A primary flight display is a modern aircraft instrument dedicated to flight information. Much like multi-function displays, the PFD consists of either an LCD or CRT display device. A number of older "steam gauge" instruments (the airspeed indicator, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, and turn and bank indicator) as well as radio navigation instruments are combined on one compact display, simplifying pilot workflow and streamlining cockpit layouts. Most aircraft are equipped with a standard set of flight instruments which give the pilot information about the aircrafts attitude, airspeed, and altitude. ... MFD Avidyne MFD used in many General Aviation aircraft A Multi-function display (MFD) is a small screen (CRT or LCD) in an aircraft surrounded by multiple buttons that can be used to display information to the pilot in numerous configurable ways. ... LCD redirects here. ... The initialism CRT has more than one use: In electronics, the cathode ray tube of a display device, such as a television In U.S. schools, the Criterion-Referenced Test In mathematics, the Chinese remainder theorem This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might... A display device is a device for visual or tactile presentation of images (including text) acquired, stored, or transmitted in various forms. ... Airspeed Indicator The airspeed indicator is an instrument used in an aircraft to display the crafts airspeed, typically in knots to the pilot. ... An altimeter is an active instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. ... A variometer (also known as a rate-of-climb indicator, a vertical speed indicator (VSI), or a vertical velocity indicator (VVI)) is an instrument in an aircraft used to inform the pilot of the rate of descent or climb. ... In aviation, the turn and bank indicator shows both the rate of turn and the coordination of the turn. ... Radio navigation is the application of radio frequencies to determining a position on the earth. ... Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ... Cockpit of a light aircraft, showing instrumentation dials and dual control yokes. ...

In most cases, PFD displays are identical to their MFD counterparts, and can be physically swapped or used to back up the other.

Most airliners built since the 1980s — as well as many business jets and an increasing number of newer general aviation aircraft — are equipped with primary flight and multi-function displays. An airliner of Air Jamaica, the Airbus A340 An airliner is a type of aircraft initially designed for the transportation of paying passengers. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Business jet (slang, Bizjet) is a term for a jet aircraft, usually of modest size, designed for transporting small groups of business people for commercial reasons at a time convenient to their business needs. ... General aviation (GA) encompasses all aviation other than scheduled airline flights and military aviation. ...