A turn indicator is a system of flashing lights on land vehicles and an instrument on aircraft that allows pilots to see if the aircraft is turning. It helps the pilot stay on course for landings and other maneuvers. The term gyro indicator refers to an aviation instrument that employs a gyroscopic mechanism to detect changes in an aircraft’s attitude. Most turn indicators have been replaced by an improved instrument called the turn coordinator on modern aircraft.
A turn indicator can be one of two things, related to ground vehicles or aircraft. On land vehicles, a turn indicator is typically a system of flashing lights linked to controls within the driver’s compartment. The driver activates the turn indicator to notify other drivers that he plans to make a turn. On an aircraft, a turn indicator is an instrument that allows the pilot to see if the aircraft is turning, something that can be difficult in low visibility conditions. Helps the pilot stay on course for landings and other maneuvers.
On land vehicles, a turn indicator is most often called a turn signal or flasher. Turn signals are commonly mounted at each corner of the vehicle, sometimes in pairs, so that at least one of them at each corner is visible from any angle. They are often red or amber in color and manually activated by the driver. They turn on and off and off automatically after the turn is complete and the vehicle is back traveling in a straight line. In the past, turns were often indicated by hand signals, and although these are no longer legally recognized as acceptable turn signals for most motor vehicles, they are still used in some areas, particularly by those driving utility vehicles. two wheels.
The term gyro indicator most commonly refers to an aviation instrument that employs a gyroscopic mechanism to detect changes in an aircraft’s attitude. Pilots use this instrument when flying an instrument and it allows you to see the direction and speed of a turn. On most aircraft these instruments are of the type called a roll and yaw indicator, which also shows the degree of bank inclination during the turn. They are often marked with graduated lines, allowing the pilot to make standard turns of various degrees by aligning a needle to a specific point for a set amount of time.
Most turn indicators have been replaced, on many modern aircraft, by an improved instrument called the turn coordinator. A spin indicator, while a useful instrument, does not provide the pilot with information related to spin, the rotation of the aircraft around the longitudinal axis. A design enhancement allows the shift coordinator to transmit aircraft gyro information in addition to the gyro data. However, aircraft used for aerobatics often employ the older versions of the gyro indicator, as some of the more extreme maneuvers can cause the gyro in a turn coordinator to flip and become unreliable for short periods of time. time.
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