30-08-2017, 02:32 PM
From the beginning of the manned flight, it has been recognized that providing the pilot with information about the aircraft and its operation could be useful and lead to a safer flight. The Wright Brothers had very few instruments on their Wright Flyer, but they had a motor tachometer, an anemometer (wind gauge), and a stopwatch. Obviously they were worried about the engine of the aircraft and the progress of their flight. From this simple principle, a wide variety of instruments have been developed to inform flight crewmembers of different parameters. Instrument systems now exist to provide information on aircraft status, engine, components, aircraft attitude in the sky, climate, cabin environment, navigation and communication.
The ability to capture and transmit all the information a pilot can desire, in a precise and easy to understand way, has been a challenge throughout the history of aviation. As the range of information desired has grown, they also have the size and complexity of modern aircraft, further expanding the need to inform the flight crew without sensory overload or over-cluttering the cockpit. As a result, the old flat panel in the front of the cabin with several individual instruments connected to it has become a sophisticated computer-controlled digital interface with flat screens and prioritized messages.
The ability to capture and transmit all the information a pilot can desire, in a precise and easy to understand way, has been a challenge throughout the history of aviation. As the range of information desired has grown, they also have the size and complexity of modern aircraft, further expanding the need to inform the flight crew without sensory overload or over-cluttering the cockpit. As a result, the old flat panel in the front of the cabin with several individual instruments connected to it has become a sophisticated computer-controlled digital interface with flat screens and prioritized messages.