User Guide

Flight Simulator
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Microsoft
lift
The upward force produced by an airfoil,
such as a wing, interacting with the air. Lift
acts at right angles to the relative wind or the
aircraft’s flight path. One of the four funda-
mental forces in flight, lift is opposed by
weight.
Mach number
The ratio of an aircraft’s speed to the speed
of sound.
manifold pressure gauge
An instrument that measures the air pressure
in the intake manifold of a piston engine.
Usually calibrated in inches of mercury, this
instrument (really a barometer) is used in
combination with the tachometer to set
engine power. Most small training aircraft
have only a tachometer. Aircraft with larger
engines and aircraft with constant-speed
propellers usually have manifold pressure
gauges.
nautical mile (nm)
A distance of about 6,076 ft (1,852 m). The
nautical mile is based on the length of one
minute of longitude at the equator. In
aviation, distances and speeds are measured
in nautical miles (nm) and nautical miles per
hour (knots).
panel
The surface on which the aircraft’s instru-
ments and radios are installed (similar to an
automobile’s dashboard). Larger aircraft
often have multiple panels, sometimes on the
sides or ceiling of the cockpit.
pitch
Movement of an aircraft about its lateral axis
(nose up or nose down), or the angle of an
airplane’s nose above or below the horizon.
primary flight instruments
The six instruments displayed on the
standard instrument cluster: airspeed
indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter, turn
coordinator, heading indicator, and vertical
speed indicator.
rating
In the United States, an endorsement added
to a pilot certificate that specifies the classes
of aircraft (single-engine land, multi-engine
land, helicopter, and so forth) that a pilot may
fly and whether the pilot is allowed to act as
pilot in command when the weather does not
meet the minimums specified for flight under
visual flight rules (VFR).
roll
Rotation about an aircraft’s longitudinal axis.
A roll is also an aerobatic maneuver in which
an airplane rotates completely around its
longitudinal axis.
rudder
A movable control surface usually mounted
on the vertical stabilizer of the tail. The
rudder moves the aircraft about its vertical
(yaw) axis. It does not, however, turn the
airplane. It is used primarily to balance forces
in turns and to counteract yawing motions
induced by the propeller during flight.
sailplane
A highly efficient unpowered aircraft that can
maintain or gain altitude by riding thermals
or other rising air.
screen resolution
The level of graphics detail displayed on a
computer screen.
slow flight
Flight at an aircraft’s minimum controllable
airspeed.