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EFIS / Glass Cockpit (PFD, MFD)

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EFIS / glass cockpit (PFD, MFD)

Learning objective: You decide whether you may still follow the PFD — attitude comes from the computer/sensor, not “from the screen”.

60 seconds: You are flying IMC in a glass cockpit. The PFD (primary flight display) goes black. Do you follow the dead pixels? No. Remember: glass paints. Sensors and computers supply. Failure → standby attitude, maybe reversionary mode — not the black screen. Many PPL trainers are steam gauges; G1000 only where fitted.

PFD versus MFD and AHRS source PFD shows primary flight. MFD shows map and engine. Attitude comes from AHRS sensors, not from the glass itself. EFIS — PFD / MFD / AHRS PFD Lage / IAS / ALT / HDG Primary Flight Display MFD Karte / Motor / Plan Multi-Function Display nicht die Lagequelle AHRS Sensoren / gyros + acc liefert Lage an den PFD Attitude Heading Ref. Sys. Der Bildschirm malt — AHRS misst. Ausfall PFD ≠ „keine Lage im Flugzeug“, wenn Standby/AHRS leben. Viele PPL-Schulmaschinen: Steam-Gauges; G1000 nur wo eingebaut — nicht universelles AFM.

EFIS (electronic flight instrument system) replaces mechanical round dials with displays. Glass cockpit is the umbrella.

The PFD replaces the presentation of the six-pack: attitude, IAS tape, altitude tape, VSI, HSI/heading, slip/skid. It does not generate attitude. The MFD (multi-function display) shows map, engine, flight plan, often terrain/traffic/weather if fitted — not the attitude source.

Where fitted, a computer sits behind the glass (often called AHRS: gyros + accelerometers) plus an ADC for pitot-static on the tapes. The exam tests the role, not an invented G1000 button.

Reversionary mode (teaching, not a G1000 AFM): if one display fails, the other can show essential PFD data — layout is type-specific. Standby (typical IFR teaching): independent attitude, airspeed, altitude, magnetic compass — kit from certification/AFM. Differences training analogue → glass: FCL.710.

“Attitude comes from the PFD — if the screen is black, the aeroplane has no attitude.” That is wrong. People confuse display with sensor. The PFD is a bus-powered display. A pretty MFD map is not an attitude source.

Exam knowledge

  • PFD = six-pack presentation. MFD = map/engine/plan, not attitude.
  • Attitude is shown, not created by glass. Fail → standby, not the dead screen.
  • Steam remains everyday in many PPL trainers.
  • Glass procedures only from the type AFM. FCL.710 when converting.

Source: EASA PPL 020 avionics teaching; FCL.710. No invented G1000 CAS text or display AFM figures.

Check yourself

1. PFD vs MFD?

  • A) PFD replaces the six-pack; MFD is non-primary (map, engine, weather, traffic)
  • B) The MFD is the attitude sensor
  • C) PFD is MAP/RPM/oil only; MFD is the magnetic compass only
  • D) PFD and MFD are mechanical gauges behind glass

2. Does attitude come “from the screen”?

  • A) Yes — no pixels, no attitude
  • B) No — PFD is a computer display on the bus. Attitude is shown, not created by glass. Fail → standby AI, do not follow a dead screen
  • C) EASA forbids standby once a PFD is fitted
  • D) The screen fully replaces the magnetic compass
  1. A — attitude lives on the PFD, not as an MFD sensor.
  2. B — standby attitude/ASI/altimeter/compass remain. The glass does not create physics.
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