Novice From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2012, 90 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 months 3 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 1594 times:
"The VSI uses a logarithmic scale display that has a greater sensitivity at small rate of climb or descent (ROC/ROD) values. Zero is usually at the 9 o'clock position with the ROC scale above a ROD scale below"
How come the VSI uses a logarithmic scale display as the VSI goes up in 100 increments and not multiples like a logarithmic scale? and anyone explain why the VSI has a greater sensitivity at a small rate of climb or descent values?
tdscanuck From Canada, joined Jan 2006, 12709 posts, RR: 80 Reply 1, posted (5 months 3 weeks 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 1566 times:
Quoting Novice (Thread starter): How come the VSI uses a logarithmic scale display as the VSI goes up in 100 increments and not multiples like a logarithmic scale?
Here's a standard Boeing PFD:
Take a look at the VSI on the right side...the physical distance between 0 and 1 is considerably bigger than the difference between 1 and 2, which is again bigger than the difference between 2 and 6. That's what they're talking about. The same angular movement of the needle corresponds to far more FPM at high deflection than low.
Quoting Novice (Thread starter): and anyone explain why the VSI has a greater sensitivity at a small rate of climb or descent values?
It's not that the instrument is more sensitive, it's that the display *scale* is logarithmic so that a change in rate causes a much bigger deflection at low rates than at high rates. Otherwise, if the scale was linear and full throw, small rates (what you care about when trying to accurately hold altitude) would be impossible to see.
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