This is the picture of the Cessna152's cockpit. The biggest black nob is the throttle which works just like accelerator of cars. We can adjust the friction by turning the silver dial located at the root. The red nob in the right of the throttle is the mixture controller which controls the ratio of air and fuel. If we fully pull it back the engine is cut off because of no fuel, but we can't always keep it pull in. As the airplane gets the altitude, the thickness of the air is getting thinner and we have to adjust the thickness of the fuel suitable for the air thickness. The upper left black nob is the carburettor heat which is used to prevent so called carburettor icing. As our Cessna152 has a carburettor instead of a fuel injection system, when the fuel is vaporized by Venturi effect, lots of heat is lost causing icing even in summer. This carburettor heat is used to stop such icing. The left big black dial is the trim which is the most basic but most difficult control in the Cessna152. We use it to neutralize the yoke pressure and if we can use it efficiently, the airplane becomes very stable. These controls are only parts of the whole aircraft controlling system. Flying an airplane is really a complicated task but I'm now ready for the flight test. I'm worrying only about the weather.
That's a really good explanation: probably better than most student pilots could give.
It's "knob" not "nob" though. Darn that silent "k" in English. eh?
Posted by: Aviatrix | December 26, 2005 at 02:00 AM
> Aviatrix
Thanks for your comment. It really boosts my confidence. I never forget to add the silent "k" to "nob".
Posted by: mochi | December 26, 2005 at 04:56 PM