The A380's cockpit has eight 5.9 x 7.8in (150 x 200mm) interactive displays: two for primary flight information, two for navigation, one for engine parameters, one for systems and two that can be customised to the pilots’ preferences.
Thales head-up displays show critical flight information symbols superimposed on to external visual cues (the landscape, the horizon and runways) in the pilots’ forward field of view.
Live pictures streamed from external cameras mounted under the nose and on the tailfin can be displayed on one of the screens to assist the flight crew with ground steering. A graphical representation of airport runways and taxiways helps with navigation.
Directly above the LCD screens are the autopilot, speed, direction and altitude controls. On the ceiling above the crew is a panel for hydraulics, electrics, fuel pumps, air conditioning, pressurisation and fire systems.
The central console between the pilots’ seats is home to the navigation and communication buttons. The crew uses a keyboard control unit and a trackball cursor on the console to manipulate the flight management systems. Each pilot also has a personal keyboard on a pull-out tray.
A380s have side-stick control columns, as with other Airbus types. Pilot…
