Centaurus
8th Dec 2018, 22:25
Steam Gauges Are Safer - IFR Magazine Article (http://www.ifr-magazine.com/issues/1_7/features/Steam-Gauges-Are-Safer_65-1.html)
A thought provoking article. Particularly in view of the increasing number of training aircraft that have discarded round dials for EFIS. For example, the old artificial horizons were a flight instrument on their own as part of the venerable "Six Pack" of flight instruments. The AH was generally the centre-piece because it was the most important instrument in terms of aeroplane attitude. Sometimes it was a larger instrument than the rest depending on the installation. The the miniature model in the middle of the AH was known as the "little aeroplane."
Now with all the Garmin EFIS type gizmoes the little aeroplane is now a little triangle because it is designed to enclose a V-Bar flight director in some aircraft. It can often become submerged among the colours of terrain visual information. No wonder some pilots have difficulty trying to interpret an unusual attitude with all that colourful background information. In some EFIS displays the VSI is nothing more than a tiny slash against a vertical scale rather than the whopping great needle that fairly shouts at you to watch for excessive rates of climb and descent.
One touted advantage of colourful EFIS displays with everything packed into the one square is ease of scanning and added situational awareness. The jury is still out on that one.
Interestingly, when the first EFIS equipped Boeing 737-300 came on line, it may have been the US operator South West Airlines that opted for the old Six Pack Display in EFIS form as there was a concern that too much information packed into one instrument could lead to sensory overload and degradation of scan technique.
A thought provoking article. Particularly in view of the increasing number of training aircraft that have discarded round dials for EFIS. For example, the old artificial horizons were a flight instrument on their own as part of the venerable "Six Pack" of flight instruments. The AH was generally the centre-piece because it was the most important instrument in terms of aeroplane attitude. Sometimes it was a larger instrument than the rest depending on the installation. The the miniature model in the middle of the AH was known as the "little aeroplane."
Now with all the Garmin EFIS type gizmoes the little aeroplane is now a little triangle because it is designed to enclose a V-Bar flight director in some aircraft. It can often become submerged among the colours of terrain visual information. No wonder some pilots have difficulty trying to interpret an unusual attitude with all that colourful background information. In some EFIS displays the VSI is nothing more than a tiny slash against a vertical scale rather than the whopping great needle that fairly shouts at you to watch for excessive rates of climb and descent.
One touted advantage of colourful EFIS displays with everything packed into the one square is ease of scanning and added situational awareness. The jury is still out on that one.
Interestingly, when the first EFIS equipped Boeing 737-300 came on line, it may have been the US operator South West Airlines that opted for the old Six Pack Display in EFIS form as there was a concern that too much information packed into one instrument could lead to sensory overload and degradation of scan technique.