Attitude Indicator
What is attitude indicator?
The attitude indicator is a gyroscopic flight instrument that displays the airplane's pitch and bank relative to the natural horizon. It uses a fixed miniature aircraft set against a moving horizon bar, so you can see at a glance whether you're climbing, descending, or banking—even when you can't see outside. During preflight, the horizon bar should erect to horizontal and stay there during straight taxi, tipping no more than 5° in turns; otherwise the instrument is unreliable. Think of it as your "artificial horizon" that shows what your wings are doing when the real horizon disappears.
Also known as: AI, artificial horizon, gyro horizon, attitude gyro
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