Pilot Institute

DECEMBER 12, 2024

These two simple features power three of the most important cockpit instruments. This setup is called the pitot-static system. In this article, well break down how the pitot-static system works, what it measures, and why its so important. Key Takeaways The pitot-static system measures airspeed, altitude, and vertical speed.

Pitot Tube

Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

Flying for extended periods of time at the controls of a basic aircraft was hard physical work, and poor weather or mechanical issues could also add to pilot fatigue on longer flights. However, in more recent times, there have been arguments that the reliance on cockpit automation has gone too far. Has automation gone too far?

Weight-Shift-Control

Flying Magazine

JUNE 27, 2025

A deadheading pilot named Dennis Fitch came up to the cockpit to help. Air France Flight 447, for example: The first officer stalled the airplane after all three pitot tubes iced up, and it fell, still stalled, for a minute and a half without anyone figuring out what was happening. An uncontained failure of the No.

Pitot Tube

Fear of Landing

MAY 9, 2025

This was quickly picked up by the mainstream media and, for the next few weeks, news and oped articles focused on the ongoing issues of changing weather patterns and increased turbulence. Sure enough, as he crossed to the right side of the aircraft, he saw that the red cover was still on the pitot probe.

Turbulence

Flying Magazine

JULY 11, 2025

Zooming onto the aluminum skin of the DC-6 reveals that no pitot tube, landing gear strut, or antenna detail was ignored in its construction. I set the weather in-sim to realistic winds and clouds for early spring in the Northeast and timed my departure from KBOS to allow for a near-sunset arrival at the start of the Hudson River SFRA.

Flight Deck

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 17, 2024

If you’re flying IFR in winter weather, icing is a threat you have to actively prepare for. If you can understand the conditions that lead to icing and know how to react when it happens, you’ll keep yourself ahead of the harsh weather. And ice doesn’t just build on your wings; it can sneak up on you quickly.

Weather

AeroSavvy

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Airlines are upgrading older cockpits with newer displays, so this old indicator will soon become a relic. Ram air from a pitot tube and static (undisturbed) outside air from a static port, usually a hole on the side of the fuselage. The speeds are based on aircraft weight and performance (affected by runway and weather).

Pitot Tube