Now, Plan Mode — page 294 — Page 661, Lesson 787

This is the index of the book — the alphabetical listing of topics and where they appear. I want to walk you through what this tells you, because learning to read an index is part of learning how to use your reference material. Look at the first entry: AN — that's just the start of the alphabet, and it points to pages 286, 288, and 294. That's a topic that spans multiple pages, so the index lists each one. Now, Plan Mode — page 294. That's a mode on an FMS, the Flight Management System. You'll learn what it does when you get there. Platform — page 234. This is the inertial platform, the heart of an Inertial Navigation System. Platform Alignment — page 257 — that's the process of aligning that platform before flight. Platform tilt — page 238 — that's a specific error condition where the platform isn't level. Platinum — page 28. That's a material used in temperature sensors — a resistance thermometer element. Polar Regions — page 317. That's about navigation challenges near the poles, where your compass and gyro behave differently. Poles of a Magnet — page 105. That's basic magnetism — the north and south poles of a magnet, which underpin how a compass works. POS INIT — pages 273 and 274. That's the position initialization page on an FMS — where you tell the system where you are at the start of a flight. Position Error — pages 15, 42, and 85. That's the error in your airspeed reading caused by the way air flows around the static ports. It's also called Position (or Pressure) Error — page 61 — same thing, two names. Pound — page 2. That's a unit of weight — the pound, used in some aircraft performance calculations. Power Control Unit (PCU) — page 407. That's the actuator that moves a flight control surface — the hydraulic muscle. Power Management Control (PMC) — page 393. That's the electronic brain that manages engine power output. Power up BITE — page 100. BITE stands for Built-In Test Equipment. Power up BITE is the self-test the system runs when you switch it on. Precession — pages 137, 139, and 140. This is the big one for gyroscopes — the tilting of a gyro's axis when a force is applied. You'll spend a lot of time on this. Precession Amplifier — pages 211 and 218. That's a circuit that amplifies the precession signal in an autopilot or gyro system. Precession motor — page 211. That's a small motor that deliberately precesses a gyro to correct it. Precession Rate — page 163. That's how fast the gyro precesses — measured in degrees per hour. Preflight Altimeter Checks — page 65. That's the checks you do on the altimeter before takeoff — setting the QNH, checking the reading. Preflight Checks — page 18. The general checks before flight. Present Position — page 244. That's your current position as calculated by the navigation system. Pressure Altitude — page 53. That's altitude measured against a standard pressure datum of 1013.25 hectopascals. Pressure Error — page 15. Same as position error — the error from static pressure disturbance. Pressure Transducer — page 98. That's the device that converts pressure into an electrical signal. Preventative Advisories — page 484. That's a type of traffic advisory — a warning of potential conflict. Primary Flight Display (PFD) — pages 281 and 339. That's the main flight instrument screen — the one that shows attitude, airspeed, altitude, and heading. Primary Precession — page 185. That's the main precession effect in a gyro system. Primary Torque — page 185. That's the main torque applied to a gyro. Principles of INS — page 228. That's the fundamental theory of Inertial Navigation Systems. PRINTER — page 319. That's the cockpit printer for printing flight plans and reports. Program — page 307. That's a software program in the FMS. Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) — page 309. That's a type of memory chip that can be programmed once and then read — it stores the FMS's permanent data. PROM — page 309. Same thing — the acronym for Programmable Read Only Memory. Proximate Traffic — page 485. That's traffic that's close to you but not yet a threat — a level of traffic advisory on TCAS. So this index is your map. When you're studying, you use it to find where a topic is covered. When you're revising, you use it to jump straight to a specific concept. And notice how some topics appear multiple times — like Precession — because they're covered in different contexts across the book. That's the index. Now, do you want me to move on to the actual content — the gyroscope chapter where Precession really lives?