The NTSB announced Thursday that it will hold a public (and online) meeting March 9 to discuss a study on whether glass cockpits have improved the safety record of small light general aviation aircraft. The meeting will be held Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. ET at the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C., but will also be broadcast and archived online. The study was initiated to track the effects of recent, relatively swift and major changes in cockpit technology. Ten years ago, analog was the standard for new single-engine aircraft avionics, says the Board, but now “almost all new light planes come equipped with digital flight display avionic systems.” Those digital systems “enhanced function and information capabilities” and also represent “a significant change and potential improvement” in how GA pilots acquire and monitor the information they need to control their aircraft. Click through for specific links and more details.
The live and archived proceedings will be available on the Board’s Web site at this address (which may not yet be an active link at the time you read this). After the meeting, the NTSB says it will post a summary regarding the findings and safety recommendations generated by the study. To view the full content of the NTSB’s press release, click through, here.
