In article ,
says...


I thought the idea of the tapes was to have a "one-stop" instrument scan
(or almost), rather than having to zap back and forth between different dials
to construct a picture of the situation. After all, you're probably used to
using the little GS indicator on your HSI, if you have one, rather than having
to include the more distant VOR indicator in your scan.

Human factors specialists have written a lot about which instruments are more
"intuitive" to read. They complain about the plain old attitude indicator,
because it violates the basic rule that the moving parts of the instrument
should move in the same direction as the related control inputs.

I have read that tapes are less intuitive to read than dials - with the
obvious comparison being a classic clock compared with a digital display. But
then, it is drilled into us that we are not supposed to read the instruments
"intuitively" - we are supposed to read, and deliberately "interpret" the data
before deciding what action to take. One could almost argue that the more
"intuitive" display detracts from the objective of flying by the numbers.

The latest issue of FLYING has an article on the subject by MacLellan, in
which he discusses the use of the tapes with regard to reference speeds and
bugs.

G Faris