Definition
A sensor installed in the engine fuel line that measures the rate at which fuel is being delivered to the engine and converts that measurement into an electrical signal sent to a cockpit indicator or engine monitoring system. It typically reports fuel flow in gallons per hour, pounds per hour, or kilograms per hour.
Plain English
A small device in the fuel line that measures how fast fuel is flowing to the engine and sends that reading to a gauge in the cockpit.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft fuel quantity and engine instrument systems, especially when troubleshooting a fuel-flow indication.
Derivation
‘Transmitter’ comes from the Latin transmittere, meaning ‘to send across.’ In aviation, a transmitter is a sensing device that takes a physical measurement at one location and sends it as a signal to a display somewhere else — in this case, from the fuel line to the cockpit gauge.
Why Pilots Care
Gives continuous fuel-consumption data so the pilot can manage range, endurance, and detect engine problems early.
Intuition Check
A fuel-flow transmitter is not a radio transmitter. Here, “transmitter” means a unit that sends fuel-flow information to an instrument.
Example Sentence 1
During the post-maintenance run-up, the technician verified that the fuel-flow transmitter was reporting the correct rate to the cockpit gauge.
Example Sentence 2
After the engine change the mechanic calibrated the fuel-flow transmitter before the next flight.