Aviation Vocabulary: Cockpit (In Pictures)

A cockpit in an aircraft or spacecraft is where the pilot crew controls. It consists of a control instrument, and display necessary for operating aircraft. As per the Aviation dictionary cockpit means “the forward area in an aircraft from where the pilot controls the air-craft”. 

In airplanes, the cockpit is usually found at the front of the aircraft and is equipped with controls for navigation, communication, and monitoring of the aircraft’s systems. These are not only parts of a rotorcraft and fixed wing but also of convertiplanes. 

It generally encompasses flight controls like the yoke, joystick, throttle, rudder pedals, and various switches and buttons that operate the airplane’s systems.

There are two flight recording devices: a flight data recorder (FDR) and a cockpit voice recorder (CVR).  The cockpit voice recorder preserves the recent history of the cockpit sounds, including the pilots’ conversation.

An altimeter or altitude meter is an instrument used to determine an object’s altitude above a given level.

 

A flight device that measures and shows an aircraft’s speed in the air (and present in the cockpit) is called an airspeed indicator (ASI). Its ability to guide climbs, descents, and landings is essential for safe flying.

An autopilot is a device that guides an aircraft without the pilot’s direct aid. Modern autopilots can handle every aspect of the flight envelope from shortly after takeoff to landing, whereas early models could maintain a constant heading and altitude.

An aircraft’s throttle is a control lever that pilots use to adjust the engine’s power output. This controls the amount of gasoline fed into the engine, determining the aircraft’s speed and thrust.

An aircraft yoke is a control wheel that enables the pilot to control the aircraft.

The rudder of an airplane or other aircraft is controlled by foot-operated pedals called rudder pedals. A rudder is one of the many hinge-like control surfaces seen on airplanes. The trailing edge of an airplane’s tail assembly houses the rudder. Depending on which rudder pedal is pressed, it can swing either way.