Mighty Gem et al,
It is funny that with the virtual "analogue" display that Nick has shown, the needle vs speed image at cruise is identical to a speed tape - the only difference is that the needle moves instead of the tape.
I don't know what your mental cues are for speed management (other than they are obviously different from mine) but I find having an almost equal distribution of RW and FW time with EFIS experience on both means that I look to see whether I am fast or slow in relation to my target, what is the relative difference and what other constraints will determine my rate of acceleration/deceleration and then I make the speed change. My mental process is to tell myself what to achieve and then I apply the same handling technique to achieve the change as I would if I had EFIS,analogue or mercury manometer indicators.
In my experience, people who were brought up on speed tapes would not have a problem (other than the absence of all of those other luvverly things that digital displays can do!). For the most part, I figure that familiarity has a lot to do with it.
However, while I believe that digital displays (ie numbers) are a b*tch for getting trend data, speed tapes with acceleration vector overlays are well on the way to matching analogue displays for trend info.
Nick, while I appreciate that your advisers have prevailed in replacing speed tapes with virtual "analogue" displays, the result seems to be very hungry in terms of the screen "real estate". How much of the advice is based on low or no exposure to EFIS speed tapes before being asked the question?
Stay alive,