Group 3

VERTICAL SPEED INDICATOR

 Vertical Speed Indicator
• A Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI),
also known as a Rate of Climb
and Descent Indicator (RCDI) is
an instrument which indicates the
rate of climb or descent of an
aircraft.
 HISTORY
• In 1930, according to Ann Welch, "Kronfeld...was one of the first to use a variometer,
a device suggested by Alexander Lippisch." Welch goes on to state that the "first real
thermal soaring" occurred in 1930 by A. Haller and Wolf Hirth, with Hirth using a
variometer in his Musterle. Frank Irving states that Arthur Kantrowitz first mentioned
total energy in 1940. However, as early as 1901, Wilbur Wright wrote about thermals,
"when gliding operators have attained greater skill, they can, with comparative safety,
maintain themselves in the air for hours at a time in this way, and thus by constant
practice so increase their knowledge and skill that they can rise into the higher air and
search out the currents which enable the soaring birds to transport themselves to any
desired point, by first rising in a circle, and then sailing off at a descending angle."
 Main Components Of The VSI
• Let's start with the diaphragm. The
diaphragm is a fancy name for a
flexible metal container that's directly
connected to your static air source.
• The diaphragm is also connect to a
set of gears and rods that move your
VSI's needle up and down, and that
happens when the diaphragm expands
and contracts.
 How It Works: Differential Pressure
• So here's how it all works. Let's say you start climbing. As you climb, your
static pressure decreases, and as it decreases immediately in the diaphragm.
But the instrument casing is a different story. Since the calibrated leak lets
air out slowly, it creates a higher pressure in the casing than the diaphragm.
When that happens, it creates a pressure differential, the diaphragm is
squeezed down, and the gears connected to the VSI needle make it move up.
• And the greater the pressure differential, the more the needle moves up.
• What happens when you descend? The exact opposite.
 Connections
• The vertical speed indicator is connected with airspeed indicator and
altimeter via the pitot-static system. The VSI uses the pitot-static system
to determine the vertical speed and depicts the result on a conventional
needle and circular instrument or, a ribbon at the side of an Electronic
Flight Instrument System.
 Trend Vs. Rate
• Because the VSI relies on air leaking out of (or into) the casing, it takes a second or two for
everything to stabilize. That's where trend vs. rate comes into play.
• When you initially start climbing or descending, your VSI needle will start moving, but it
can't immediately indicate how fast you're climbing. This is what's
called trend information. When you see the directing of the needle moving up, you know
your climb rate is increasing, and when it moves down, you know your climb rate is
decreasing. You just don't know how much...at least yet.
• After a second or two, the calibrated leak has a chance to catch up and reach equilibrium,
and your VSI will stabilize at a certain climb or descent rate. When that happens, you
have rate information.
 Putting It All Together
• Your VSI tells you if you're climbing, descending, or in level flight, and it
does it by giving you trend and rate information. And most impressively, it
does it without any power, except for the changing pressure of the air
around your plane.
 Modern and updated VSI
• Modern aircrafts nowadays use Electronic Flight Instrument System
(EFIS) which has the Primary Flight Display (PFD). The PFD displays
virtually all of the information that the pilot requires to determine basic
flight parameters.