Mechanical Systems
Powerplant, propeller, fuel, electrical, hydraulics, and flight controls. How the machine actually works and how it fails.
The Pitot-Static System
Three instruments, two pressure sources, one common failure mode. How the airspeed indicator, altimeter, and VSI actually work — and how they lie.
- Pitot TubeRam-air probe
A forward-facing tube that captures total pressure for the airspeed indicator.
- Static PortAmbient pressure port
A flush port that senses undisturbed atmospheric pressure for the altimeter, VSI, and ASI.
- VSIVertical Speed Indicator
An instrument that displays the rate of change of static pressure as feet per minute of climb or descent.
- Constant-Speed PropellerGoverned pitch propeller
A propeller whose blade pitch is continuously adjusted by a governor to hold a selected RPM regardless of power or airspeed.
- MagnetoSelf-contained ignition
An engine-driven generator that produces the high-voltage spark for the ignition system, independent of the aircraft's electrical system. Certified engines carry two.
- Carburetor IceInduction icing in the venturi
Ice that forms in a carburetor's venturi from the temperature drop of expanding fuel-air mixture, possible even in warm outside air.