Definition
The organizational structure of the Multi-Function Display (MFD) in a glass-cockpit avionics system, in which related screens are grouped into categories such as Map, Waypoint, Auxiliary, and Nearest. The pilot rotates the outer knob to select a page group and the inner knob to step through individual pages within that group.
Plain English
The MFD has many screens. They are sorted into a few simple categories. One knob picks the category, the other knob flips through the screens inside that category.
Context Anchor
Seen when using a glass-cockpit multifunction display, especially when moving to the nearest-airport pages during instrument flying or training.
Derivation
Page comes from the idea of turning through pages in a book. Group simply means a collection of related pages kept together. The label was chosen because the MFD behaves like a book divided into chapters, with each chapter containing several pages on the same topic.
Why Pilots Care
Reduces cockpit workload by letting pilots reach needed information quickly without searching through unrelated screens.
Intuition Check
Do not think of a “page group” as a paper page or a separate device. Here it means a category of related display screens inside the MFD.
Example Sentence 1
When the engine began running rough, the pilot turned the outer knob to the Nearest page group and quickly pulled up the closest suitable airport.
Example Sentence 2
Switching MFD page groups allowed quick access to traffic and weather information during the approach.