Pitted Static System in Aircraft Instrumentation

Study Notes

The Pitted Static System is crucial for providing air pressure information to three key flight instruments: the airspeed indicator, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator.
The Pitted Static System relies on measuring different types of air pressure: static pressure, dynamic pressure, and total pressure.
Static pressure is also known as atmospheric pressure and varies mainly with altitude, decreasing by approximately one inch of mercury for every 1000 feet of altitude increase.
Dynamic pressure is the pressure that air exerts on an object moving through it, depending on the speed of the aircraft and the air density.
Total pressure, also known as pitted pressure, is the sum of static pressure and dynamic pressure.
The Pitted Static System consists of a pitted tube and a static port that feed information to the relevant flight instruments.
The pitted tube measures total pressure using a heating system to prevent icing and a drain hole to remove water.
The static port measures static pressure and can be prone to errors due to aircraft maneuvers like skidding or sliding.
An alternate static source is available in case the main static port gets blocked, but it may introduce slight errors in measurement due to differences in cabin pressure.
In multi-engine aircraft, there are often two independent pitted static systems for redundancy and error checking through a cross check procedure.

Description

Learn about the Pitted Static System used in aircraft for providing air pressure information to critical flight instruments like the airspeed indicator, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator. Explore the components of the system, including the pitted tube, static port, and total pressure measurement.