Which instrument most directly indicates the rate of yaw?

Which instrument most directly indicates the rate of yaw?

• A. Attitude indicator
• B. Turn coordinator
• C. Altimeter
• D. Airspeed indicator

Answer: (B)

The instrument that most directly shows how fast the aircraft is yawing (turning about the vertical axis) is the turn coordinator. Its gyroscope is mounted at a cant, so it sense both yaw and roll and translates that into a rate-of-turn indication. The little airplane on the face tilts toward the direction of the turn, giving a quick, direct readout of how quickly the aircraft is yawing, and it also helps assess coordination with the ball. By contrast, the attitude indicator only shows the aircraft’s bank and pitch, not how fast the turn is occurring. The altimeter measures altitude, and the airspeed indicator measures forward speed. So the turn coordinator is the instrument that directly indicates yaw rate.

The instrument that most directly shows how fast the aircraft is yawing (turning about the vertical axis) is the turn coordinator. Its gyroscope is mounted at a cant, so it sense both yaw and roll and translates that into a rate-of-turn indication. The little airplane on the face tilts toward the direction of the turn, giving a quick, direct readout of how quickly the aircraft is yawing, and it also helps assess coordination with the ball.

By contrast, the attitude indicator only shows the aircraft’s bank and pitch, not how fast the turn is occurring. The altimeter measures altitude, and the airspeed indicator measures forward speed. So the turn coordinator is the instrument that directly indicates yaw rate.