Definition
The electronic visual displays in a glass cockpit that present primary flight information, navigation data, engine parameters, and system status to the pilot. In modern aircraft, these screens replace traditional mechanical instruments and typically include a Primary Flight Display (PFD) and a Multi-Function Display (MFD).
Plain English
The computer screens in the cockpit that show the pilot how the airplane is flying and what its systems are doing, instead of using older round dial instruments.
Context Anchor
Seen in glass-cockpit aircraft and in procedures for an electronic flight display that goes blank, freezes, dims, or shows wrong information.
Why Pilots Care
A malfunction can remove critical flight information at once, forcing immediate transition to backup instruments or partial-panel techniques to maintain control.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as just any screen carried in the airplane, such as a tablet. In this context, flight display screens are installed cockpit displays used to fly and monitor the aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
After the generator failed, the right-side flight display screens went dark and the pilot reverted to the standby instruments.
Example Sentence 2
Modern training emphasizes rapid recognition of flight display screen failures during instrument approaches.