flight instrument
Pilot's navigation tool
A flight instrument is a gauge or display in an aircraft cockpit that provides pilots with information about the aircraft's state—altitude, airspeed, heading, attitude, vertical speed, and similar data.
The term usually refers to the core instruments needed to fly safely, especially in poor visibility: He learned to trust his flight instruments rather than his senses.
- attitude indicatorInstrument showing aircraft orientation
- artificial horizonFlight orientation display
- gyrocompassSpinning rotor direction finder
- altimeterInstrument measuring elevation
- variometerVertical velocity instrument
magnetic compass · autopilot · barograph · barometric pressure · angle of attack · GPS receiver · vacuum gauge · weather radar · fuel gauge · transponder · radar · six-pack · needle · knob · navigation systems · gyroscopic stability · scan · glass cockpit
flight instrumentvisual reference
window view · direct observation · naked eye · human perception · gut feeling
flight instrumentVFR
Aviation using visual references
pilotage · dead reckoning · celestial navigation · barnstorming
flight, flying, flights, instrument, instruments, instrumental, instrumentally, instrumentation, instrumented