Aircraft Instrumentation Parts List

Flight instruments are located in the cockpit of an aircraft — they provide the pilot with integral information on the condition of the aircraft.  Prevalently used instruments report information on altitude, attitude, heading, and airspeed. Instrument systems on an aircraft are categorized as analog or digital (glass) instrumentation. Overall, aircraft instruments are sorted into three categories: navigation, control, and performance. Glass cockpit avionic sensors and systems have been replacing mechanical gyroscopic flight instruments, particularly beyond the general aviation market; this trade-off is frequently seen with AHRS systems.

Navigation
Navigation instrumentation provide the pilot with information on an aircraft position relative to various indicators: GPS, instrument landing systems (ILS), very high frequency (VHF) omni-directional radio range (VOR), non-directional beacon (NDB), and others. Navigation instruments that provide this data include course indicators, bearing pointers, range indicators, and glide slope indicators.

Control
Control instruments allow the pilot to make precise alterations or changes. Attitude and power changes are the most commonly displayed data for control instruments. The tachometer, manifold pressure gage, and attitude indicator are all control instruments that provide data to a pilot.

Performance
Performance instrumentation is primarily focused on the speed, climb, and altitude of an aircraft, and how it is performing in these categories. Systems of this subset include the airspeed or vertical speed indicator (VSI), altimeter, angle of attack indicator, heading indicator, turn-and-slip indicator, and the slip-skid indicator.