Question

What are the characteristics of the Attitude Indicator:

A) Operates on vacuum principle, errors due to pitch changes
B) Operates on electric principle, errors due to roll changes
C) Operates on gyroscopic principle, errors due to heading changes
D) Operates on pressure principle, errors due to altitude changes

Answer 1

The Attitude Indicator operates on the gyroscopic principle and provides the aircraft's pitch and bank/roll attitude. It can experience errors due to heading changes caused by gyroscopic precession, which pilots must correct periodically.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Attitude Indicator is a critical instrument in an aircraft's cockpit that displays the aircraft's orientation relative to the Earth's horizon. Its primary function is to show the pilot the aircraft's pitch (nose up or down) and bank/roll (wing up or down) attitude. The correct answer to your question is that the Attitude Indicator:

• Operates on gyroscopic principle,
• Errors due to heading changes.

This instrument operates using a gyroscope to maintain a stable reference for the horizon. The gyroscopic principle allows the Attitude Indicator to provide a continuous and immediate indication of the aircraft's position relative to the horizon, which is critical for maintaining proper orientation especially when visual cues outside the aircraft are limited or unavailable.

It's important to note that while the Attitude Indicator is very reliable, it can experience precession errors over time or when the aircraft experiences abrupt maneuvers. These precession errors can manifest themselves as slight errors in showing the correct heading, and pilots are trained to periodically realign or reset the instrument as necessary during flight.