Electronic displays: EFIS, EICAS, ECAM

Navigation · Chapter 31 · DGCA CPL and ATPL

What the PFD and ND show, the colour code, decision height on the PFD, the four ND modes, and the EICAS and ECAM engine and alert screens.

Remember

EFIS: EADI/PFD (attitude, FD, tapes, modes, RA) + EHSI/ND (navigation).
Colours: white present, green engaged, magenta fly-to, cyan low priority, amber caution, red warning.
RA: round scale below 1 000 ft; amber at DH. DH is set on the EFIS control panel.
ND: rose, expanded arc, MAP, PLAN (north up, no weather or wind).
EICAS: A red warning, B amber caution, C amber advisory. ECAM: checklist and synoptic (A310 left/right, A320 upper/lower); failure mode first.

Two screens per pilot

This is the flight deck • Two pilots sit here, side by side. • Almost everything they need is on six screens. • Drag to look round. Tap anything.
Two screens for each pilot • efis (electronic flight instrument system) swaps two old dials for two screens. • Left: how the aircraft is flying. Right: where it is going. • Boeing calls them EADI and EHSI. Airbus: PFD and ND.
The PFD • pfd (primary flight display): the one a pilot looks at most. • Middle: the horizon. Left: speed. Right: height. Bottom: heading. • Top row: what the autopilot is doing.
The ND • nd (navigation display): the map. The little aeroplane is you. • The line ahead is your route. Coloured blobs are weather.

The colour code

Colours talk • Every colour on these screens has a set meaning, much the same on every aircraft. • Learn six and you can read any of them.
Magenta: fly to this • The steering bars, the active route, the next waypoint. • See magenta? That is where the aircraft wants to go.
Green, cyan, white • Green: on and working. • Cyan: less important, such as airports nearby. • White: what is happening now.
Amber and red • Amber: caution, look soon. • Red: warning, act now.