Definition
Flight instruments that present information on electronic displays (such as LCD or LED screens) rather than through traditional mechanical gauges driven by gyros, pitot-static pressure, or magnetic forces. The displays are produced by computers that process sensor data and render attitude, airspeed, altitude, heading, and other flight parameters as digital graphics on a screen.
Plain English
Flight instruments shown on a computer screen instead of as separate round dials with moving needles.
Context Anchor
Seen when the Airplane Flying Handbook compares attitude flying with conventional instruments and with electronic cockpit displays.
Derivation
Electronically-generated simply means produced by electronics. The phrase is used to distinguish these displays from older mechanical instruments where a physical needle is moved directly by air pressure, gyroscopes, or magnetic forces. On an electronic instrument, sensors send data to a computer, which then draws the instrument on a screen.
Why Pilots Care
These instruments integrate attitude, heading, and navigation data into a single reliable picture, reducing workload and improving situational awareness during instrument flight.
Intuition Check
Electronically-generated does not mean the airplane is flying itself, and it does not mean the information is automatically correct. It means the instrument picture is created and shown by an electronic system; the pilot still reads it, checks it, and flies the airplane.
Example Sentence 1
The training aircraft was equipped with electronically-generated instruments, so the attitude indicator appeared as a graphic on the primary flight display rather than as a mechanical gyro instrument.
Example Sentence 2
When the vacuum system failed, the electronically-generated instruments continued to provide reliable attitude information.