During the 30’s when aircraft instrumentation first began to make their appearance, aircraft engine management system meant an airspeed indicator, turn-bank coordinator, manifold pressure, altimeter, engine RPM, compass, and the climb-dive indicator.

Navigation meant a magnetic compass mounted in front of the pilot and there was another compass in his pocket just in case he had to bail out which back then, was quite frequent. Pilots flew a couple of hundred feet above tree tops so they could navigate by roads, landmarks and railway tracks. Pilots flew at night only if they had no option. More often than not, they would miss their destination by hundreds of miles and also required bonfires on the field during landing. Fatal accidents were routine and the plane would invariable have to be written-off.
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