Gesamt
← Back to Squawk list
On the Typography of Flight-Deck Documentation
Many types of paper documentation are employed on the flight-deck. They range from a simple checklist card to a bulky Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM). Some of these documentation have typographical and graphical deficien- cies; yet, many cockpit tasks such as conducting checklists, way-point entry, limitations and performance calculations, and many more, require the use of these documents. Moreover, during emergency and abnormal situations, the flight crews’ effectiveness in combating the situation… (ti.arc.nasa.gov) Mehr...I find it amazing how certain agencies seem to deliberately complicate things whenever possible.
Interestingly, in this 1992 document, they included a forecast the paper-free cockpit a decade or two in the future.(way before the iPad!)
pg 30 :
"It will probably take a decade or two until most commercial airplanes in the
U.S. will fall into the category of “paper-less cockpits.” These future cockpits
will have electronic checklists and electronic libraries containing most of the
information that is now in print (O’Lone, 1990, November 5; Riley, 1990)."
pg 30 :
"It will probably take a decade or two until most commercial airplanes in the
U.S. will fall into the category of “paper-less cockpits.” These future cockpits
will have electronic checklists and electronic libraries containing most of the
information that is now in print (O’Lone, 1990, November 5; Riley, 1990)."
Interesting reading. I'll make the switch to Gill-Medium. You can only look at so much Helvetica...
This paper is over 20 years old since first publication and much of the information within has been applied subsequently. Now however with electronic flight books, it is no longer necessary to have a one size fits all solution, but we can adjust the readability to the individual pilot. Fonts can be altered, contrast adjusted, backlight dimmed or brightened, colors changed and accommodation made for diminished night vision. Pull down menus can be used instead of following lines across the screen. Additionally it is possible to provide audio output or feed information onto heads up displays as that technology becomes widely available where again adjustments can be made to improve individualized readability.