THE MACHMETER Chapter 6
THE MACHMETER Chapter 6
THE MACHMETER Chapter 6
MACHMETER CONSTRUCTION
1. It consists of a simple aneroid altitude capsule and an airspeed capsule which are
connected at the ratio arm.
2. A spring-loaded ranging arm transmits the movement of the ratio arm to the pointer
mechanism.
CALIBRATION
Machmeter is the only instrument not calibrated to ISA.
ACCURACY +/- .01 M
IMPORTANT NOTES
1. VMO = Maximum operating indicated speed.
2. MMO = Maximum operating Mach number.
3. At lower altitude aircraft speed is limited by VMO.
4. At higher altitude shockwaves will be formed at lower speed, therefore maximum speed
will be limited by MMO.
5. Barber pole indicates VMO versus altitude and temperature.
6. VMO is expressed as CAS but calculated as EAS.
ERRORS
INSTRUMENT POSITION MANOEUVRE BLOCKAGES
INDUCED
POSITION ERROR
The instrument uses the same sources of pitot and static pressure as the ASI and therefore
suffers from position error caused by disturbed airflow at the pitot head and/or static vent.
MANOEUVRE INDUCED ERROR
The Machmeter will suffer an additional, unpredictable error whenever the aeroplane
manoeuvres.
BLOCKAGES
AKSHEY SOOD
It may be noted that the Machmeter blockage error are the same as the ASI blockage.
DENSITY, TEMPERATURE AND COMPRESSIBILITY ERRORS
It does not suffer from temperature or density errors, as these errors cancel out. In
addition since compressibility error depends on dynamic/static pressure, and the
instrument is calibrated to this ratio, compressibility error is calibrated out.
AKSHEY SOOD