What is a pitot-static head?

• A. A combination pickup used to sample pitot pressure and static air pressure.
• B. A device to measure outside air temperature.
• C. A sensor that records position over time.
• D. A device that controls engine fuel.

Answer: (A)

The pitot-static head is the sensor assembly that samples both the pitot (total) pressure from a forward-facing pitot tube and the static air pressure from static ports. This combination provides the pressures needed to derive instruments like the airspeed indicator (which uses dynamic pressure, the difference between pitot and static) and the altimeter/vertical speed indicator (which use static pressure). So a device that collects both pitot pressure and static air pressure is exactly what a pitot-static head is. The other options describe measurements or functions unrelated to pressure sensing (temperature, position recording, or fuel control), so they don’t fit.