Glass Cockpit PFD & MFD Basics

Welcome to the glass cockpit. On a primary flight display, the same six instruments you know are rearranged around one big attitude picture. The attitude indicator fills the center, with the airspeed tape on the left and the altitude tape on the right. A trend vector — that magenta line — predicts where airspeed or altitude will be in six seconds if you change nothing. Use those trend vectors; they replace the lag you used to fight on the VSI. Below the attitude, the horizontal situation indicator combines your heading, course, and bearing pointers into one rose. The big advantage of glass is integration, but the big risk is automation complacency and a scan that collapses into a stare. Keep your eyes moving: attitude, airspeed, altitude, back to attitude. Watch for the red X. When an AHRS or air data computer fails, the affected display is replaced by a red X, and you revert to the standby instruments — usually a small electric attitude indicator, altimeter, and airspeed. Know where those standby instruments are before you ever need them. Finally, respect the failure modes. A glass panel can lose attitude information if the AHRS fails, and unlike a vacuum failure, it can fail suddenly and completely. That's why your standby battery and your partial-panel skills still matter, even in the most modern airplane.