1

Redesign of the Primary Flight Display (PFD)

Student Name & Number:

Institutional Affiliation:

Course Name & Number:

Instructor’s Name:

Date of Submission:
 2

Redesign of the Primary Flight Display (PFD)

The Primary Flight Display (PFD) is an important interface for pilots. It provides useful

data concerning the attitude, altitude, speed and navigation of an aircraft. Despite offering a vast

amount of data, the modern PFD comes with challenges such as information overload caused by

their layout and design (Li et al., 2020). This challenge often results in hindrance to efficient

decision making. The paper proposes the redesign of the PFD that will enhance pilot situational

awareness as well as improve human-machine interaction.

Current PFD Design and Challenges

Figure 1: Current PFD Design

The current PFD shows cluttered and static data. The main parameters such as altitudes,

airspeed and attitude are showcased using either separate analog gauges or digital readouts

(Lambregts et al., 2008). This poses a challenge since the fragmented layout requires the users to

scan and interpret various instruments at the same time which potentially results in diversion of

focus from critical tasks. Moreover, the static nature of display restricts the ability to adapt to the

changing situations dynamically which hinders situational awareness.

 3

Proposed redesign

The following model will address the aforementioned challenges by incorporating the following

changes:

Data fusion and prioritization will allow a single and unified display which will eliminate

separate instruments and allow the pilot to obtain pertinent information on a single and integrated

display. It will also employ dynamic prioritization whereby machine learning will dynamically

prioritize important data based on the flight phase as well as the potential risks (Li et al., 2020).

The PFD will also make use of color coding, animation and size differentiation to highlight

important data and alert the pilots of any risks.

Figure 2: Proposed Design

The proposed model will enhance situational awareness through Synthetic Vision System

(SVS) technology to overlay real-time terrain, obstacles and weather information on the PFD.

There is also the issue of Dynamic map overlays which entails relaying pertinent data like flight

paths, airspace restrictions and nearby traffic on the PFD based on the current flight plan and
 4

location (Lambregts et al., 2008). Head-Up Display (HUD) integration will project major

information onto the windshield through the HUD thus preventing the loss of focus.

Lastly, the model will use personalized interface through adaptive display configurations

and voice-activated controls. The former will enable customization of the layout and information

displayed while the later will enable implementation of voice commands to adjust display

settings and access information.

Benefits

The redesign will have various benefits such as reduction of information overload,

enhanced situational awareness and decision making as well as reduced workload. The model

has the potential to revolutionize human-machine interaction in aviation leading to safer and

efficient air travel.

 5

References

Li, W. C., Horn, A., Sun, Z., Zhang, J., & Braithwaite, G. (2020). Augmented

visualization cues on primary flight display facilitating pilot's monitoring

performance. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 135, 102377.

Lambregts, T., Rademaker, R., & Theunissen, E. (2008, October). A new ecological

primary flight display concept. In 2008 IEEE/AIAA 27th Digital Avionics Systems

Conference (pp. 4-A). IEEE.