PLT187: Turn Coordinator And Inclinometer
What code PLT187 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Turn Coordinator And Inclinometer before your checkride.
Recall basic instrument flying - turn coordinator / turn and slip indicator
What this means for your checkride
The turn coordinator shows both rate of roll and rate of turn, using a miniature aircraft symbol to indicate the direction and rate of turn. The inclinometer, the ball at the bottom, shows the quality of the turn by revealing whether it is coordinated or slipping and skidding. Keeping the ball centered means rudder and aileron are balanced.
These instruments are central to instrument flying and coordinated flight, so pilots must read rate and coordination correctly.
Students think the turn coordinator shows bank angle, but it shows rate of turn and roll, not the actual degrees of bank.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.