Pitot-Static Systems Practice Test

The two pressures involved are static pressure and dynamic pressure. Static pressure is the ambient air pressure acting on the aircraft, while dynamic pressure comes from the aircraft’s motion through the air and is proportional to velocity. The Pitot tube provides total pressure, which equals static plus dynamic pressure (Pt = Ps + q). The airspeed indicator uses the difference between total pressure and static pressure to derive dynamic pressure, and thus speed. So the readings depend on both static pressure and dynamic pressure, not merely total or ambient in isolation.