With “steam gauge” round dials, the airspeed reading was mechanically determined inside the airspeed indicator. Likewise, the altimeter had its own independent mechanical movement, and the vertical speed indicator had a similar arrangement.
In today’s digitally integrated cockpits, the altitude, airspeed, and vertical speed are developed from solid state sensors inside an air data computer (ADC) or air data module (ADU). This article will discuss how the air data information is generated in today’s “glass cockpit” and what to expect if the pitot tube or static port is obstructed.
