September 19, 2025
Description
Quite a mouthful innit'.
I made this model originally for my friend who recently got his pilots license (may god help us all).
A attitude indicator or “artificial horizon” is a piece of aviation instrumentation that helps the pilots to determine the planes orientation relative to the ground. Pretty handy if you're in pitch dark night or a storm!
It's a 2D attitude indicator, so the fidget wont tell you if you're in a climb or nose dive. It's rather delicate and can still keep up even if not rested on a perfectly vertical surface. I personally had the pleasure of testing this in a real plane while on a work trip and it was fun watching the degree of turn while taking off!
The model is currently only for AMS, but i might take a stab at making a version that doesn't need a AMS.
The model does require some hardware, all linked in the BOM.
I also tried using a thin clear screen i got from one of those ikea picture frames, it does seem to add some class to the whole thing, but isnt strictly necessary.
***************HOW TO*****************************
Gather your materials
2. Start by inserting the bearing and steel ball into the dial
3. Insert the steel rod into the inner shell
4. Place the assambled dial in
(4.5 I cut out a small acrylic sceen piece and placed it inside)
5. Pop the lid on, note the orientation of the keychain anchor point
6. And voila!
License:
Standard Digital File License