Abstract According to sensitive mechanism of air-flow inclination sensor, discussing the influence of heat source location on zero output, sensitivity, resolution and response time of the sensor. If the heat source deviates from the centre in horizontal direction, zero output is not zero. If the heat source deviates from the centre in vertical direction, sensitivity and resolution are decreased, while response time is increased. For resolving these problem a solution is proposed finally. Results show this method may reduce the influence of heat source location on the performance of air-flow inclination sensor.