Interesting Facts About Attitude Indicators

Attitude indicators, also known as artificial horizons, are a pivotal flight instrument found in aircraft that allow pilots to maintain awareness of an aircraft’s orientation in relation to the horizon. While allowing pilots to best maintain proper control and orientation while flying, such indicators are absolutely essential when operating in poor visibility conditions where outside visuals are obscured. In this blog, we will explore what attitude indicators are, what types are available, how to use them, and more.

What Are Attitude Indicators?

As stated before, attitude indicators are flight instrumentation that display aircraft orientation, and they are a self-contained, electronic or mechanical instrument that is able to operate independently of the aircraft’s orientation and movement. A typical attitude indicator display will feature a representation of the aircraft that is centrally placed over a circle that is halved to represent the ground and sky. During flight, the circle will rotate in relation to the aircraft to make readings easy.

Attitude Indicator Types

In the modern day, there are two main types of attitude indicators, those of which are mechanical and electronic variations. Mechanical attitude indicators are the original type, finding installation within older aircraft models. These instruments operate with the use of spinning gyroscopes and gimbal ring elements that sense changes in aircraft orientation and respond to create a display on the instrument face. While mechanical attitude indicators are known for being reliable and durable, they are fairly limited in their accuracy when conducting high-speed and high-altitude flight.

Electronic attitude indicators are a much more recent addition to aircraft, finding implementation in many modern models. With reliance on electronic sensors, electronic attitude indicators ensure more accurate and reliable representations of an aircraft’s orientation. Electronic attitude indicators can also provide pilots with additional information such as altitude and airspeed values, especially when they are found within a glass cockpit where they are integrated with other instruments.

How To Use an Attitude Indicator

Whether your aircraft features a mechanical or electrical attitude indicator, the way in which they are read is fairly straightforward. As stated before, a typical display will feature a halved circle that represents the horizon, and an aircraft will be placed in the middle. The pitch of the aircraft will be displayed as a vertical line that pivots up and down in relation to the horizon while roll movements are displayed as a horizontal line that moves left and right in relation to the horizon. When an aircraft is level with earth’s horizon, the vertical pitch line will be centered in the half-circle. Upon climbing or descending, the vertical line will move up or down respectively. When it comes to roll, the horizontal line will be centered when the aircraft is level while the line will move right or left based on whether the aircraft is rolling to the right or left.

Additional Features of Attitude Indicators

In some instances, an attitude indicator may feature what is known as a bank angle indicator, and this allows for the aircraft’s bank angle in relation to earth’s horizon to be displayed. Generally, the bank angle will be conveyed in terms of lines or numbers that are situated around the circumference of the half circle. In addition to the bank angle indicator, some attitude indicators also have a slip indicator, which displays the slip angle of the aircraft. When discussing slip angle, one is referring to the difference between an aircraft’s heading and its direction of flight.

Conclusion

With a better understanding of attitude indicators, their common types, and how they are used, you can better see why they are such a crucial instrument for safe and efficient cockpit control and piloting. If you are in need of attitude indicator parts like a rotor housing, venturi tube, gimbal ring, or other such items, we at NSN Parts Hub can help you source all you require with highly competitive pricing and rapid lead times. Our inventory is replete with countless new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find products, all of which trace back to thousands of leading manufacturers we trust. As you explore our database, you can always request quotes on items of interest, and our team will supply you with customized solutions based on your needs and restrictions. If you are ready to experience a streamlined purchasing process with a strategic sourcing partner, give us a call or email today!