19 ms·
Aircraft are kind of silly in many ways. The default speedometer doesn't actually tell you how fast you're going, and the default altimeter doesn't actually te
by na85 5y ago
Aircraft are kind of silly in many ways.
The default speedometer doesn't actually tell you how fast you're going, and the default altimeter doesn't actually tell you how high you are.
- gorgoiler 5y agoAlas, this is typical of these head-in-the-clouds engineering types. More concerned with the technical details about keeping their precious machinery working than anything practical like am I going to get to Malaga in time for dinner. joke
- H8crilA 5y agoThe speedometer shows IAS which is way more informative of what's happening to the aircraft than GS or TAS. IAS measures "the amount of air that hits the wings". As to altitude there isn't a single always applicable definition of "altitude" hence pilots have to adjust it based on their current task, there simply isn't a way around that. You could try to always use "true altitude" in WGS-84 or something, but that's far more complex than a simple pressure altimeter. For example it generally cannot be done without external inputs, such as very accurate pressure maps or gps-like navigation aids. More complex = more failure opportunity.
- na85 5y agoI know. I'm an aerospace engineer. I still think it's fun(ny) to muse about these things.
- perilunar 5y agoNot silly at all but quite practical. How do you propose they could have easily measured true airspeed and true altitude before GPS?
- namibj 5y agoTAS doesn't need GPS. Ground speed does, but for (near) transonic operation, IAS alone isn't sufficient. A Mach meter can be enough of an addition, though.
- travisjungroth 5y agoGPS doesn’t help you with TAS at all. TAS indicators existed before GPS. They take IAS and do the same calculation you would to get TAS.
- na85 5y agoWith a rock tied to the end of a rope of course.