an ideal level. And finally, either a transducer or sensor is used to display the
vacuum pressure to the pilot.
Lets look at some of the different instruments that use gyros.
Attitude Indicator
An attitude indicator is an instrument used to inform the pilot of the orientation, or attitude, of the aircraft relative to
earth. It indicates pitch, which is the fore and aft tilt, and bank or roll, which is the side-to-side tilt. Through the use of an
artificial horizon and miniature airplane, the instrument depicts the position of the airplane in relation to the true
horizon. This is especially useful when the natural horizon is obscured by clouds, the visibility is poor, or when flying at
night. Along the outer rim are tick marks to indicate bank at the 0, 10, 20, 30, 60, and 90 degree angles of bank. Degrees
of pitch are located both above and below the artificial horizon in either 5 or 10 degree increments. At the top of the
instrument is a small triangle that points to the current bank angle the plane is in. The center of the miniature airplane
lines up with the current pitch the plane is in.
The gyro in this instrument spins around the vertical axis, meaning that the gyro spins level with the horizon. The 2
gimbals holding the gyro allow the gyro to move freely and maintain its level orientation as the airplane maneuvers.
Connections to the instrument face will then show the aircrafts attitude to the pilot. Note that if the airplane is
experiencing an excessive pitch or bank, or if vacuum pump is not providing enough suction to spin the gyro, this
instrument can read inaccurately.
Heading Indicator
The heading indicator senses the airplanes movement and displays heading based on a 360 degree azimuth in 5 degree
increments. The tick marks are labeled every 30 degrees, with the final zero omitted. For example, the number 6
indicates a heading of 60 degrees, 21 indicates a heading of 210 degrees. The heading indicator does not have any built
in heading-sensing ability, so at the start of every flight, after the engine is running, the pilot must realign the instrument
to the correct heading, referencing the aircrafts magnetic compass. To accomplish this, push in the knob on the lower
left side of the instrument. This both disconnects the gyro from the compass card, and aligns the gear of the knob with
the gears connected to the compass card. When complete, release the knob, and the gyro will reconnect to the compass
card.
Unlike the attitude indicator, the heading indicator is oriented so that only the horizontal axis is used to drive the
display. When the aircraft turns, the gyro and attached Main-Drive Gear remain in their original orientation. This then
causes the Main-Drive Gear to rotate the Compass Card Gear, which then rotates the Compass Card on the face of the
instrument.
Note that, due to friction and precession, the heading indicator may slowly drift away from the correct heading. Because
of this, the pilot should double-check the accuracy of the instrument against the magnetic compass, and realign as
necessary. This should be done roughly every 15 minutes or so. Keep in mind that if the vacuum pump is not producing
sufficient suction, when the engine is idling, the drift may be greater.

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Turn Coordinator
The turn coordinator is a supporting instrument used while banking. It is used both to indicate the rate and quality of
turns. It can also be used as a backup source of bank information in the event the attitude indicator fails. In the center of
the face of the instrument lies a miniature airplane that indicates the rate of turn the aircraft is currently in. Two tick
marks indicate level, and the two other tick marks indicate, whats called, a standard-rate turn. A standard-rate turn is
one that takes 2 minutes to complete a 360 degree full circle. This is the rate that all pilots fly when in Instrument
Meteorological Conditions, meaning they have no outside references to follow.
Below the miniature aircraft is an inclinometer, which incorporates a ball inside a tube filled with kerosene. The ball can
freely move left and right, and will travel in whatever direction aerodynamic forces, push and pull it. Ideally, the ball
should always be centered, which means the aircraft is coordinated. If aerodynamic forces are unbalanced, the ball will
slide left or right. This happens when there is either too much or too little rudder being used with the current amount of
bank. These two conditions are referred to as a slip and a skid. In a slip, there is not a great enough rate of turn for the
amount of bank. The pilot needs to add more rudder and/or reduce the bank. In a skid, there is too much of a rate of
turn for the amount of bank. The pilot needs to add more bank and/or reduce the amount of rudder. The easiest way to
remember how to fix these situations is just to step on the ball. This means that when the ball is deflected off center,
step on the respective rudder pedal that the ball is deflected toward. A ball deflected left means step on the left rudder.
Conversely, a ball deflected right means step on the right rudder.
To get this instrument to function, it is typically powered by electricity. For this instrument, the gyro rotates from a
motor located in its center. The gyro is mounted so that it can remain upright while in a turn. Mechanical linkages then
connect the gyro to the miniature airplane on the front of the instrument. A spring is installed to help return the mini
airplane back to level. Because of this, the pilot would never know if the instrument has failed. So, if the instrument is
not receiving electrical power, a red flag will be visible on the face of the instrument.
Another important aspect to notice on the inside of the instrument is that the gimbal holding the gyro is not level. In
fact, it is actually rotated 30 degrees. Unlike its older cousin, the turn-and-slip indicator, this change allows the
instrument to also measure the rate of roll as you enter the turn.

Magnetic Compass
The magnetic compass is one of the oldest instruments installed in an airplane; and in many older aircraft, its the only
direction-seeking instrument. The compass is a self-contained instrument, and does not require electricity or any other
mechanism to work. To determine direction, the compass uses a simple set of two magnets, each with two poles. The
magnets are mounted to a float so they can pivot freely and align with the earths magnetic field.
Aircraft compasses are considered wet compasses because their cases are filled with a liquidin this case kerosene. The
liquid helps to stabilize the magnets and keep them from rocking around too much, especially when the aircraft
encounters turbulence. Attached to the float is a compass card which labels all 360 degrees of heading for the pilot to
reference. Similar to the heading indicator, the last zero digit has been removed from the labels. To coincide with the
card is a reference line, called a Lubber Line, positioned in the center of the window, so the pilot knows specifically what
heading they are flying.
You may notice that the compass card looks backwards. In fact, if you compare the compass to the heading indicator,
youll notice that they turn in opposite directions. This is because when youre looking at the compass, youre actually

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looking at the back side of the instrument, so everything must be reversed. If we start on a heading of north, you can see
on the right side, the heading 330. Instinct may tell you to turn right to get to that heading, but actually you would need
to turn left.
Variation
As we know, the earth rotates around the axis formed by the north and south poles. However, this is not the same axis
that magnets line up with. Another axis is formed by the magnetic north and south poles. Lines of magnetic force flow
out of each pole in all directions, and eventually return to the opposite pole. These are the lines that magnets will align
with.
The angular difference between the true and magnetic poles is referred to as variation. Since most aviation charts are
oriented to true north and the aircraft compass is oriented to magnetic north, you must convert a true direction to a
magnetic direction. The amount of variation you need to apply is dependent upon your location on the earths surface.
To find what the variation is at any point, you can reference the isogonic lines on sectional charts.
The Mississippi River falls pretty close to zero degrees of variation, called the agonic line. Everywhere in the US to the
West of this line is where the magnetic north pole is located to the east of the true north pole. This is East Variation. On
the eastern side of the agonic line is where the magnetic pole falls to the west of true pole. This is West Variation.
Isogonic lines depict where the variation is equal, and are labeled on sectional charts as a dashed magenta line. Daytona
Beach, Florida is located on an isogonic line, labeled as six degrees west. To calculate the correction, we can use the
saying East is least, and West is best. This means with easterly variation we SUBTRACT the variation from the true
heading, and on westerly variation, we ADD to the true heading. Lets say we are flying a true heading of North in
Daytona Beach. That would make our heading zero degrees true. Since the variation is 6 degrees west, we must add six
degrees to zero, which is six degrees. If we want to fly a true heading of north, our compass must be reading six degrees.
Deviation
To coincide with variation, we have another error we must take into account as pilots. This error is called Deviation.
Deviation refers to a compass error which occurs due to disturbances from other magnetic and electrical objects within
the airplane itself. Although it cannot be completely eliminated, deviation error can be minimized by tweaking the
compensating magnets located within the compass housing. Whatever error cannot be removed will be recorded onto a
chart, called a compass correction card, which is mounted near the compass for the pilot to reference. On the top half of
the card you find what heading you want to fly, and then look at the bottom half for the heading you should fly to
achieve that desired heading. After correcting for variation, the pilot should then correct for deviation to get a more
accurate heading to fly.
Compass Errors
Although you can correct for variation and deviation, the compass is still susceptible to other types of errors which,
although predictable, can make it difficult to use. Events such as turbulence, turning, or accelerating can make the
compass temporarily inaccurate, or even unusable. The compass is normally used as a backup source of heading
information while the gyroscopic heading indicator is used as the primary heading reference. If your heading indicator
fails and you understand the limitations of the magnetic compass, you should still be able to navigate properly. When
you are referring to the compass for heading information, remember that it is accurate only when your airplane is in
smooth air and in straight-and-level, unaccelerated flight.

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G1000
As we progress through the digital age, more and more pilots are transitioning from the traditional analog instruments
that we just covered, and moving towards digital instrument displays. This new setup is referred to as a glass cockpit.
One of the most popular glass cockpit systems available on the market today is the Garmin G1000. Embry-Riddle utilizes
the G1000 in all of its Cessna and Diamond training aircraft. This system integrates all the various flight instrument and
navigation and communication equipment that the pilot interacts with, and displays them on LCD screens in a clean,
unobtrusive manner. This simplifies aircraft operation and navigation, and allows pilots to focus only on the most
pertinent information.
The G1000 setup typically consists of two display units, one called the Primary Function Display, or PDF, and the other
one called the Multi-Function Display, or MFD. Between the two displays is an integrated communications panel. This
panel, along with the two displays, allow the pilot to interact with the system through buttons and dials. The rest of the
system is contained behind the scenes, and consists of various computers and components working together to control
the system.
The PFD displays the basic flight instruments we have just become familiar with. While the display of the instruments is a
little different from that of the old round dials, it is still relatively easy to understand what is going on. In the center of
the screen, youll find the Attitude Indicator. This instrument looks almost identical to that of the original instrument.
The big difference is that the horizon bar in the background takes up the entire screen. This really places the necessary
emphasis on the instrument, so that the pilot can still see it when focusing on a different instrument. To the left of the
attitude indicator is the airspeed indicator. Instead of a dial, this instrument is displayed in vertical-tape format. At the
bottom of the tape is the airplanes True Airspeed. The G1000 calculates this automatically, based upon the outside
temperature.
The right side of the screen is home to the altimeter and vertical speed indicator. Like the airspeed indicator, these
instruments are also displayed in vertical-tape format. At the bottom of the tape, is the altimeter setting that the pilot
has selected. The top of the tape shows the altitude the pilot has selected to bug. This places a small marker next to the
selected altitude on the tape, to help remind the pilot of an altitude they might be trying to maintain. Immediately to
the right of the altimeter is the vertical speed indicator. Instead of the tape sliding up and down like the previous
instruments, the black marker instead slides up and down to indicate the current vertical speed. Unlike the round-dial
version, this instrument displays the vertical speed instantaneously, without any lag.
The bottom of the screen is home to the heading indicator, although, in this case, this instrument is referred to as a
Horizontal Situation Indicator, or HSI. An HSI can be thought of as a heading indicator with additional navigation
capabilities displayed in the center. Like the round dial, the compass card spins around to show the current heading. A
numerical display is also shown above the dial to give an exact heading readout. This instrument also contains a bug,
that the pilot can set, to remind them of what heading they might be trying to fly.
The only instrument not being displayed similar to its original method is the turn coordinator. The G1000 splits this
instrument into two separate components: the slip/skid indicator and the heading trend vector. The slip/skid indicator,
also known as the brick, is displayed as part of the attitude indicator. Just like the inclinometer, this brick slides left
and right of center to indicate which rudder pedal needs to be pressed to get coordinated. Standard rate turns are
accomplished with the heading trend vector. This is a magenta line traveling around the top of the HSI, and tells the pilot

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what heading theyll be at in six seconds. Two tick marks on each side indicate standard rate and half-standard rate
turns.
The MFD, on the right, can be used to display a wide array of menus and features, however its main purpose is to display
a navigational map of the area surrounding the plane. While this map is not an approved method of actually navigating,
it greatly aids the pilot in being aware of their surrounding area, and any traffic that may potentially become a hazard.
On the left side of the screen contains the aircrafts engine gauges and other aircraft system gauges. The gauges are spilt
into multiple pages, with the most vital ones shown on the main screen.
Now that we know what we are looking at, lets talk about how the system works. As we previously talked about, the
system is made up of various individual components, each with a specific task, all connected together, and working in
unison. While the exact science behind how these components work is proprietary, we can cover what the purpose
behind each component is, and the basics of how they work. This lesson, however, will only focus on the components
related to the flight instruments.
First on our list is the Air Data Computer. This component works with the Pitot-Static system to calculate our airspeed,
altitude, and vertical speed. Instead of the instruments calculating the information themselves, the pitot tube and static
port pressures are sent to this computer to be measured. The computer takes those measurements, makes the
necessary calculations, and sends the outputted airspeed, altitude, and vertical speed to the screen to be displayed. The
computer also connects to an external thermometer, called the Outside Air Temperature sensor to calculate the True
Airspeed.
The gyroscopic instruments of yesterday are now powered by the Attitude Heading Reference System, or AHRS. Instead
of gyros, the system uses steady-state sensors, much like those found in video game controllers, to sense any change in
pitch, bank, and yaw. Connected to the AHRS is a magnetometer, which is like a digital version of the magnetic compass.
This allows the system to find magnetic north, and prevents the pilot from having to periodically resynchronize the
heading indicator with the compass.
Todays flight systems are incredibly reliable. However, as part of a FAA certification, aircraft much still have backup
round dial instruments of the airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter, and magnetic compass. In case part of the
G1000 fails, the respective round dial instrument then becomes your primary source of aviating.

Conclusion
Whether you end up flying an aircraft with the classic round-dial instruments, or you fly with the latest glass cockpit,
reading and interacting with your instruments is inevitable. Therefore, every pilot needs to have a complete and proper
understanding of their instruments, including how they work. That way, should a system failure occur, that error can be
identified, and hopefully corrected without incident.

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