Oh, the HSI.
This instrument, also known as the Horizontal Situation Indicator, is a nightmare if you haven’t actually used it. From what I have heard, once you have used one and understand it, they are fantastic. I’ve talked to pilots who say they won’t even fly an airplane that doesn’t have one.
In the answer explanation we’ll get into some tricks on answering the questions related to the HSI, but also some tricks on how to visualize the HSI and unserstand better what it is telling you – so that you don’t need the “answering the question” tricks because you actually understand what the instrument is telling you!
Once again this week we have a question that I missed while studying for my FAA Instrument Rating knowledge test. And here it is:
(Refer to Figures 98 and 99, below) To which aircraft position does HSI presentation “B” correspond?
- 9
- 13
- 19
Click here to display the answer…
So there you have it! I hope this post has shed a little light on the mysterious HSI – I know I understand them better after trying to explain them here. Hopefully I won’t miss this question the next time I see it on an FAA knowledge test!
Andrew Hartley is a certificated flight instructor and commercial pilot in Columbus, Ohio.
Testing Tuesday is a regular installment, each Tuesday, on the Smart Flight Training Blog. I post these in the hopes that they will help you be more prepared the next time you meet with your flight instructor, since preparation will save you both time and money during your flight training. I also post these because – I’ll be honest – it is helping me prepare for the CFII certificate, which I am currently working toward. Two birds, one stone, right?