Definition
Electronic flight instrument displays that present aircraft attitude, navigation, and flight situation information using graphical, picture-like symbology rather than mechanical pointers and dials. The two principal examples are the Primary Flight Display (PFD), which integrates attitude, airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, and heading into a single screen, and the Multi-Function Display (MFD), which presents navigation, weather, terrain, and system information in a moving-map and graphical format.
Plain English
Glass-cockpit screens that show flight information as pictures and graphics — like an artificial horizon drawn on a screen and a moving map — instead of using individual round gauges with needles.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying when reading older round-dial or mechanical-style instruments, such as an attitude indicator or horizontal situation indicator.
Derivation
‘Analog’ here does not mean ‘old-fashioned dial.’ It comes from the Greek analogos, meaning ‘proportional’ or ‘corresponding.’ An analog display shows information that visually corresponds to the real world — a drawn horizon line that tilts the way the aircraft tilts. ‘Pictorial’ simply means ‘in the form of a picture.’ Together, the term means a display that pictures the flight situation in a way that mirrors reality.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must interpret these displays accurately in aircraft without glass cockpits to maintain situational awareness during instrument flight.
Grounding Statement
If the airplane banks, an analog pictorial display can show that bank as a tilted airplane or horizon picture, so the pilot can see the change immediately.
Intuition Check
Analog does not mean rough, outdated, or inaccurate here. It means the information is shown by continuous movement. Pictorial does not mean decorative. It means the display uses a picture-like presentation to show flight information.
Example Sentence 1
The aircraft’s analog pictorial displays showed the attitude, altitude, and heading on a single screen in front of the pilot.
Example Sentence 2
Many training aircraft still use analog pictorial displays for attitude and heading reference during instrument approaches.