Definition
Cockpit instrument systems that present flight information on digital screens rather than on individual mechanical (analog) gauges. Electronic flight displays integrate data from sensors such as the pitot-static system, attitude and heading reference system, and air data computer, and show altitude, airspeed, attitude, heading, vertical speed, and navigation information on one or more screens, typically a Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multi-Function Display (MFD).
Plain English
Computer screens in the cockpit that show flight information instead of using separate round dial instruments.
Context Anchor
Seen in glass-cockpit airplanes and in system-malfunction discussions, especially when checking whether airspeed, altitude, or vertical speed indications make sense.
Derivation
Electronic comes from electron, the tiny charged particle involved in electric current. Display comes from an older word meaning to spread out or show. Together, the words point to flight information being shown by electrical equipment on a screen rather than by purely mechanical instruments.
Why Pilots Care
A pitot-static failure can feed bad data to these displays, leading to incorrect readings that pilots must recognize and manage to avoid loss of control.
Intuition Check
Do not assume an electronic flight display is just any screen in the cockpit. In this context, it means an installed flight-information display that presents the airplane’s key flying indications.
Example Sentence 1
After the pitot tube iced over, the airspeed and altitude indications on the electronic flight display began to disagree with the standby instruments.
Example Sentence 2
The pilot cross-checked the backup instruments when the electronic flight displays began showing conflicting altitude data.