Steam Gauges Are Safer

Technically advanced aircraft (TAA)-those with a primary flight display (PFD), multi-function display (MFD), and GPS-are sexy. Pilots are drawn to them like Pooh Bear to honey. Besides being eye-catching, TAA attempt to address some of the biggest problems in aviation by providing pilots with a lot of supplementary safety information. Moving maps designed to improve situational awareness make it almost impossible to get lost. Databases store more information at the touch of a button than…

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Technically advanced aircraft (TAA) exhibit a paradoxically higher fatal accident rate—almost double—compared to traditional "steam gauge" aircraft, despite being designed for safety and flown by more experienced pilots.
This increased risk is primarily due to the abstract, "black box" nature of advanced avionics, which can lead to pilot confusion, unexpected automation surprises, and inaccurate mental models of system behavior and failures.
Contributing factors include inadequate training to address automation complexities and pilots engaging in "risk compensation," where they take more chances due to a perceived, but often misguided, increase in safety provided by the technology.

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Technically advanced aircraft (TAA)—those with a primary flight display (PFD), multi-function display (MFD), and GPS—are sexy. Pilots are drawn to them like Pooh Bear to honey. Besides being eye-catching, TAA attempt to address some of the biggest problems in aviation by providing pilots with a lot of supplementary safety information. Moving maps designed to improve situational awareness make it almost impossible to get lost. Databases store more information at the touch of a button than a thirty pound chart case. We can display more weather information in the cockpit than was even available 30 years ago. Combine all that with an autopilot that provides time to gather and interpret, and you’d think we’d be a lot safer.