There are six main flight instruments found in every plane: The airspeed indicator indicates the speed in nautical miles (nm) per hour, by comparing the ram air pressure with the static air pressure. The greater the difference, the greater the speed. The attitude indicator is very important because it shows the plane's attitude in relation to the horizon or the ground. The pilot uses this instrument when turning, climbing, or descending. The normal movements of the plane are called pitching and rolling. These movements occur about the plane's lateral and longitudinal axes, respectively. The flight control surfaces associated with rolling are called ailerons. With these controls, the pilot can make the plane roll left or right. The altimeter, when set correctly, indicates the plane's altitude or vertical height, measured in feet above the mean sea level. There are three arrows on an altimeter. The longest arrow tells the pilot the altitude in hundreds of feet above mean sea level. The medium length arrow indicates altitude in thousands of feet, while the shortest arrow indicates altitude in 10,000 foot increments. In the picture, this altimeter is indicating that the pilot is 13,925 feet above mean sea level; the long arrow shows 925 feet, the medium arrow shows 3,000 feet because it is between 3 and 4, and the small arrow shows 10,000 feet because it is between 1 and 2.

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Curator: Tom.Benson@grc.nasa.gov
Responsible Official: Kathy.Zona@grc.nasa.gov