Definition
An Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) is an aircraft instrument display system that presents flight information — attitude, airspeed, altitude, heading, vertical speed, and navigation data — on electronic screens rather than on individual mechanical gauges. EFIS draws data from digital sensors and air data computers and displays it on one or more flat-panel screens, typically a Primary Flight Display (PFD) and a Multi-Function Display (MFD).
Plain English
EFIS is the name for the screens in modern cockpits that show your flight instruments electronically instead of as separate round dials.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft with electronic cockpit displays, especially when studying how pitot/static information is shown to the pilot.
Derivation
Built from ordinary English words: 'electronic' (using digital circuits and screens), 'flight information' (the data a pilot needs to fly), and 'system' (the integrated package). The name describes exactly what it does — it electronically presents flight information as a single system.
Why Pilots Care
It improves situational awareness by presenting all critical flight data in one clear, reliable view, reducing scan time and workload.
Analogy
EFIS is like replacing several separate round gauges on a dashboard with one or more screens that organize the same important information in one place.
Intuition Check
EFIS is not the pitot tube, static port, or sensor itself. It is the electronic system that displays the flight information those sources help provide.
Example Sentence 1
The aircraft's EFIS displayed airspeed, altitude, and attitude on a single primary flight display in front of the pilot.
Example Sentence 2
After the pitot-static check, the EFIS showed steady readings consistent with the standby instruments.