Understanding the Advantages of a Glass Panel

Pilots must deal with dozens and dozens of instruments throughout the course of a flight. Traditionally, those instruments were displayed in the form of gauges located all over the cockpit. Most of today’s aircraft, however, have switched to a “glass panel” or a “glass cockpit.” The “glass” refers to the display units, which are typically 8-inch, 10-inch, or 15-inch LCD screens.

The biggest advantage of a glass cockpit is the fact that all of the instruments are condensed into a much more efficient display. Glass cockpits feature an Integrated Flight Deck, which includes an electronic display and control of the aircraft’s airspeed, altitude, and attitude instruments, and all essential navigation and communication functions. The flight deck may also include display and control of airborne surveillance, airplane systems, and engine systems.

Today’s integrated flight decks feature an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS), radios, transponders, and engine instruments. Combining each of these into easy-to-read displays reduces pilot workload, in turn reducing the likelihood that an important gauge will be missed in a scan. In today’s glass cockpits, automation systems are more accurate, information is more precise, and all of the data is displayed more ergonomically, so pilots can spend more time looking out at the skies in front of them as opposed to having their head down searching for instruments.

The EFIS includes:

  • Primary Flight Display, PFD
  • Multi-Function Display, MFD
  • Communications Radio
  • VHF Navigation Radio for ILS systems
  • Fully Integrated Autopilot
  • Engine Indications and Crew Alerting System, EICAS
  • Attitude and Heading Reference System, AHRS
  • Air Data Computer, ADC
  • Angle of Attack, AOA
  • Global Positioning System, GPS Receiver
  • Remote Magneto, Electronic Compass or Fluxgate
  • XM Weather or NEXRAD
  • Synthetic Vision
  • Terrain Avoidance Systems
  • Electronic Flight Bag, EFB

The LCD display units in a glass cockpit typically include a Primary Flight Display (PFD), Multi-Function Display (MFD), and Engine Indications and Crew Alerting System (EICAS).

The PFD displays all information critical to flight, including calibrated airspeed, altitude, heading, attitude, vertical speed, and yaw. Today’s PFDs consolidate all of that info into a single display, instead of six separate instruments.

The MFD displays navigational and weather information from multiple systems. Typically, the MFD displays a customized chart, where the crew is able to overlay certain information, including the route plan, weather information, restricted airspace, and aircraft traffic. The MFD can also display the aircraft’s glide radius, given current location over terrain, winds, aircraft speed, and altitude.

The EICAS displays information about the aircraft’s fuel, electrical systems, and its engines. The EICAS allows the crew to view complex information regarding those systems in an easy-to-read format and alerts the crew about possibly hazardous situations.

Pilots out there, did you learn to fly in a glass cockpit or a traditional one? Let us know which one you prefer and why!

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