Editing Cockpit (section)

== 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"/>