COCKPIT EXPLORER
Learn the panel, one instrument at a time.
Pick a panel, select an instrument and read what it shows, what drives it and how it can fail or mislead you. Then move the controls and watch every needle respond. Fly a circuit when you are ready.
Select any instrument to see what it shows, what drives it and how it can mislead you.
START HERE
Pick an instrument
Click or tap any instrument on the panel, or move to it with the Tab key and press Enter. You will see what it shows, what drives it and how it can fail or mislead you.
- Choose a panel. Six-pack, glass or a compact light sport panel.
- Highlight a system. See which instruments share the pitot-static, vacuum or electrical supply, so you know what fails together.
- Fly it. Move the controls and watch every needle respond.
Every explanation is quoted word for word from the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), a US Government work in the public domain. We use it for how instruments work, not for rules. Read Chapter 7: Aircraft Systems (PDF) and Chapter 8: Flight Instruments (PDF).
FLY IT
Move the controls, watch the needles
The turn coordinator works out the rate of turn from bank and airspeed. The ball stays centred: this model always flies balanced.
For learning only. Not for flight planning or use in flight, and time here cannot be logged. These are generic panels drawn by us: they do not copy any aircraft, manufacturer or avionics maker. The coloured markings and engine readings are made-up examples, so always use your aircraft's flight manual. Instrument explanations are quoted from the FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapters 7 and 8, and cover how instruments work, not Australian or New Zealand rules.