Modern commercial aircraft make extensive use of computer systems to control aircraft behavior, plan and execute flights, and display information to the pilots during flight operations. FIG. 1 illustrates a flight deck 40 of a Boeing 777 aircraft having a forward instrument panel 46 and a control pedestal 45 configured in accordance with the prior art. Instruments 44 and display screens 20 are distributed over the forward instrument panel 46 and the control pedestal 45 for easy access by the pilots. The display screens 20 can include primary flight displays (PFDs) 21, an engine display 27, and three multi-function displays (MFDs) 22. The MFDs 22 can present additional aircraft flight information, including navigation displays 30, aircraft checklists, communication displays, and system status information.
Additional instrumentation is presented at a mode control panel (MCP) 41 positioned on a glare shield 42 of the flight deck 40, and at control and display units (CDUs) 47 positioned on the control pedestal 45. The glare shield 42 can also include a display select panel 48 having three display switches 59, one for each of the MFDs 22. A series of selector switches 60 each identify one type of available information to be displayed at the MFDs 22 (e.g., one selector switch 60 identifies the electronic checklist, another identifies the navigation display, and still another identifies the communications display).
In operation, the pilot first depresses one of the display switches 59 to select a particular one of the MFDs 22. Then the pilot presses one of the selector switches 60 to determine what type of information will be displayed at the-selected MFD 22. One drawback with this arrangement is that, on occasion, the pilot may press a selector switch 60 without realizing that a display switch 59 had previously been selected and that the previously selected display switch corresponds to an MFD 22 other than the one the pilot wishes to control. Accordingly, it may take additional time for the pilot to first determine that the appropriate display switch 59 must be pressed before pressing a corresponding one of the selector switches 60.
Another feature of the arrangement described above reference to FIG. 1 is that while the display screens 20 provide all the information the pilots require for flight operations, pilots are continually seeking additional information and additional flexibility and predictability in the way the information is presented. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide the pilot with additional information and additional options for displaying the information.