Pitot pressure is ram air pressure used to measure airspeed.

• A. Pitot pressure
• B. Static pressure
• C. Dynamic pressure
• D. Total pressure

Answer: (A)

Pitot pressure is the stagnation, or total, pressure that results when the moving air is brought to rest in the pitot tube. This ram air pressure is what is used in a pitot‑static system to determine airspeed because it represents the pressure contribution from the aircraft’s motion through the air. The airspeed indicator doesn’t read this stagnation pressure by itself; it compares it to the ambient static pressure. The difference between the pitot (total) pressure and the static pressure is the dynamic pressure, which is directly related to speed through the relationship q = 1/2 ρV². By feeding that pressure difference into the instrument and applying the appropriate calibration, you get the indicated airspeed. Static pressure measures ambient pressure and isn’t a direct measure of speed, while dynamic pressure is the speed-related portion derived from the combination of total and static pressures, not what the pitot tube reads alone. Total pressure is the sum of static and dynamic pressures, with pitot pressure specifically representing the stagnation (total) component.