What does 'caging' an attitude indicator do?

• A. It resets the gyro automatically.
• B. It unlocks the gyro for movement during flight.
• C. It aligns the gyro with magnetic north.
• D. It locks the gyro to prevent movement on the instrument during ground handling and can require reset after release; it can temporarily misrepresent attitude if not reset.

Answer: (D)

Caging an attitude indicator locks the gyro to prevent movement of the instrument during ground handling or maintenance. This helps protect the gyro from damage and from tumbling due to ground vibrations. When you release the cage, the gyro is free to respond again, but you must reset the instrument to align with the aircraft’s actual attitude. If you don’t reset after release, the display can temporarily misrepresent pitch and bank, which can be misleading in flight. It’s not something that automatically resets, and it doesn’t unlock for flight or align to magnetic north.