Flight instruments

Flight instruments display information about an aircraft’s attitude, motion, performance, and position. They let pilots monitor flight conditions and guide an aircraft, including when outside visual references are unavailable.

Pitot-static system: An aircraft pressure-sensing system that uses pitot and static pressure to support airspeed, altitude, and vertical-speed indications. Its pressure inputs drive three foundational cockpit indications.
Gyroscope: A rotating or electronic device that senses orientation or angular motion using conservation of angular momentum or related effects. Traditional attitude and heading instruments use gyroscopic behavior to resist changes in orientation.
Instrument flight rules: Aviation rules that govern flight conducted primarily by reference to instruments and air traffic control clearances. These rules define operations in which instrument indications replace visual navigation cues.
Groundspeed: An aircraft’s speed relative to the ground, combining its motion through the air with the effect of wind. It differs from indicated airspeed, which measures motion relative to surrounding air.
Attitude indicator: An instrument that displays an aircraft’s pitch and bank relative to the horizon. It gives a direct picture of aircraft orientation when the horizon is obscured.
Inertial navigation system: A navigation system that estimates position and velocity by integrating measurements from accelerometers and gyroscopes. It extends instrument sensing into a continuously estimated aircraft position.
Instrument landing system: A precision approach system that provides aircraft with lateral and vertical guidance toward a runway. Its cockpit indications guide an aircraft along a controlled approach path.
True airspeed: An aircraft’s speed through the air mass, corrected for air density and instrument-related effects. It distinguishes actual air-relative speed from the calibrated indication shown by basic instruments.
Airspeed indicator: An instrument that indicates an aircraft’s speed through the air using pitot and static pressures. It converts pressure difference into the speed pilots use to manage flight.
Magnetic compass: A direction-finding instrument that aligns with Earth’s magnetic field. It supplies a magnetic reference against which heading indications can be checked.

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