Definition
In instrument cross-check, a cross-check error in which the pilot places excessive attention on a single instrument or small group of instruments while neglecting others, resulting in an incomplete picture of aircraft attitude and performance.
Plain English
Staring too much at one instrument and not paying enough attention to the others, so you miss what the rest are telling you.
Context Anchor
Seen when learning how to scan analog flight instruments during attitude instrument flying.
Derivation
From Greek 'emphasis' meaning 'to show or display'. In everyday speech it means 'special importance given to something'. In instrument flying it carries that same idea, but with a negative twist: too much importance placed on one instrument at the expense of the others.
Why Pilots Care
Unbalanced emphasis produces the same loss of aircraft control as fixation or omission and is one of the three primary cross-check faults taught in instrument training.
Intuition Check
Emphasis does not just mean speaking more strongly here. In this context, it means giving one instrument too much attention during the scan.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor pointed out that the student's altitude was drifting because of emphasis on the attitude indicator during the turn.
Example Sentence 2
Proper cross-check technique avoids emphasis by moving smoothly through all instruments at a consistent rate.