Which instrument is an example of a gyroscopic instrument?

Which instrument is an example of a gyroscopic instrument?

• A. Altimeter
• B. Turn Coordinator
• C. Airspeed Indicator
• D. Vertical Speed Indicator

Answer: (B)

Gyroscopic instruments use a spinning mass to provide a stable reference that resists changes in orientation, letting the pilot sense attitude or rate of turn independent of gravity. The Turn Coordinator is designed with a gyroscope mounted at an angle, so it responds to both yaw (turn rate) and roll. When you bank or roll, the tilted gyro’s precession creates a response that the instrument translates into the aircraft’s miniature airplane tilting and showing how quickly you’re turning. This combination of sensing both roll and turn rate is what makes it a gyroscopic instrument. The other options rely on air pressure rather than a spinning mass: the altimeter uses static pressure, the airspeed indicator uses pitot and static pressures, and the vertical speed indicator measures the rate of change of static pressure. So they aren’t gyroscopic instruments.

Gyroscopic instruments use a spinning mass to provide a stable reference that resists changes in orientation, letting the pilot sense attitude or rate of turn independent of gravity. The Turn Coordinator is designed with a gyroscope mounted at an angle, so it responds to both yaw (turn rate) and roll. When you bank or roll, the tilted gyro’s precession creates a response that the instrument translates into the aircraft’s miniature airplane tilting and showing how quickly you’re turning. This combination of sensing both roll and turn rate is what makes it a gyroscopic instrument.

The other options rely on air pressure rather than a spinning mass: the altimeter uses static pressure, the airspeed indicator uses pitot and static pressures, and the vertical speed indicator measures the rate of change of static pressure. So they aren’t gyroscopic instruments.