Primary vs. Supporting instruments

[skydriverdc6]

Im studying for my CFII, and was having a heck of a time remembering which instruments are primary and which ones are supporting for different attitudes, airspeeds, etc. Does anyone have a way of remembering that easier?

Thanks

[tgrayson]

Originally Posted by skydriverdc6

Im studying for my CFII, and was having a heck of a time remembering which instruments are primary and which ones are supporting for different attitudes, airspeeds, etc. Does anyone have a way of remembering that easier?

Thanks

The best approach is not to teach primary/supporting. Control/Performance is much easier to teach. But if you're studying for the written, that's no help for you. The FAA exams are heavily biased towards Primary/Supporting.

[turbojet28]

I was always taught that which intruments will be classed as 'primary' and those classed as 'secondary' will depend upon the objective of the maneuver/phase of flight. In straight and level cruising flight, for instance, the primary objective is to a)go straight and b)stay level all at c)a constant airspeed. Therefore, your heading indicator is primary for bank, altimeter for pitch and airspeed indicator for power. In, let's say, a straight constant rate descent the objective is to a)go straight (heading indicator) b)descend at constant rate (VSI) and all at a certain airspeed (ASI). It was easiest for me to think of which are primary by just deciding what the objective of the certain phase of flight is for up and down, side to side, and faster or slower. This probably isn't much help, but that's how I break it down.

[Blue Side Up]

The Primary instrument will be the instrument not moving and supporting instruments will be the moving ones. When making a constant airspeed climb, airspeed indicator would be primary for pitch while the altimeter and the vsi are supporting instruments. I am pretty sure this is right.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by Blue Side Up

The Primary instrument will be the instrument not moving and supporting instruments will be the moving ones. When making a constant airspeed climb, airspeed indicator would be primary for pitch while the altimeter and the vsi are supporting instruments. I am pretty sure this is right.

Yeah, except once established in a constant airpseed climb, the only thing that should be moving is the altimeter. Turbojet28 hit it pretty much on the head. Those will be your primary instrumments. The supporting instruments will be all the others that give you the same information as the primary. For example in a constant airpseed climb, airpseed indicator is primary for pitch. The other pitch instruments (attitude indicator, VSI, altimeter) will be supporting for pitch. In a constant rate climb, VSI is primary and the other pitch instruments (attitude indicator, airspeed indicator, altimeter) are supporting. Attitude indicator is always primary for establishing a new attitude. Once established in that new attitude the primary instrument changes to the insturment that will make you achieve what you are trying to do as Turbojet28 explained.