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System Overview
ARMED VS ENGAGED MODES INDICATIONS
The DFC-series of autopilots has readily distinguishable armed
vs. engaged modes in order to provide the user higher awareness
of the current autopilot state and upcoming state transitions.
An armed mode is defined as a state that will be captured when
and if the airplane crosses that target. Armed modes are
indicated by a cyan (blue) color on both the autopilot control
panel and on the PFD mode annunciator strip.
An engaged mode is defined as a state that the autopilot is
holding. Engaged modes are indicated by a green color on both
the autopilot control panel and on the PFD mode annunciator
strip.
The images below (
Avidyne on top and Aspen in the middle
)
demonstrate the armed and engaged coloring on both the
displays and the autopilot control head. In this example, Heading
(HDG) and Pitch modes are engaged and Nav mode is armed.
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