Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent some time helping students transition to full-fledged private pilots. One of the first questions I do is ask them is to picture a standard six-pack of “steam-gauge” instruments and explain what they each do and where they get their energy. Most pilots can quickly rattle off the airspeed indicator, the altimeter and the vertical speed indicator. Those systems are relatively simple to understand and describe.
The gyros, however, seem more challenging for students. I have always maintained that, to understand the gyroscopic instruments better, it is best to hold one in your hand, where you can observe how it operates, especially when the case has been removed. Seeing the buckets, gimbles, motors and other components up close demonstrates these concepts so much better than a verbal or written description, or even a photo.
