Flight instruments are found in all airplanes. From the moment they take off to when they finally land at their destination, pilots must monitor and analyze flight data. Doing so is necessary to ensure a safe flight. While some airplanes feature different flight indicators than others, most of them have an airspeed indicator and a vertical speed indicator. They are two of the most common flight instruments.
Airspeed indicators and vertical speed indicators both provide pilots with speed-related data. Pilots can monitor these flight instruments to gain a better understanding of their airplane’s speed. With that said, airspeed indicators and vertical speed indicators aren’t exactly the same. What’s the difference between an airspeed indicator and a vertical speed indicator exactly?
What Is an Airspeed Indicator?
An airspeed indicator is a flight instrument that’s designed to reveal the speed at which an airplane is currently traveling. Airspeed indicators typically consist of a gauge that uses knots as the unit of measurement. Some airspeed indicators, though, use kilometers as the unit of measurement.
It’s important to note that airspeed indicators show the speed at which an airplane is traveling relative to the speed of the surrounding air. In other words, they take into account the speed of the surrounding air. Most airspeed indicators are also color-coded. They feature a green area, a yellow area and a red area. These colors represent the risk of stalling. If the airspeed indicator gauge is in the yellow or red area, the airplane may stall.
What Is a Vertical Speed Indicator?
A vertical speed indicator, on the other hand, is a flight instrument that’s designed to reveal the speed at which an airplane is currently ascending or descending. Most vertical speed indicators use either feet per minute, meters per second or knots as the unit of measurement. Pilots can monitor the vertical speed indicator to determine who quickly the airplane is ascending or descending.
Differences Between Airspeed and Vertical Speed Indicators
Airspeed indicators and vertical speed indicators are both flight instruments, and they both reveal the speed of an airplane. The difference between them is that airspeed indicators show the speed of an airplane relative to the speed of the surrounding air, whereas vertical speed indicators show the speed at which an airplane is ascending or descending.
