Originally Posted by
JPJP
Regarding the AOA indication on the 737NG and MAX. It’s an ‘optional extra’ positioned at the top right on the PFD. The Flight Path Vector (FPV) is standard equipment and deselectable.
737 AOA Indicator.
I think all this is missing the point. The problems mostly occur when
AoA data is faulty. So what is displaying the faulty data going to achieve?
As I see it there are two possibilities:
- AoA data is reliable and accurate: are there any accidents that would have been prevented by the provision of raw AoA data to the pilots? How would you know?
- AoA data is unreliable and/or erroneous: In this case displaying the wrong value(s) is going to add to any confusion.
For the first point: if you say "AF447", I find that highly doubtful. They already had (in their mind) the conflicting information of slightly high or neutral (only briefly slightly negative) pitch angle and very high rate of descent, and an intermittent, mostly counter-productive, stall warning. It is a hard argument to make that an AoA gauge would have reduced confusion and lead to the correct decision early enough. A displayed AoA of around 40 degrees would likely have been off the scale and/or be dismissed as "absurd", having
never before been experienced by any A330 crew, either in the aircraft or the simulator.
The second point possibly applies here.
Bernd