Definition
A flight deck in which the traditional mechanical analog instruments (such as the airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter, heading indicator, and engine gauges) have been replaced by one or more electronic flight displays that present the same information on flat-panel screens.
Plain English
A cockpit where the round dial gauges have been replaced by computer screens that show the same flight and engine information digitally.
Context Anchor
Seen when discussing aircraft that use electronic flight displays, especially in modern training, instrument flying, and aircraft systems sections.
Derivation
Called 'glass' because the screens are flat panels of glass, in contrast to the older 'steam gauge' cockpit filled with individual mechanical dials. The name caught on as airliners and then light aircraft transitioned from mechanical instruments to electronic displays in the 1980s onward.
Why Pilots Care
It presents more information in one place, reduces pilot workload, and improves situational awareness during flight.
Analogy
It is like the difference between an older car dashboard with many separate gauges and a newer dashboard where one screen can show speed, maps, warnings, and system information.
Intuition Check
A glass cockpit does not mean the cockpit structure is made of glass. It means the instrument information is shown mainly on electronic screens.
Example Sentence 1
After training in an older aircraft with analog gauges, the student needed several lessons to get comfortable with the glass cockpit in the new Cessna.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots transitioning from older planes must learn how to interpret all the information presented in a glass cockpit.