AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS
WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT WHAT YOU GET
SPRING 2007 PERRY CROSS COUNTRY CAMP
PRESENTED BY
RICHARD KELLERMAN (QV)
TEAM USA
STICK AND RUDDER
AIRCRAFT DONT BEHAVE THE WAY
PILOTS THINK THEY DO
NEITHER DO INSTRUMENTS
WHAT THEY SAY AND WHAT
THEY DO
WHAT IT SAYS IT
MEASURES
WHAT IT DOES
MEASURE
ALTIMETER: HEIGHT
ASI: SPEED
COMPASS: DIRECTION
VARIO: RATE-OF-CLIMB
STATIC PRESSURE
TOTAL STATIC PRESSURE
LOCAL MAGNETIC VECTOR
GLIDER ENERGY
THE PANEL
THE ALTIMETER
OVERVIEW
MEASURES STATIC PRESSURE
DISPLAYS ALTITUDE
USES STANDARD ATMOSPHERE
REQUIRES A REFERENCE
NUMEROUS ERRORS
ERRORS
NONSTANDARD TEMPERATURES OF
THE ATMOSPHERE
NONSTANDARD ATMOSPHERIC
PRESSURE
AIRCRAFT STATIC PRESSURE
SYSTEMS (POSITION ERROR)
INSTRUMENT ERRORS
STANDARD ATMOSPHERE
HYPOTHETICAL VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION
OF T, P, AND
ASSUMED:
TO BE A PERFECT GAS
TO OBEY THE HYDROSTATIC EQUATION
TO CONTAIN NO WATER VAPOR
ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY
CONSTANT
ALTITUDES
GEOMETRIC
GPS
RADAR
GEOPOTENTIAL
PRESSURE
DENSITY
ALTIMETER SETTINGS
FOR A PARKED GLIDER:
QNE: SET KOLLSMAN = 1013.2 hPa (29.92 IN)
SHOWS PRESSURE ALTITUDE
QFE: SET KOLLSMAN = STATION PRESSURE
SHOWS ZERO IN STANDARD ATMOSPHERE
QNH: SET KOLLSMAN = BAROMETRIC PRESSURE
SHOWS FIELD ELEVATION IN STANDARD ATMOSPHERE
THE SEA BREEZE
DID HE SAY SEA BREEZE?
YES IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE SEA
BREEZE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND
PRESSURE LEVELS
THE SEA BREEZE, WRONG!
THE SEA BREEZE, RIGHT
AIR ALOFT FLOWS OFFSHORE
LOCAL HIGHS AND LOWS SET UP
ALTIMETERS AND GLIDERS
TERRAIN CLEARANCE
200 FT!
QNH NOT QFE
CROSS COUNTRY HEALTH
RIDGES
FINAL GLIDE CALCULATIONS
FINAL GLIDE
CONSIDERATIONS
INSTRUMENT ERRORS CANCEL
PRESSURE CHANGES ONE INCH =
1,000 FT CAN BE +/- 200 FT
NON-STANDARD LAPSE RATE
DEVIATIONS GENERALLY POSITIVE
100 300 FT AT 5,000 FT AND 300 900
AT 15,000 FT.
THE ASI
WHAT IT MEASURES
Pstagnation = Pstatic + V2/2
WHAT IT SHOWS
WHY INDICATED
AIRSPEED?
DEPENDS ON V2/2
AERODYNAMIC FORCES ALSO
DEPEND ON V2/2
WHY QUADRATIC IN V?
IAS AND TAS FOR A 747 AT 40,000 FT?
ASIs AND GLIDERS
WESTERN FLYING
FINAL GLIDES
CROSS COUNTRY ENERGY
MANAGEMENT
THE CLOCK
WHY A CLOCK?
FLYING TIME CONTROLLED TASKS
WRITE DOWN START TIME, THEN FINISH TIME
GETTING HOME
TIMELY REMINDER THAT WHEN THERMALLING
VMG IS ~ ZERO
KNOW WHERE YOUR GPS CLOCK HIDES
THE COMPASS
BOXING THE COMPASS
MODERN ROSE
SWINGING THE COMPASS
FIND A ROSE
ORIENT N, NOTE READING
ORIENT S, ADJUST 50% OF ERROR
REPEAT TO CONSTANT ERROR
REPEAT FOR E/W
USING THE COMPASS
GPS IS SIMPLY BETTER
USELESS EXCEPT IN
UNACCELERATED FIGHT
VCC USEFUL FOR SITUATIONAL
AWARENESS
LOCATING OTHER GLIDERS
WHERE ARE YOU?
GOAL
YOUR BUDDY
280 /20 SM
YOU
300 /15 SM
HERE I AM
IF THE OTHER GLIDER HAS A BEARING
TO A GOAL GREATER THAN YOURS HES
ON YOUR LEFT
IF HE IS CLOSER HES AHEAD OF YOU
IF HES FURTHER, LOOK BEHIND
SAME BEARING, SAME DISTANCE LOOK
OUT!
THE EYES HAVE IT
LOOKING OUT
OTHER AIRCRAFT
CLOUDS
HAZE DOMES
TERRAIN FEATURES
BIRDS, OTHER GLIDERS, TRASH
ALL THE INSTRUMENTS
GLIDESLOPE AND STF COMPUTER
USE
ESSENTIAL FOR FINAL GLIDES
PRACTICE!
PRETTY MUCH ESSENTIAL WHEN
RUNNING
CAN BE PDA OR DEDICATED INSTRUMENT
THE RADIO
RADIO USAGE
USUALLY BETTER OFF THAN ON
THIS CAMP AN EXCEPTION
100 MILE RANGE
RIDGE FLYING
DRAINS YOUR BATTERY AS IT DRAINS
THE PATIENCE OF FELLOW PILOTS
RADIO MASA/RADIO WURTSBORO
SQUEEZE
SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS
SEAT-OF THE PANTS
THERMAL ENTRY
VARIO FILTER
THE VARIOS
TYPES
ELECTRONIC
MECHANICAL
FLOW SENSING
PRESSURE SENSING
EXTRAORDINARY
SENSITIVITY
T.E. MAGIC
GLIDER ENERGY IS MV2/2 + MGH (K.E + P.E.)
MGH IS = CONSTANT x STATIC PRESSURE
MV2/2 = CONSTANT x DYNAMIC PRESSURE
THE TOTAL ENERGY SOURCE IS STATIC +
DYNAMIC!
THE PRICE WE PAY
GUST SENSITIVITY
GUSTS ARE SCALE INVARIANT
HILLS PEEP OVER HILLS, AND ALPS
ON ALPS ARISE
SLOW RESPONSE
THE VOLTMETER
MONITOR BATTERY
CONDITION
% CAPACITY REMAINING
OVERALL HEALTH
EARLY IN-FLIGHT WARNING
OPEN CIRCUIT V VS REMAINING CHARGE
THE YAW STRING
INSTALLATION
IDEALLY ON CG
OUT OF THE WAY
ATTACHING
USE
STRAIGHT FLIGHT
CIRCLING FLIGHT
SLIPPING AND SKIDDING
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
12 (!) INSTRUMENTS IN MY PANEL, ONE ON THE CANOPY
NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE TELLING US
NEED TO KEEP EYES OUTSIDE OF COCKPIT
NEED BATTERIES THAT WORK WITH FUSES AT THE
BATTERY
NEED AT LEAST ONE BACKUP BATTERY
NEED TO MONITOR BATTERY STATUS
NEED A SIMPLE AND CLEAR WAY TO SELECT BATTERIES
NEED TO DEVELOP A SCAN
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
WIRES
22 AWG IS ~0.02 OHMS/FT
TUBING
VINYL TAKES A SET AND HARDENS, SILICONE BEST
FUSES
BATTERYNSOURCE IMPEDANCE A FEW MILLIOHMS MUST HAVE ONE ON EVERY BATTERY!
ANTENNAS
GPS, ELT, COM
PROBES
T.E.
CAPACITIES
INSULATE
LOCATION AND TUBING LENGTH
ADIABATIC COOLING AND HEATING
SIZE
YOU CAN SHARE A T.E SOURCE, BUT NOT A
CAPACITY
MORE PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
FILTERS
NEATNESS
BATTERY SELECT SWITCH
ADJUSTING SUCTION
ADD LENGTH FOR
MORE SUCTION