Technological conditions of flight instrument development

The development of aviation has set technological requirements that have conditioned the emergence and development of flight instrumentalization. The practical application of aviation for military and civilian purposes, the development of air traffic and technology in general, increase speeds, altitudes and flight lengths, while aircraft are becoming larger and more complex. From light wooden constructions and open cockpit, today planes fly long distances in all weather conditions, which brought the pilot and the construction of the aircraft to the endurance limit. At the beginning, during the pioneer period, flying was completely in the hands of the pilot and he made all the decisions based on his experience and psychophysical abilities. With the complexity of aircraft and flying, technological, ergonomic and safety conditions have an increasing influence on piloting technique. This paper describes the technological conditions and the development of instrumentation and flight automation systems. The application of the digital cockpit establishes many positive standards, but also raises questions about the further direction of aviation development. A special review describes the use and development of one of the basic instruments in the cockpit -the compass. This instrument is still, in an almost unchanged form, in the modern digital cockpit -glass cockpit.