Figure 10-2.  A conventional instrument panel of the C-5A Galaxy  (top) and the glass cockpit of the C-5B Galaxy (bottom).  Figure 10-1.  From top to bottom: instruments of the Wright Flyer,  instruments on a World War I era aircraft, a late 1950s/early 1960s  Boeing 707 airliner cockpit, and an Airbus A380 glass cockpit.  10-2 There are usually two parts to any instrument or instrument  system. One part senses the situation and the other part  displays it. In analog instruments, both of these functions  often take place in a single unit or instrument (case). These are  called direct-sensing instruments. Remote-sensing requires  the information to be sensed, or captured, and then sent to a  The ability to capture and convey all of the information a  pilot may want, in an accurate, easily understood manner,  has been a challenge throughout the history of aviation. As  the range of desired information has grown, so too have the  size and complexity of modern aircraft, thus expanding even  further the need to inform the flight crew without sensory  overload or overcluttering the cockpit. As a result, the old  flat panel in the front of the cockpit with various individual  instruments attached to it has evolved into a sophisticated  computer-controlled digital interface with flat-panel display  screens and prioritized messaging. A visual comparison  between a conventional cockpit and a glass cockpit is shown  in  Figure 10-2. 