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It seems to me, that rather than two totally different concepts of flight management and cockpit development; these two potentially diverse
environments, bear remarkable similarity to on another. They are cousins rather than strangers. And there are reasons for this. Even when
starting with a “clean sheet of paper” there are certain realities that create the
ergonometric framework for the design; that is to say, a Human Being is only built a
certain way. Hands and arms, feet and “They are cousins legs, eyes and brain are at certain places on
the anatomy; and they are pretty much
at the superficial cockpit layout, you will rather than strangers.” fixed in size and reach. So, if you simply look
get the impression of similarity and not see
the subtle differences. Missing in the Airbus layout, for example, is the yoke, but
you could also say that “missing” in the Boeing cockpit is the side-stick. In passing, I
would say that pilots who have flown both have mixed reactions. Some like it hot and some like it cold ...but they are all in agreement that
switching from one to the other represents no great problem. It is a “no-brainer” to make the adaptation necessary to fly using either a stick or
a yoke.
OM IG O SH! THEY DO LOOK A LOT ALIKE!
A great amount on engineering asset was devoted to deciding on That leads us to the training part of the airplane development
what color to paint the instrument panel. They wanted something equation. Simmers are uniquely situated to actually see the
that would be pleasing to the eye and yet, not so nondescript that it differences and compare them. One moment you can fly your
would not provide the contrast necessary to set-off the instruments. Boeing 777 and then immediately shift over (at the click of a
Boeing came up with a tannish-brown hue that sorta defies mouse) to fly the Airbus 330. It is an eye-opening exercise. You
description. The Airbus solution is a take-off on the grey, with some immediately see a major concern of the airlines. They want ALL
hint of a blue thrown in for effect. Both of these are effective and if their airplanes to be similar enough so that their training tasks
you don’t look closely when you are in the cockpit, you will fail to are minimized when pilots are moved from one airplane
even notice the paint assignment to another.
scheme. And if you look at the
ND A major part of the paradigm that has PFD
Navigation development equation (for developed you can see Primary flight
display ALL airplane companies) is where as far as the display
the considerations of hardware requirements
their customers. They are concerned, the
PFD MCP can’t come up with companies have achieved
ND
Primary flight Navigation
Mode control designs that are this “training similarity” display
display panel straight from a comic objective admirably.
book or so far fetched As we look at the
that they defy cockpits in detail, we FCU
description ... in no small start to see something. Flight control
part because the customer The two companies have Unit
airlines and pilots the same basic stuff ...
come to the but is some
catalog of cases
potential have
airplane merely
purchases with changed
a pre-set the
algorithm as to identifying
what an airplane should look nomenclat
like. In military aviation, there ure. For example, the ECAM
is more lee-way for futuristic Boeing airplanes have at Electronic centralized
solutions to the cockpit and their heart a Aircraft Monitoring
flight dynamic ... but in airline FLIGHT MANAGEMENT system
flying, the simple matter COMPUTER (or FMC);
CDU of the instrument panel while Airbus sports a similar
Control display EICAS paint color can have an unit, it is called MCDU
unit Engine indicating Multifunction
effect on purchase FLIGHT MANAGEMENT
and crew alerting decisions. So, there is a control display
system
AND GUIDANCE unit
certain modality of COMPUTER (or FMGC).
thinking that tends to There are literally dozen of
restrict and retard change and units and parts with the same or
innovation in the cockpit layout. similar function that are named differently on each airplane. I
The reality is this, cockpit design has seen little (or no) change in thought it might be useful and instructive to break out the main

5
basic concepts from the DC-6. The pilot sits looking forward, item necessary to fly the airplane (or the sim) and look at them
instrument panel in the front, windscreen (window) in front of that, in detail, comparing their function.

BIG
etc. and so on into the future. the
LET’S TAKE A
CLOSER LOOK AT ...

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