A
device used to
measure the
air speed of an
aircraft. The device consists essentially of a unit combination of a pitot tube and a static tube used principally in measuring impact and
static pressures. The difference between impact and
static pressure is used to measure the
velocity of flow past the tube by means of a differential-pressure gauge. The
static pressure from a pitot-static tube may, in addition, be used in the operation of an
altimeter and similar instruments.
Also called
pitot-static head.