Glider Instruments Richard Lancaster
[email protected] ASK-21 glider outlines Copyright 1983 Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. All other content Copyright 2008 Richard Lancaster. The latest version of this document can be downloaded from: www.carrotworks.com [ Atmospheric pressure and altitude ] Atmospheric pressure is caused ➊ by the weight of the column of air above a given location. Space At sea level the overlying column of air exerts a force equivalent to 10 tonnes per square metre. ➋ The higher the altitude, the shorter the overlying column of air and 30,000ft hence the lower the weight of that 300mb column. Therefore: ➌ 18,000ft “Atmospheric pressure 505mb decreases with altitude.” 0ft At 18,000ft atmospheric pressure 1013mb is approximately half that at sea level. [ The altimeter ] [ Altimeter anatomy ] Linkages and gearing: Connect the aneroid capsule 0 to the display needle(s). Aneroid capsule: 9 1 A sealed copper and beryllium alloy capsule from which the air has 2 been removed. The capsule is springy Static pressure inlet and designed to compress as the 3 pressure around it increases and expand as it decreases. 6 4 5 Display needle(s) Enclosure: Airtight except for the static pressure inlet. Has a glass front through which display needle(s) can be viewed. [ Altimeter operation ] The altimeter's static 0 [ Sea level ] ➊ pressure inlet must be 9 1 Atmospheric pressure: exposed to air that is at local 1013mb atmospheric pressure. 2 Static pressure inlet The pressure of the air inside 3 ➋ the altimeter's casing will therefore equalise to local 6 4 atmospheric pressure via the 5 static pressure inlet.