I once had this dream actually, a nightmare - I was flying my Cessna 152 over Florida Keys enjoying both the flight and the views when all of a sudden, I saw there were no engine monitors or gauges in the cockpit. My panic was so acute that I woke up with my heart pounding and then thanked my stars it was only a nightmare.

Those of us who are used to flying with data monitors, GPS and a handful of gauges, know how much we depend on them to know not just the health status of the aircraft but also our current geographic location, height etc.

I remember that in comic books as well as WWII films pilots would know something was wrong just by listening to the difference in en ... Read more »