Even those of us who haven't set foot into the aircraft cockpit has seen these aircraft engine gauges in Hollywood movies. They resemble clock dials in all sorts of shapes and sizes but most round and couple of inches across. Only one tells the time whereas the rest, provide all sorts of other equally vital information mostly related to the engine performance.

In WWII planes especially those built in the 40's, each dial had a wire going back to the engine and connecting to a 'sensor'. Manufactured from alloys these sensors while slow to respond, did a reasonably accurate job. Of course, one has to remember the back then, planes were slow too.

Today, the data flowing between the aircraft engine and the cockpit has to be fast otherwise the plane would have travelled cons ... Read more »