View source for Cockpit

{{Short description|Room from which a pilot controls an aircraft or spacecraft}}
{{About|the flight deck of an aircraft|other uses|Cockpit (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Baïonnette CDG.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=36|Cockpit of an [[Airbus A319]] during landing]]
[[File:Cockpit of a GoIndigo A320 flight, shot at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.webm|thumb|thumbtime=36|Cockpit of an [[IndiGo]] [[Airbus A320-200|A320]]]]
A '''cockpit''' or '''flight deck'''<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Aviation |first=David W. |last=Wragg |isbn=9780850451634 |edition=first |publisher=Osprey |year=1973 |page=133}}</ref> is the area, on the front part of an [[aircraft]], [[spacecraft]], or [[submersible]], from which a [[Pilot in command|pilot]] controls the vehicle.[[File:Airbus A380 cockpit.jpg|thumb|Cockpit of an [[Airbus A380|A380]]. Most Airbus cockpits are [[glass cockpit]]s featuring [[fly-by-wire]] technology.]]
[[File:hornet moth dh87b g-adne arp.jpg|thumb|1936 [[de Havilland Hornet Moth]]. Note the bifurcated ''split stick'' control column.]]
[[File:Boeing 747-400 (British Airways).jpg|thumb|View of a cockpit seen from outside of a [[British Airways]] [[Boeing 747-400]]]]
The cockpit of an aircraft contains [[flight instrument]]s on an instrument panel, and the controls that enable the pilot to fly the aircraft. In most airliners, a door separates the cockpit from the [[aircraft cabin]]. After the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 attacks]], all major [[airline]]s [[Airport_security_repercussions_due_to_the_September_11_attacks#Increased security on aircraft|fortified]] their cockpits against access by [[aircraft hijacking|hijackers]].

==Etymology== 
The word cockpit seems to have been [[cockpit (sailing)|used as a nautical term]] in the 17th century, without reference to [[cock fighting]]. It referred to an area in the rear of a ship where the [[cockswain]]'s station was located, the cockswain being the pilot of a smaller "boat" that could be dispatched from the ship to board another ship or to bring people ashore. The word "cockswain" in turn derives from the old English terms for "boat-servant" (''coque'' is the French word for "shell"; and ''swain'' was old English for boy or servant).<ref>Roderick Bailey {{google books|rPFMp0oWzCEC|Forgotten Voices of D-Day: A New History of the Normandy Landings|page=189}}</ref> The [[midshipmen]] and [[master's mate]]s were later [[Berth (sleeping)|berthed]] in the cockpit, and it served as the action station for the ship's surgeon and his mates during battle. Thus by the 18th century, "cockpit" had come to designate an area in the rear lower deck of a warship where the wounded were taken. The same term later came to designate the place from which a sailing vessel is steered, because it is also located in the rear, and is often in a well or "pit".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Cockpit |encyclopedia= Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea|year= 1976|publisher= Oxford University Press|location= Oxford}}
</ref><ref name="Cockpit">Oxford English Dictionary online, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120801042626/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cockpit Cockpit].</ref><ref>S. A. Cavell {{google books|zoJ4B4nyS7oC|Midshipmen and Quarterdeck Boys in the British Navy, 1771–1831|page=12}}</ref>

However, a convergent etymology does involve reference to [[Cockfight|cock fighting]]. According to the ''Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology'', the buildings in London where the king's cabinet worked (the [[Treasury]] and the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]]) were called the "Cockpit" because they were built on the site of a theater called ''The Cockpit'' (torn down in 1635), which itself was built in the place where a "cockpit" for cock-fighting had once stood prior to the 1580s. Thus the word Cockpit came to mean a control center.<ref>Robert Barnhart, ''Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology'', New York: Harper Collins, 1995.</ref>

The original meaning of "cockpit", first attested in the 1580s, is "a pit for fighting cocks", referring to the place where [[cockfight]]s were held. This meaning no doubt influenced both lines of evolution of the term, since a cockpit in this sense was a tight enclosure where a great deal of stress or tension would occur.<ref name="Cockpit" />

From about 1935,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coc5.htm|title = World Wide Words: Cockpit}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} ''cockpit'' came to be used informally to refer to the driver's cabin, especially in high performance [[automobile|cars]],<ref>David Levinson and Karen Christensen {{google books|Q8NMAgAAQBAJ|Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to the Present|page=145}}</ref> and this is official terminology used to describe the compartment<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/inside-f1/safety/cockpit-crash-tests/Cockpit_safety.html|title=Cockpit safety|website=Formula1.com|access-date=2019-04-02}}</ref> that the driver occupies in a [[Formula One]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Richards|first1=Giles|title=FIA defends decision to enforce F1 halo cockpit protection device for 2018|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/22/formula-one-fia-defends-decision-halo-cockpit|access-date=30 August 2017|work=The Guardian|date=22 July 2017}}</ref> car.

In an [[airliner]], the cockpit is usually referred to as the ''flight deck'', the term deriving from its use by the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] for the separate, upper platform in large [[flying boats]] where the pilot and co-pilot sat.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sunderland flying boat replica cockpit unveiled|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-39670012|access-date=30 August 2017|work=bbc.co.uk|date=21 April 2017}}</ref>{{clarify|date=August 2017}}<ref>
By David D. Allyn {{google books|MYJ5AQAAQBAJ|Yardarm and Cockpit Hardcover|page=225}}</ref>{{clarify|date=August 2017}} In the USA and many other countries, however, the term cockpit is also used for airliners.<ref name="Express">{{cite news|last1=Godfey|first1=Kara|title=FLIGHTS REVEALED: Pilot reveals what REALLY goes on in a cockpit...and it may surprise you|url=http://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/809436/flight-secret-pilot|access-date=30 August 2017|work=The Express|date=25 May 2017}}</ref>

The seat of a [[Inshore powerboat racing|powerboat racing craft]] is also referred to as the cockpit.<ref>Bob Wartinger {{google books|jkCsAgAAQBAJ|A Driver's Guide to Safe Boat Racing (2008)|page=17}}</ref>

== Ergonomics == <!--Anchor from redirect(s) [Right seat], [Left seat (cockpit)]; do not alter. -->
The first airplane with an enclosed cabin appeared in 1912 on the [[Avro Type F]]; however, during the early 1920s there were many passenger aircraft in which the crew remained open to the air while the passengers sat in a cabin. Military biplanes and the first single-engined fighters and attack aircraft also had open cockpits, some as late as the [[Second World War]] when enclosed cockpits became the norm.

The largest impediment to having closed cabins was the material used to make the windows. Prior to [[Poly(methyl methacrylate)|Perspex]] becoming available in 1933, windows were either safety glass, which was heavy, or [[Nitrocellulose|cellulose nitrate (i.e.: guncotton)]], which yellowed quickly and was extremely flammable. In the mid-1920s many aircraft manufacturers began using enclosed cockpits for the first time. Early airplanes with closed cockpits include the 1924 [[Fokker F.VII]], the 1926 German [[Junkers W 34]] transport, the 1926 [[Ford Trimotor]], the 1927 [[Lockheed Vega]], the ''[[Spirit of St. Louis]]'' and the passenger aircraft manufactured by the [[Douglas Aircraft Company|Douglas]] and [[Boeing]] companies during the mid-1930s. Open-cockpit airplanes were almost extinct by the mid-1950s, with the exception of training planes, crop-dusters and [[homebuilt aircraft]] designs.

Cockpit windows may be equipped with a sun shield. Most cockpits have windows that can be opened when the aircraft is on the ground. Nearly all glass windows in large aircraft have an [[anti-reflective coating]], and an internal heating element to melt ice. Smaller aircraft may be equipped with a transparent [[aircraft canopy]].

In most cockpits the pilot's control column or [[joystick]] is located centrally ([[centre stick]]), although in some military fast jets the [[side-stick]] is located on the right hand side. In some commercial airliners (i.e.: Airbus—which features the [[glass cockpit]] concept) both pilots use a side-stick located on the outboard side, so Captain's side-stick on the left and First-officer's seat on the right.

Except for some helicopters, the ''right seat'' in the cockpit of an [[aircraft]] is the seat used by the [[co-pilot]].  The [[Captain (airlines)|captain]] or [[Aviator|pilot]] in command sits in the ''{{visible anchor|left seat}}'', so that they can operate the throttles and other pedestal instruments with their [[Handedness|right hand]].  The tradition has been maintained to this day, with the co-pilot on the right hand side.<ref>{{cite book|author=Charles F. Spence|title=The Right Seat Handbook: A White-Knuckle Flier's Guide to Light Planes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1EYLBxBJpecC|year=1994|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-060148-2}}</ref>

The layout of the cockpit, especially in the military fast jet, has undergone standardisation, both within and between aircraft, manufacturers and even nations. An important development was the "Basic Six" pattern, later the "Basic T", developed from 1937 onwards by the [[Royal Air Force]], designed to optimise pilot [[flight instruments|instrument]] scanning.

[[Human factors and ergonomics|Ergonomics and Human Factors]] concerns are important in the design of modern cockpits. The layout and function of cockpit displays controls are designed to increase pilot [[situation awareness]] without causing information overload. In the past, many cockpits, especially in fighter aircraft, limited the size of the pilots that could fit into them. Now, cockpits are being designed to accommodate from the 1st [[percentile]] female physical size to the 99th percentile male size.

In the design of the cockpit in a military fast jet, the traditional "knobs and dials" associated with the cockpit are mainly absent. Instrument panels are now almost wholly replaced by electronic displays, which are themselves often re-configurable to save space. While some hard-wired dedicated switches must still be used for reasons of integrity and safety, many traditional controls are replaced by multi-function re-configurable controls or so-called "soft keys". Controls are incorporated onto the stick and throttle to enable the pilot to maintain a head-up and eyes-out position – the Hands On Throttle And Stick or [[HOTAS]] concept. These controls may be then further augmented by control media such as head pointing with a [[Helmet-mounted display|Helmet Mounted Sighting System]] or [[Direct voice input]] (DVI). Advances in auditory displays allow for [[Direct Voice Output]] of aircraft status information and for the spatial localisation of warning sounds for improved monitoring of aircraft systems.

The layout of control panels in modern airliners has become largely unified across the industry. The majority of the systems-related controls (such as electrical, fuel, hydraulics and pressurization) for example, are usually located in the ceiling on an overhead panel. Radios are generally placed on a panel between the pilot's seats known as the pedestal. Automatic flight controls such as the [[autopilot]] are usually placed just below the windscreen and above the main instrument panel on the glareshield. A central concept in the design of the cockpit is the [[Design Eye Position]] or "DEP", from which point all displays should be visible.

Most modern cockpits will also include some kind of [[Bitching Betty|integrated warning system]].

A study undertaken in 2013, to assess methods for cockpit-user menu navigation, found that [[touchscreen]] produced the "best scores".<ref>Stanton, N. A., Harvey, C., Plant, K. L. and  Bolton, L., 2013, "[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23384222/ To twist, roll, stroke or poke. A study of input devices for menu navigation in the cockpit"], ''[[Ergonomics (journal)|Ergonomics]]'', Vol. '''56''' (4), pp. 590–611</ref>

After the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 attacks]], all major [[airline]]s [[Airport_security_repercussions_due_to_the_September_11_attacks#Increased security on aircraft|fortified]] their cockpits against access by [[aircraft hijacking|hijackers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=5470 |title=Press Release – FAA Sets New Standards for Cockpit Doors |publisher=Faa.gov |access-date=2014-03-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006083905/http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=5470 |archive-date=2014-10-06 }}</ref><ref name="Express" />

==Flight instruments==
[[File:TridentFlightDeck.JPG|thumb|A later analogue cockpit (1970s) of a [[Hawker Siddeley Trident]] airliner]]

In the modern electronic cockpit, the [[Electronic flight instrument system|electronic flight instruments]] usually regarded as essential are MFD, PFD, ND, EICAS, FMS/CDU and back-up instruments.

===MCP===
A [[Mode control panel]], usually a long narrow panel located centrally in front of the pilot, may be used to control heading, speed, altitude, vertical speed, vertical navigation and lateral navigation. It may also be used to engage or disengage both the autopilot and the autothrottle. The panel as an area is usually referred to as the "glareshield panel". MCP is a Boeing designation (that has been informally adopted as a generic name for the unit/panel) for a unit that allows for the selection and parameter setting of the different autoflight functions, the same unit on an Airbus aircraft is referred to as the FCU (Flight Control unit).

===PFD===
The [[primary flight display]] is usually located in a prominent position, either centrally or on either side of the cockpit. It will in most cases include a digitized presentation of the attitude indicator, air speed and altitude indicators (usually as a tape display) and the vertical speed indicator. It will in many cases include some form of heading indicator and ILS/VOR deviation indicators. In many cases an indicator of the engaged and armed autoflight system modes will be present along with some form of indication of the selected values for altitude, speed, vertical speed and heading. It may be pilot selectable to swap with the ND.

===ND===
A navigation display, which may be adjacent to the PFD, shows the route and information on the next [[waypoint]], wind speed and wind direction. It may be pilot selectable to swap with the PFD.

===EICAS/ECAM===
The Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS), used by Boeing and [[Embraer]], or the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor (ECAM), used by [[Airbus]], allow the pilot to monitor the following information: values for N1, N2 and N3, fuel temperature, fuel flow, the electrical system, cockpit or cabin temperature and pressure, control surfaces and so on. The pilot may select display of information by means of button press.{{cn|date=November 2021}}

===FMS/MCDU===
The flight management system/control and/or display unit may be used by the pilot to enter and check for the following information: flight plan, speed control, navigation control, etc.

===Back-up instruments===
In a less prominent part of the cockpit, in case of failure of the other instruments, there will be a [[Battery (electricity)|battery-powered]] [[integrated standby instrument system]] along with a magnetic compass, showing essential flight information such as speed, altitude, attitude and heading.

==Aerospace industry technologies==
In the U.S. the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ([[NASA]]) have researched the ergonomic aspects of cockpit design and have conducted investigations of airline industry accidents. Cockpit design disciplines include [[Cognitive science]], [[Neuroscience]], [[Human–computer interaction]], [[Human factors and ergonomics|Human Factors Engineering]], [[Anthropometry]] and [[Human factors and ergonomics|Ergonomics]].

Aircraft designs have adopted the fully digital "glass cockpit". In such designs, instruments and gauges, including navigational map displays, use a user interface markup language known as [[ARINC 661]]. This standard defines the interface between an independent cockpit display system, generally produced by a single manufacturer, and the avionics equipment and user applications it is required to support, by means of displays and controls, often made by different manufacturers. The separation between the overall display system, and the applications driving it, allows for specialization and independence.

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Airplanes">
File:Polet Antonov An-124-100 cockpit Petrov.jpg|Cockpit of an [[Antonov An-124]]
File:Robin.dr400slash500.g-rndd.arp.jpg|[[Robin DR400]] 
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Rotorcraft">
File:Cockpit of V-22 Osprey.jpg|V-22 Osprey
File:Bell 429 GlobalRanger C-FTNB cockpit 1.jpg|Bell 429
</gallery>
== See also ==
{{Portal|Aviation|Transport}}
* [[Index of aviation articles]]
* [[Bridge (nautical)]]
* [[Cab (locomotive)]]
* [[Command center]]
* [[Control room]]

==Notes==
* [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1852602813 ''The Aircraft Cockpit – from stick-and-string to fly-by-wire'', by L. F. E. Coombes, 1990, Patrick Stephens Limited, Wellingborough.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080322001541/http://www.biblio.com/books/36089559.html ''Fighting Cockpits: 1914 – 2000'', by L. F. E. Coombes, 1999, Airlife Publishing Limited, Shrewsbury.]
* [http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=731 ''Control In The Sky: The Evolution and History of The Aircraft Cockpit'', by L. F. E. Coombes, 2005, Pen and Sword Books Limited, Barnsley.]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Aircraft cockpits}}
{{Wiktionary|cockpit}} 
* [https://static.airbus.com/fileadmin/backstage/Asset_management/A380-COCKPIT/index2.html A380 cockpit]
* [http://vayu-sena-aux.tripod.com/gallery-cockpits.html Cockpit pictures of aircraft in the Indian Air Force]

{{Aircraft components}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aircraft components]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:1912 introductions]]

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