Cessna 172

An altimeter, often known as an altitude meter, is a device that measures the height of an object above a set level. Altimetry is the measurement of height, which is connected to bathymetry, the measuring of depth beneath water. Hectopascals (hPa) are the most often used unit for altimeter calibration globally, which use inches of mercury . The local barometric pressure must be appropriately calibrated using the barometer formula to give an accurate altitude reading in feet or meters.

The altimeter is a figure that expands and contracts in response to variations in atmospheric pressure. It measures the pressure differential between the current observed air pressure and a reference pressure set by a knob. The altimeter will not appropriately display the height above sea level or above ground unless it is calibrated to the present air pressure on the ground or at sea level.

An aneroid barometer in an aircraft detects atmospheric pressure from a static port outside the aircraft. Air pressure falls as height increases—roughly 100 hectopascals per 800 meters, one inch of mercury per 1000 feet, or one hectopascal per 30 feet near sea level.

Let's talk about the engine in the Cessna 172 SP. The mixture of air and fuel is ignited by spark plugs.

A black throttle lever is located in the middle of the panel and is used to control the engine. As a result, the engine power fluctuates and the amount of air and fuel entering the pistons is altered.

To open the throttle and boost engine power, press the throttle lever in. This is similar to pressing the gas pedal in a car, except that the throttle stays in the open position when you let go.
To close the throttle and reduce engine power, pull the throttle lever out. Similar with car's engine, the engine should continue to run even when the throttle is completely closed.

Increasing engine power allows us to accelerate, fly quicker, and climb. Lowering the engine power leads us to slow down and descend.

The ratio of fuel to air can be fine tuned with the red mixture lever in the cockpit to adjust the engine to the environmental conditions for maximum power output or for best fuel economy.

• Push the mixture lever in to enrichen the fuel mixture. More fuel goes is mixed in and engine power increases while at sea level.
• Pull the mixture lever out slowly to lean the fuel to air mixture. Less fuel is introduced into the engine. At sea level the engine then produces less power but can be more efficient.
• Pull the mixture out completly to shut the engine off. Without any fuel the engine starves and the engine is savely shut down. After that the magneto switch is turned to OFF to prevent any spark ignition.

When we turn the key,engine is rotating these magnetos cause the spark plugs to fire. To halt the engine ignition on each side separately, we can open the two electric circuits in the cockpit, one for each magneto. The ignition key can be found in the lower left of the instrument panel and it has multiple modes.

• Off – This shuts off both magnetos. Even after the engine shuts off, the gasoline within might still ignite and cause the propeller to spin suddenly. You must remove the gasoline mixture from the engine before you can safely turn off the magneto switch.
• R – The engine can keep running as long as the right side magneto circuit is closed. The left one is not functional. The right side is tested in this position.
• L – The left side is the only closed side. The appropriate one is impaired. The left side is tested in this position.
• Both – To have dual redundancy, this position is used the entire flight. As long as gasoline is getting to the engine, the engine can continue to run even if one circuit fails.
• Start – The electrical starter is powered and both magnetos are engaged. The ignition key is removed from this spring-loaded position as soon as the engine has started.

The flap lever can be found behind the right hand yoke. The required flap positions can be chosen using this lever: up, 10°, 20°, and 30°. You can fly more slowly the more flaps you have.

Due to the high drag and potential flap damage at high speeds, longer flaps limit the speed of flight. You will need more force and be unable to climb as steeply or as rapidly due to the increased drag.

• On touch devices simply touch 'FLAPS' submenu and use '+' and '-' buttons to extend flaps.
• In VR mode you can change the lever and move it with  reticle.

When on the ground, we can use the parking brake if we don't want to continuously depress the left and right brake pedals of the rudder. The pilot's knees are where the parking brake lever is located under the front panel.

• Click on the 'BRAKE' button to set the parking brake. In VR mode the lever can be pulled out with VR reticle.
• Click the 'BRAKE' button again  to take the parking brake off.

In the center of cockpit, below the front panel there is a large wheel. You can rotate trim wheel in the direction that you want the airplane nose to move. 

You'll need to trim the aircraft after you increased the speed or when you changed the engine power setting.

• Touch 'TRIM' submenu and use '+' and '-' to rotate it.
• In VR mode you can press '+' and '-' button behind pitch trim.

There are many switches that control electric systems on the aircraft and located behind left yoke.

In VR mode you can hide yoke and can control electrical switches.

• MASTER BAT – The red switch activates the battery, which powers aircraft electric systems.
• MASTER ALT – The alternator, which is powered by the engine, is the electric generator. The battery and other equipment receive electric power from the engine when it is running. The master battery switch also turns on when it is turned on. When it is turned off, the generator power is cut off, and the battery begins to discharge.
• AVIONICS MASTER 1/2 – Turns on or off avionic tools.

The exterior lights of the Cessna 172 are all controlled from the switches behind the pilot's yoke.

• Click a green triangle for tool menu and select “LIGHTS” button.
• Flick the switch with the VR reticle.

The light switches from left to right control:

• BCN –  This is warning light on the ground that the aircraft propeller is rotating and the aircraft could start moving at any time.
• LAND – The landing light switch operates a bright white light that lights the runway and is easily visible from the front of the aircraft. When you roll down the runway during takeoff or landing, the traffic controller and other aircraft on the ground may plainly see you doing this.
• TAXI – Turns on the taxi lights, which are directly next to the landing lights but aren't as bright. These lights brighten the taxiway ahead of you and are visible to other planes or cars on the airport.
• NAV – A red light is on the left wing, a green light is on the right wing, and a white light is on the tail. These lights are used to signal the direction of flight. You can tell that traffic is flowing from right to left when you observe a constant red light moving. A green light is going from left to right when you view it. The airplane is flying directly towards you when you see red and green and away from you when you see a white light. These don't have to be on during the day.
• STROBE – Aircraft can be easily seen even when it is below you in the traffic and is otherwise obscured in front of millions of city lights thanks to a brilliant white flashing strobe light on each wing tip. Strobe lights are set on as you approach the runway for takeoff and off as you exit after landing.