The Revolution of the Aircraft Cockpit and Flight Control Systems
Over the past years, aircraft of all types have been facing a plethora of changes, both in regards to physical and performance characteristics. One facet of aircraft that has seen significant changes over the past decades is the aircraft cockpit and instrument panel, introducing a variety of advanced systems that have enabled more control of the aircraft for the pilot.
The cockpit, or flight deck, is the section of the aircraft that is most often located near the front of the vehicle in which pilots operate the aircraft. With a plethora of flight instruments spread across an instrument panel, the pilot may utilize various tools and instruments in order to efficiently and safely conduct flights. Cockpit parts have seen drastic changes since the early 1900’s, moving from a few simplistic and rudimentary mechanical instruments to complex computerized devices that have improved flight operations.
The first major advancements of the cockpit and aircraft interior products came in the late 1930’s to 1950’s, in which a single pilot with basic information became a crew of three to five members in charge of monitoring all systems and data. In some aircraft, there may have even been an observation dome for star sightings instead of modern navigation systems. By the early 1960’s, the positions of navigator and engineer were mostly removed, and some aircraft began to utilize only two flight crew members as per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. By 1981, the FAA officially deemed that flight engineers were no longer required for the safety of flight operations, due to major advancements in engine reliability.
As we moved towards more modern cockpit parts and systems during the 1990’s, advancements in automation allowed for the traditional analogue cockpit with gauges and dials to be replaced with a more computerized system, composed of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays. This breakthrough in cockpit technology drastically decreased the amount of dials and gauges in many commercial aircraft, allowing for a noteworthy reduction of crew procedures.
Known as a glass cockpit, newer designs introduced digital flight instrument displays, often coming in the form of larger LCD screens. Without the need for mechanical gauges and methods of providing flight critical data, flight instruments such as navigation systems could present data through multi-function displays that are driven with flight management systems, allowing for pilots to focus on critically needed information. This greatly simplified flight procedures, allowing pilots to navigate and operate the aircraft while being presented with only the most pertinent of data. In more recent years, this technology has extended to implementation in smaller aircraft as well, benefiting pilots of all types.
Since the release of glass cockpits and similar digital cockpit parts and components, such equipment has become a standard for airliners, business jets, and military aircraft alike. Even NASA space shuttles have seen such improvements in their control systems, allowing for astronauts to benefit from more simplistic yet advanced means of data conveyance. As such systems continue to be developed, we are continuing to move further away from traditional gauges and mechanical switches and moving towards new and more reliable means of flight control
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