# A little bit of trivia **URL:** \ **Category:** Guest Discussion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618 "2004-02-10T18:28:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dennish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/copa/user_avatar/forum.cirruspilots.org/dennish/32/86555_2.png) [@dennish](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/dennish)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/1 "2004-02-10T18:28:33Z")
Something has been bothering me and it has nothing to do with LOP PDA’s MFD’s, gross weight and anything important like that there. I was just wonderin’: What is the origin of word, “Pitot Tube”. Who was it named after? Has its design changed over the years and why is it most often located on the left wing? AND what is the correct pronunciation. peetot or peetote or peedote (I guess it all depends where your from, you all. ---
**Author:** ![n224az](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4af34b/32.png) [@n224az](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/n224az)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/2 "2004-02-10T18:40:43Z")
> In reply to: > > * * * > > What is the origin of word, “Pitot Tube”. Who was it named after? > > * * * The Pitot tube (named after Henri Pitot in 1732) measures a fluid velocity by converting the kinetic energy of the flow into potential energy. Walt ---
**Author:** ![weinhous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@weinhous](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/weinhous)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/3 "2004-02-10T19:50:55Z")
And as for how they work, NASA provides [this explanation](http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/pitot.html)… ---
**Author:** ![weinhous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@weinhous](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/weinhous)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/4 "2004-02-10T19:55:34Z")
And for even more trivia [about Pitot tubes](http://www.efunda.com/designstandards/sensors/pitot_tubes/pitot_tubes_theory.cfm)…[:)] ---
**Author:** ![dennish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/copa/user_avatar/forum.cirruspilots.org/dennish/32/86555_2.png) [@dennish](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/dennish)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/5 "2004-02-10T18:44:22Z")
> In reply to: > > * * * > > The Pitot tube (named after Henri Pitot in 1732) > > * * * I didn’t realize that there were airplanes back then. Boy won’t Orville be surprised. Well, why is located where it is. Is there a scientific basis. ---
**Author:** ![airboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/copa/user_avatar/forum.cirruspilots.org/airboy/32/157539_2.png) [@airboy](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/airboy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/6 "2004-02-10T19:26:04Z")
**I didn’t realize that there were airplanes back then. Boy won’t Orville be surprised. Well, why is located where it is. Is there a scientific basis.** The history of fluid dynamics in general, and aerodynamics in particular, is much older than the history of flight. (In John D. Anderson’s [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0521669553/](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0521669553/)A History of Aerodynamics, the Wright Brothers don’t show up until page 201.) In the 18th century, Henri Pitot developed the device that bears his name to measure the speed of **water** flow. He was the first to show that as you go deeper beneath the surface of a river, the flow velocity decreases. (The prevailing opinion at the time had been that the flow velocity actually increased with increasing depth, so Pitot’s result was quite a revelation.) To give accurate airspeed readings, the Pitot tube on an aircraft is placed at a location where there is relatively undisturbed airflow. Behind the propeller would clearly be a bad location! A location under the wing is pretty good. Cheers, Roger ---
**Author:** ![n224az](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4af34b/32.png) [@n224az](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/n224az)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/7 "2004-02-10T19:28:04Z")
> In reply to: > > * * * > > Well, why is located where it is. Is there a scientific basis. > > * * * I guessing that it’s located on the left wing since it a shorter distance to the instrument panel then the right side. Some aircraft have pitot tubes on the both sides. (i.e. Apache Attack Helicopter). Walt ---
**Author:** ![dennish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/copa/user_avatar/forum.cirruspilots.org/dennish/32/86555_2.png) [@dennish](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/dennish)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/8 "2004-02-10T19:30:32Z")
And now . . . . for the triple crown. How do you pronounce his Last name and upon what authority do you base your conclusion? ---
**Author:** ![weinhous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@weinhous](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/weinhous)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/9 "2004-02-10T19:53:48Z")
A [modern version](http://www.hobiecat.com/kayaking/speedo.html) for measuring speed of (in) water (it’s all relative 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mfm9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@mfm9](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/mfm9)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/10 "2004-02-10T19:51:09Z")
I pronounce Pitot as PEE-toe. No less an authority than the “American Heritage Dictionary” agrees with me, although it says that either syllable may be stressed. Now I want to know why the guy who flies the airplane is not the PEE-loe. -Mike ---
**Author:** ![dennish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/copa/user_avatar/forum.cirruspilots.org/dennish/32/86555_2.png) [@dennish](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/dennish)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/11 "2004-02-10T20:27:45Z")
> In reply to: > > * * * > > No less an authority than the “American Heritage Dictionary” agrees with me > > * * * But wasn’t the guy French? What does an American dictionary know about how to speak French ---
**Author:** ![airboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/copa/user_avatar/forum.cirruspilots.org/airboy/32/157539_2.png) [@airboy](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/airboy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/12 "2004-02-10T21:20:16Z")
**Now I want to know why the guy who flies the airplane is not the PEE-loe.** Mike, It’s because the French word for pilot is _ **pilote** _ (pronounced _pee-LOAT_). Cheers, Roger ![](http://perso.wanadoo.fr/flashmaster/paf/galerie/images/EPAA%202003DSC_0189%20copier.jpg) The Alpha Jets of the _Patrouille de France_ ---
**Author:** ![21ze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/22d042/32.png) [@21ze](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/21ze)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/13 "2004-02-10T22:55:43Z")
Wait…you mean it’s not? ---
**Author:** ![dennish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/copa/user_avatar/forum.cirruspilots.org/dennish/32/86555_2.png) [@dennish](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/u/dennish)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/a-little-bit-of-trivia/40618/14 "2004-02-10T22:13:56Z")
I thought that pItot referred to that little red jug I carry on long trips (sometimes known as little Johnny) You know, it has a long red neck. Isn’t that the pee tote tube