What is this thing on the wing good for?

• May 7, 2014

• #21

Donivanp

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Feb 23, 2014

Katy Texas

Many test aircraft will have a over sized long boom pitot on then for the test (this is normally on the jet aircraft) and int he Century series fighter jets many have extremely long booms ( the F-100's folds up for ground operations), mainly this is to get clean undisturbed air. In today's aircraft the information feeds a lot of different systems but the main function is as stated before to get airspeed.

 

• May 7, 2014

• #22

P

pbehn

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Oct 30, 2013

daHeld said:

Funny, but not very helpful...

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Well the real reason had been well covered it is a pitot tube

 

• May 7, 2014

• #23

gumbyk

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Blenheim

vikingBerserker said:

Wasn't a small propeller device used at one time?

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Many different devices have been used:

1940's era Tigermoth:


WW1 anemometer type airspeed indicator:

 

• May 7, 2014

• #24

Wurger

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• May 8, 2014

• #25

N4521U

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That top one is cool. I take it 45 is stall speed eh?
Put one on the hood of a car and call it HUD.................

 

• May 8, 2014

• #26

gumbyk

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Blenheim

Yeah, stalls about 44mph.
Its actually located on the interplane struts, so you have to turn your head sideways to see it.

Oh, I almost forgot, the pitot head also makes a great home for various small bugs.