What Are Turn and Slip Indicators?

Aircraft are equipped with a wide range of flight instruments to operate optimally. Generally found in the cockpit, flight instruments allow pilots to control and maneuver an airplane with ease. Serving as just one example, a turn and slip indicator belongs to a “six pack” of flight instruments found in fixed-wing aircraft.

Dual-purpose in nature, a turn and slip indicator consists of two aircraft flight instruments in one device. Part of the turn and slip indicator indicates the rate of turn, while the other indicates whether the aircraft is coordinated in flight, showing the slip of the turn. Also called the turn and bank indicator, pilots can have a better understanding of how their aircraft is turning.

Typically, pilots strive for a standard turn rate of 3 degrees per second. It is worth noting that turn and slip indicators are gyroscopic. As the airplane turns, an inclinometer will turn as well. With a turn indicator in the center and an inclinometer directly below it, pilots can monitor these parts to determine the turn rate and the slip of the turn.

How Does a Turn Indicator Work?

The turn indicator works on the principle of precession. As the gyro is mounted in a gimbal, the gyro’s rotational axis is aligned with the lateral axis of the aircraft, providing the gimbal limited freedom around the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. When the aircraft yaws, a torque force is applied to the gyro around the vertical axis, causing gyro precession around the roll axis.

It is worth noting that the gyro springs on an axis that is 90 degrees relative to the direction of the applied yaw torque force. Due to a calibrated spring incorporated in the assembly, the gyro and gimbal have limited freedom. In fact, the torque forced against the spring reaches an equilibrium, and the angle of the gimbal and gyro is positioned, so that it is directly connected to the display needle, indicating the rate of turn.

The display contains hash marks for the pilot’s reference during a turn. When the needle lines up with a hash mark, the aircraft is carrying out a “standard rate turn,” known in many countries as “rate one.”

Inclinometer

As previously mentioned, an inclinometer is an integral part of the turn and slip indicator’s ability to operate. Recognized as the “ball in a tube,” an inclinometer contains a ball sealed within a curved glass tube that has a liquid in it as a dampening medium. The ball provides an indication of whether the aircraft is slipping, skidding, or in balanced flight. The ball’s movement is the result of the force of gravity and the aircraft’s centripetal acceleration.

• When the ball is centered in the middle of the tube, the aircraft is in coordinated flight.
• When the ball is on the inside of a turn, the aircraft is slipping.
• When the ball is on the outside of the turn, the aircraft is skidding.

Other Flight Instruments

The “six pack” also consists of the airspeed indicator, altitude indicator, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, and heading indicator.

• Airspeed Indicators reveal the speed at which an aircraft is flying.
• Altitude Indicators provide the orientation of the aircraft relative to its pitch and roll axes.
• Altimeters show the altitude at which the aircraft is flying.
• Vertical Speed Indicators display the rate at which the aircraft is ascending or descending.
• Heading Indicators exhibit the direction in which the aircraft is flying.

Conclusion 

Automatize Industrials is a go-to choice for a wide range of flight instruments and their related accessories. With countless options that are immediately available for purchase, customers can easily find everything they need. Get started today and see how Automatize Industrials can serve as your strategic sourcing partner!

1. rafael goodwin
2. Posted on October 4, 2022
aviation

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