Machmeter

A machmeter is a fancy measuring tool that helps pilots know how fast their airplane is going. You know how when you're running, you can look at a watch or clock to see how fast you're going? Well, pilots don't have a simple way to do that. Instead, they use a machmeter to measure how fast the airplane is going.

But wait, what is "Mach?" Mach is a funny word that tells us how fast the airplane is going compared to the speed of sound. Remember when you learned that sound travels at a certain speed (about 761 miles per hour)? Well, if an airplane is going as fast as sound, it's going at "Mach 1." If it's going twice as fast as sound, it's going at "Mach 2."

So back to the machmeter. When a pilot is flying, air is passing over the airplane really fast. The machmeter has sensors that can understand how fast the air is moving over the airplane. This information is then used to calculate how fast the airplane is going in "Mach." The machmeter has a needle that moves to show the pilot how fast they're going.

This is important because different airplanes can only go so fast before they start having problems. By using the machmeter, the pilot can make sure they don't go too fast for their airplane. It's a way to keep everyone safe in the air!