Definition
An electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS) is a cockpit display system that replaces traditional mechanical flight instruments with one or more electronic screens. It presents flight data such as attitude, altitude, airspeed, heading, vertical speed, and navigation information on integrated digital displays driven by sensors and computers rather than by individual mechanical gauges.
Plain English
EFIS is a cockpit setup where the old round dial instruments are replaced by computer screens that show all the same flight information in one organised picture.
Context Anchor
Seen in modern cockpit instrumentation, especially in airplanes with glass-panel displays.
Derivation
The name describes itself plainly: 'electronic' (driven by electronics rather than mechanical linkages), 'flight instrumentation' (the instruments that show flight information), and 'system' (a connected set of components working together). The term arose as cockpits transitioned from mechanical gauges to digital displays in the 1980s.
Why Pilots Care
EFIS improves readability, integrates multiple data sources, and reduces pilot workload for better situational awareness during flight.
Intuition Check
EFIS does not mean one single screen. It means the electronic system that displays flight instrument information, which may include more than one display and supporting equipment.
Example Sentence 1
The aircraft's EFIS displayed attitude, altitude, and airspeed on a single primary flight display in front of the pilot.
Example Sentence 2
EFIS combined airspeed and attitude indications on one screen during the instrument approach.