118
votes
Accepted
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
Adding a pilot's perspective to what others have said:
Look at the switches and knobs in an airplane up close some time. You'll notice that nearly all of them have different textures,heights,sizes or ...
- 1,276
58
votes
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
Adding to the absolutely correct answer of @Mach1:
Flicking a switch gives clear haptic and audible feedback. Compare that to a touchscreen where you can never be sure if your intention has been ...
- 229k
31
votes
Are glass cockpit or steam gauge GA aircraft safer?
With rare exceptions, such as a retired fighter pilot or an ATP leisure flying in their spare time, the weakest link in a GA aircraft is overwhelmingly the pilot.
Most accidents are straight pilot ...
29
votes
Accepted
Why does the speed tape on the Lockheed U-2 go the opposite way?
In essence, you are correct.
It was a conscious decision to do it that way:
- when the nose pitches up, you're "pitching" toward the slower airspeed on the tape...
- and you're pitching toward the ...
- 306
22
votes
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
Mechanical switches gives a better visual inspection than digital touch screens. For a pilot surrounded with so many switches, just a visual glance would be enough to find the position of the control.
- 321
19
votes
What's the UX in modern airliner avionics for diversion choices, and does it integrate to autopilot?
There are a few options for this and it depends on the type of plane you are in, for the most part it looks like the information must at least be proactively navigated to in what ever NAV system you ...
- 100k
18
votes
Accepted
What's the UX in modern airliner avionics for diversion choices, and does it integrate to autopilot?
On a Boeing 777, the pilot can select to have nearby airports displayed on their navigation display (ND). It's the quickest way to get the info IMHO.
Of course this data needs to be corroborated with ...
- 466
18
votes
Accepted
At what point is the input data to glass cockpit PFDs converted to digital?
Glass cockpits are modular systems, and not all of them are exactly the same. But many/most include a module called an Air Data Computer (ADC) which performs the digitalization function for the ...
- 14.2k
17
votes
Accepted
Are there common standards for aviation graphical user interfaces?
I think your best bet might be going through the Instrument Flying Handbook (PDF, 68 MB) by the Federal Aviation Administration. It has plenty of nice graphics, if you're fine with a lot of other ...
- 33.2k
16
votes
At what point is the input data to glass cockpit PFDs converted to digital?
On smaller aircraft, the conversion is done within the Air Data Computer (see TypeIA's answer). This makes replacing older steam gauges with a glass cockpit relatively simple because you just send the ...
- 54.3k
15
votes
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
Beyond the obvious aviation reasons of cost and so on, I can think of a few reasons why I'd not want an over reliance on touchscreens in the cockpit:
If a touchscreen fails, you've lost all the ...
- 9,278
15
votes
Are there common standards for aviation graphical user interfaces?
There are no regulations on what color something has to have as far as I know, but of course, a good color usage is a key part of every good and modern avionic.
Maybe you need some terms relevant for ...
- 8,982
14
votes
Are there any standards on the dimensions of PFD symbols?
Yes there are standards. There are industry standards which not regulatory standards, but they have been deemed acceptable by the regulatory agencies (e.g. FAA). So following them is usually accepted ...
- 19.4k
9
votes
Accepted
What should the Attitude Indicator be reading when in straight and level flight?
Essentially this question boils down to, what is the definition & reference for "0" pitch?
"Level flight" would be a problematic answer, because as Ron Beyer notes, your deck ...
- 49.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to land a plane only with the Garmin® Synthetic Vision?
Apparently yes, according to this 2008 review of the system in a Diamond DA40:
With [a safety pilot], I stayed under
the hood for the entire flight—takeoff, en route, approach and
landing—using ...
- 71.6k
8
votes
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
Touchscreen flight displays are already under production and the first commercial aircraft with touch screen primary flight displays as standard equipment to receive FAA certification is the ...
- 100k
8
votes
Accepted
How does a PFD handle unphysically abrupt changes in the parameters it's displaying?
Generally, PFD will smoothen the indication for most of the indicated data.
I don't know any 'legal' requirements for it, but as you mention, basic ergonomics require it.
I have first hand ...
- 9,013
7
votes
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
"Wouldn't this make it more economic as there would be savings on material and wiring?"
Not necessarily, because the days of "one wire per function" are long over. Automotive has pushed that forward,...
- 2,394
7
votes
Accepted
Why are the cockpit displays swapped between the captain's and first officer's sides?
It's hard to see from the angle that your example photos were taken from, but the main reason is that they want the primary flight instruments (which are on the PFD, or Primary Flight Display) ...
- 58.6k
7
votes
What is the power source of the clock in glass cockpits?
There are two ways this generally works:
A low-current hot buss that is always connected to the system battery
A small rechargeable battery that powers low-power time and memory circuits
The first ...
- 578
7
votes
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What Makes G1000 NXi Different From G1000?
The official Garmin announcement lists all new features.
The new hardware features are:
faster processors resulting in faster start-up, map rendering, etc.
more modern animations
a new design with ...
- 54.3k
6
votes
Accepted
How do modern avionics work without vacuum pumps or gyroscopes?
If you haven't already done so, you should have a look at section 7 of the C162 POH. That section gives an overview of all the aircraft's systems and the information is at a good level of detail for a ...
- 71.6k
6
votes
What scale is the speed trend line on a PFD's ASI?
I found some training material on Airbus PFDs which explains:
A vertical arrow, called the speed trend arrow, indicates the aircraft's
predicted speed in 10 seconds if the current acceleration or ...
- 12.6k
6
votes
Accepted
What are the standards on displaying Crew Awareness Messages?
Yes, certainly there are standards for crew awareness messages. The number of messages displayed is normally limited by screen space allotted, which is may vary from around 5 to 15 messages and when ...
- 1,605
5
votes
What's the UX in modern airliner avionics for diversion choices, and does it integrate to autopilot?
I believe on Garmin systems, the pilot can simply hit 3 buttons: "Nearest", "Direct-To", ...
- 30.4k
5
votes
How do modern avionics work without vacuum pumps or gyroscopes?
Looks like the following link takes you to the G300 user manual. You'll find your answers here, and this document would be a good one to be familiar with for exactly the sorts of questions you're ...
- 49.8k
5
votes
Accepted
What details do EICAS systems provide?
The EICAS will have the engine instruments and the crew alerting system in one display. It is a vital instrument because it displays engine parameters, fuel, the crew alert system and other systems ...
- 35.2k
5
votes
What is the power source of the clock in glass cockpits?
Interestingly enough, large aircraft are not actually powered down as often as you would think. Much like your desktop computer there is most likely a small power source (often a small battery) that ...
- 100k
5
votes
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
When my hands are swatting, or there is dust in the air etc I find that the touch screen on my phone does not always work. Also in turbulence, how well can someone touch a flat smooth screen in the ...
- 365
5
votes
Why are traditional knobs not replaced by touchscreens in cockpits?
Ive had touch devices misread my intentions many factors of factors times more often than mechanical switches. Furthermore you can operate mechanically arranged interfaces without looking, ie. by feel....
- 149
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