Here are the relevant quotes:
Quote:
Testing in a Link simulator found the tape display to be workable, but pointers resulted in a superior flight performance. Further experimentation with expanded scales and more training was recommended (Mengelkoch & Houston, 1958).
and:
Quote:
A reminder that tape displays are also not optimum when a pointer can cover the required range was seen in testing of several formats for an F-16 vertical velocity indicator (Cone & Hassoun, 1991).
It seems that you, and a few others on this thread don't like these quotes, but I believe we should be attaching considerable weight to them, as they relate specifically to how pilots use instruments when flying.
Perhaps pointers resulted in superior flight performance in 1958, but was that more to do with the fact that tape displays were relatively unknown & therefore the test subjects were
significantly more familiar with the round dial & pointer presentation?
Also, with regard to the second quote, vertical speed is somewhat different to airspeed & the best indication for each is not necessarily the same.