Airliners - Can you read PFD? How do you fly?

[David_CSA 36]

I have perhaps a very basic question:

Are you using the default cockpit view when flying airliners? And can you read the PFD?

I fly in 1440p on a 32 inch panel. I  I have always used predominantly the default cockpit view for flying. In the old days of DF737 and LVD767 I could easily read all instruments incl. PFD. They were artificially made bigger due to low res. These days all is realistic. That means that when sitting in default view the PFD is relatively small and the speed tape or the altitude tape are sometimes difficult to read.

Yes, I do have hotas with various views mapped on various buttons. I have also keyboard hotkeys to move the eyepoint and to zoom in and out. (I do not use a mouse for looking inside the cockpit and zooming as panning is done via joystick hat switch.)

But I miss the ease of just sitting in the cockpit and seeing all primary info and a bit of outside world at once.

How do YOU do it? What view do you use to fly heavies? And what do you do to read the glass cockpit?

[Ron279 0]

I pop out the PFD to a second monitor.

[regis9 3,999]

I  had the same visual setup as you, 1440p, 32” and I made out ok.  Granted I had laser eye surgery years ago and am lucky to have 20/20 vision today still, plus I sat pretty close to the monitor.

Since moving to a 4k,  55” display everything is very easy to see.

[VFXSimmer 1,310]

VR, I just lean my head forward and read it 🙂

[Luis Hernandez 566]

24 inch 1080p display. I can read them with no issues, but I find I have to leave my eyepoint a bit more forward than expected.

With Fénix it happens to me sometimes, but in the FSL A320 for P3D is where I have to do this more often.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Luis Hernandez

[sniper31 629]

I use a 1440P ultra wide screen and also use TrackIR so all I have to do is lean forward a little if I need a closer look at a control, panel or screen in the cockpit. Very similar to real life if you were sitting in your car and wanted a closer look at something on the dash panel, where you would just lean in a little. 

[Bobsk8 12,529]

24" monitor, I am in my 80's and can read the PFD just fine in the PMDG 737. 

[Mace 1,902]

I make a set of custom views and just switch to those if I need a close-up.

[AnkH 2,233]

1440p on 27" and absoluetly no issues to read the PFDs even using default viewpoints. For some things like EFB tablet and FMC I use specific views that zoom in nevertheless.

[eslader 1,777]

I have trouble reading the PFDs, but then I also have trouble reading books if they aren't the right distance from my face. Getting old sucks. 😉 There's an auto-zoom function that works pretty well. Just point the mouse where you want to zoom and trigger it, then everything's very readable.

[El Diablito 328]

There's also an option to pop out a screen into a tab if you find it hard to read one of them. I'm not sure the way to do it now because I'm not in front of the screen but I think it's Point and Click at the PFD whilst holding Shift (maybe??). Once you do this you will get a perfectly clear digital version of the PFD that you can move to the corner of your screen for easy reading.

I just use the default view myself and I use the roll wheel on the mouse if I need to zoom for anything but I'm in 1440p and generally can see the PFD clearly. I normally zoom into the MCDU from the pilot seat with the scroll wheel also.

[RALF9636 1,902]

9 hours ago, David_CSA said:

But I miss the ease of just sitting in the cockpit and seeing all primary info and a bit of outside world at once.

 

Getting  4K 55" TV for MSFS solved this issue for me.

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by RALF9636

[Jazz 1,046]

The cockpit views almost always need adjusting to get something that feels correct. Whether that be seating position or zoom or both. Something is noramlly off. The most obvious example of this I have found is the Fenix A320. I bought this over a month ago and still have not actually flown it yet but I have loaded it up a few times and the view by default is way too zoomed out which makes looking around with TrackIR nauseating and makes things difficult to read. When I do get around to spending some time in that plane I will be adjusting the zoom immediately. The seating positon looks alright but the zoom is way wrong.

[Dominique_K 10,133]

11 hours ago, David_CSA said:

 ? And what do you do to read the glass cockpit?

I don't fly airliners but when I can't read a glass cockpit panel or Garmin I Right-ALT click on it and it opens rescalable window

[RJC68 823]

I went form a basic 43 inch 4K TV which was OK to a 55 inch Sony X90K. I thought at first a 55 TV would be too big but I quickly got used to it and now I don't think I could go back to anything smaller. I sit around 3 feet away. The cockpit looks very realistic and all the displays are crystal clear. I have different views mapped to my flight controls and my Streamdeck XL

I chose the Sony as I already have a 65 X90J and did a few tests to see how motion is handled. Sony's have very good picture processing and running the sim in HDR is a sight to behold. Modern 4K TV's have some impressive gaming features these days and really do add immersion to our hobby.