NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Machmeter

A Machmeter shows the ratio of the speed of sound to the true airspeed an aircraft is flying. A ratio is a dimensionless, or unitless, quantity denoting an amount or magnitude of one quantity relative to another. ... The speed of sound is a term used to describe the speed of sound waves passing through an elastic medium. ... True airspeed (TAS) is the speed of an aircraft relative to the airmass in which it flies, i. ... An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ...

As an aircraft approaches the speed of sound, the air flowing over certain areas of its surface speeds up until it reaches the speed of sound, and shock waves form. The indicated airspeed at which these conditions occur changes with temperature. Therefore airspeed, in this case, is not entirely adequate to warn the pilot of the impending problems. Mach number is more useful. Mach number is the ratio of the true airspeed of the aircraft to the speed of sound in the same atmospheric conditions. An aircraft flying at the speed of sound is flying at Mach 1.0. Introduction The shock wave is one of several different ways in which a gas in a supersonic flow can be compressed. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Fig. ... An F/A-18 Hornet breaking the sound barrier. ...

Most high-speed aircraft are limited as to the maximum Mach number they can fly. This is shown on a Machmeter as a decimal fraction. For example, if the Machmeter indicates .83 and the aircraft is flying at 30,000 feet where the speed of sound under standard conditions is 589.5 knots, the airspeed is 489.3 knots. The speed of sound varies with the air temperature, and if the aircraft were flying at Mach .83 at 10,000 feet where the air is much warmer, its airspeed would be 530 knots. Atmospheric pressure is the pressure caused by the weight of air above any area in the Earths atmosphere. ... A knot is a unit of speed, abbreviated kt or kn. ...

Airspeed Indicator The airspeed indicator is an instrument used in an aircraft to display the crafts airspeed, typically in knots, to the pilot. ... A pitot-static system is an avionics component which directs ram air pressure and static air pressure lines into the appropriate flight instruments. ...

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Flight instruments

Pitot-static instruments: Altimeter · Airspeed indicator · Machmeter · Vertical speed indicator Six basic instruments in a light twin engine aircraft Most aircraft are equipped with a standard set of flight instruments which give the pilot information about the aircrafts attitude, airspeed, and altitude. ... A pitot-static system is an avionics component which directs ram air pressure and static air pressure lines into the appropriate flight instruments. ... Kollsman-type barometric aircraft altimeter as used in North America An altimeter is an active instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. ... Airspeed Indicator The airspeed indicator is an instrument used in an aircraft to display the crafts airspeed, typically in knots, to the pilot. ... The term Variometer also refers to a type of tunable electrical transformer // Definition A variometer (also known as a rate-of-climb indicator, a vertical speed indicator (VSI), or a vertical velocity indicator (VVI)) is an instrument in an aircraft used to inform the pilot of the rate of descent...

Gyroscopic instruments Attitude indicator · Heading indicator · Horizontal Situation Indicator · Turn and bank indicator · Turn coordinator Attitude indicator (with integrated localizer and glideslope indicators) Drawing An attitude indicator (AI) or artificial horizon is an instrument used in an aircraft to inform the pilot of the orientation of the airplane relative to the ground. ... The heading indicator (or HI) is an instrument used in an aircraft to inform the pilot of his heading. ... The horizontal situation indicator (commonly called the HSI) is an aircraft instrument normally mounted below the artificial horizon in place of a conventional directional gyro which combines both the DG and the VOR display and reduces pilot workload by lessening the number of elements in his or her scan. ... In aviation, the turn and bank indicator shows both the rate of turn and the coordination of the turn. ... The turn coordinator is an aircraft instrument which displays to a pilot information about his rate of turn, rate of roll, and the quality or coordination of the turn. ...

Navigation: Horizontal Situation Indicator The horizontal situation indicator (commonly called the HSI) is an aircraft instrument normally mounted below the artificial horizon in place of a conventional directional gyro which combines both the DG and the VOR display and reduces pilot workload by lessening the number of elements in his or her scan. ...

Other: Magnetic compass · Yaw string For the tool used to draw circles, see Compass (drafting). ... A red yarn yaw string (top center) on the canopy of a Schempp-Hirth Janus-C glider as seen by the pilot in flight. ...

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