More about tapes…
Yes, they are digital but they have analogue components. For instance, speed trend arrows can show you starting to deviate from your speed, speed and altitude bugs mark the selected values. These components make it much easier to see, at a glance, the information you need. Also bear in mind that IFR you are looking at the Primary Flight Display (PFD) constantly, more of a stare than a scan.
This shows an Airbus PFD with speed and flight level bugged and stable:
This one, also Airbus, shows speed decreasing and altitude stable and bugged:
And this one (B787) shows the speed starting to run away on the ILS:
For comparison, here’s my Aspen showing the speed and altitude bugs:
IMHO, electronic instruments are brighter, easier to read, display more information and are more reliable. I’ll be scrapping my standby instruments as soon as I can!
You’d better, given your standby altimeter is 200ft out!
Cobalt wrote:
You’d better, given your standby altimeter is 200ft out!
Actually, my bad. Yes Chris, best get that looked at. .
Cobalt wrote:
You’d better, given your standby altimeter is 200ft out!
It could be the digital is 200 ft out, or both 100 ft off, or anything in between.
It’s 22,000 ft, not 2,000, no? So both match?
Doh!
It’s 20 feet off, but so many pilots getting this wrong seems to prove that there is an issue with the user interface leaving room for improvement (possibly for both types I would say).
chrisparker wrote:
IMHO, electronic instruments are brighter,
How does this affect night flying? I have only daytime experience with a Glass System, but at night even an iPad (or the galaxy Tab Active) is too bright for my taste. can they be dimmed enough to actually see something outside?
With the G1000 I dim to about 1% of brightness and it’s fine.
Before dimming (way too bright)
After dimming:
Rwy20 wrote:
It’s 20 feet off, but so many pilots getting this wrong seems to prove that there is an issue with the user interface leaving room for improvement (possibly for both types I would say).
That altimeter is not designed for high altitude flying as you can see by its limitation to 20000ft below the Beech logo. Most high altitude altimeters have a chevron window that appears when you climb over 10000ft, so that you can’t get as easily confused. Yet, this is an area where I think tape altimeters have an advantage and create less confusion.
I have an airline-style altimeter in mine that has a window showing altitude in plain English, as well as pointer and scale. Should make it hard to confuse, but in an emergency and when you’re stressed, the mind can play all sorts of tricks! 
