AC 23.1311-1C

Advisory circular · Installation of Electronic Display in Part 23 Airplanes

Approved
November 17, 2011
Last reviewed
July 21, 2017
Family
AC 23.1311-1 · 4 versions
Revision
C
14 CFR parts
23

Guidance, not mandatory unless a rule or AD requires it. DRS record last changed October 23, 2026.

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Advisory U.S. Department of Transportation Circular Federal Aviation Administration Subject: Installation of Electronic Display Date: 11/17/2011 AC No: 23.1311-1C in Part 23 Airplanes Initiated by: ACE-100 This advisory circular (AC) provides guidance for showing compliance with certain requirements of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 23, as well as general guidance for the design, installation, integration, and approval of electronic flight deck displays, components, and systems installed in part 23 category airplanes. The guidance provided in this document is directed to airplane and avionics manufacturers, modifiers, and operators of part 23 category airplanes.

Applicants for a technical standard order (TSO) should consider following the guidance in this AC when the TSO requirements do not provide sufficient guidance. The main purpose of this revision of the AC is providing the guidance for the requirements in the turbojet rulemaking and some general updating due to lessons learned and advance and emerging technologies.

Fo Earl Lawrence Manager, Small Airplane Directorate Aircraft Certification Service

TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page

1.0 Purpose1

2.0 Cancellation1

3.0 Related Regulations and Documents1

4.0 Background8

5.0 Scope8

6.0 Acronyms/Definitions9

7.0 Display Description17

8.0 Flight Displays17

9.0 Powerplant Displays25

10.0 Electronic Displays for Navigation Information27

11.0 Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM)28

12.0 Electronic Checklist and Charts28

13.0 General Human Factors Consideraations for Design of Electronic Displays28

14.0 Location and Configuration of Displays31

15.0 Pilot Field-of-View Considerations32

16.0 Luminance36

17.0 Symbology and Format36

18.0 Annunciation43

19.0 Lag Time and Data Update44

20.0 Controls45

21.0 Test Functions45

22.0 Color Standardization45

23.0 General Installation Requirements48

24.0 Aircraft Electrical Power Source48

25.0 Safety Assessments50

26.0 Software and Hardware Development Assurance51

27.0 Environmental Conditions52

28.0 Electromagnetic Protection52

29.0 Electromagnetic Interference53

30.0 Implosion Protection53

31.0 Configuration Management by Electronic Identification Guidance53

iii (and iv)

1.0 Purpose. This advisory circular (AC) provides guidance for showing compliance with certain requirements of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 23, as well as general guidance for the design, installation, integration, and approval of electronic flight deck displays, components, and systems installed in part 23 category airplanes. The guidance provided in this document is directed to airplane and avionics manufacturers, modifiers, and operators of part 23 category airplanes. Applicants for a technical standard order (TSO) should consider following the guidance in this AC when the TSO requirements do not provide sufficient guidance. The main purpose of this revision of the AC is providing the guidance for the requirements in the turbojet rulemaking from Amendment 23-62 and some general updating due to lessons learned and advance and emerging technologies.

1.1 This AC provides an acceptable means, but not the only means, of showing compliance with 14 CFR applicable to installing electronic displays in part 23 airplanes. The applicant remains responsible for regulatory compliance and should work closely with their geographic Aircraft Certification Office (ACO) to ensure regulatory compliance. This material is neither mandatory nor regulatory in nature and does not constitute a regulation. You may follow an alternate FAA- approved method. Mandatory words such as “must” apply only to those who seek to show compliance to a specific rule by use of a method prescribed in this AC without deviation.

2.0 Cancellation. AC 23.1311-1B, Change 1 “Installation of Electronic Display Instrument Systems in part 23 Airplanes,” dated February 17, 2009, is cancelled.

3.0 Related Regulations and Documents. Some of the following related documents in this section may not be referenced in this AC, but they provide additional information or guidance for electronic displays. Please check for the most recent revision of the documents listed.

3.1 Regulatory Sections. These acceptable means of compliance refer to the applicable sections of 14 CFR, part 23. For airplanes cer tificated under Civil Air Regulations (CAR) 3, we show the corresponding paragraphs of the former CAR in parenthesis.

Table 1 - Regulatory Sections § 23.771 (3.381) Pilot compartment § 23.773 (3.382) Pilot compartment view § 23.777 (3.384) Cockpit controls § 23.1301 (3.651 and 3.652) Equipment: Function and installation § 23.1303 (3.655(a)) Flight and navigation instruments § 23.1305 (3.655(b)) Powerplant instruments § 23.1308 High-intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) Protection § 23.1309 Equipment, systems, and installations § 23.1311 Electronic display instrument systems § 23.1321 (3.661 and 3.662) Arrangement and visibility § 23.1322 Warning, caution, and advisory lights § 23.1323 (3.663) Airspeed indicating system 1

§ 23.1326 Pitot heat indication systems § 23.1329 Automatic pilot system § 23.1331 (3.668) Instruments using a power source § 23.1335 (3.669) Flight director systems § 23.1337 (3.671, 3.672, 3.673, 3.674, and

3.675) Powerplant instruments installation § 23.1351 (3.681, 3.682, 3.685, and 3.686) Electrical Systems and Equipment: General § 23.1353 (3.683) Storage battery design and installation § 23.1357 (3.690, 3.691, and 3.692) Circuit protective devices § 23.1359 Electrical system fire protection § 23.1361 (3.688) Master switch arrangement § 23.1365 (3.693) Electric cables and equipment § 23.1367 (3.694 and 3.695) Switches § 23.1381 (3.696 and 3.697) Instrument lights § 23.1431 (3.721) Electronic equipment § 23.1501 (3.735 and 3.737) Operating Limitations and Information: General § 23.1523 Minimum flight crew § 23.1525 (3.750) Kinds of operation § 23.1529 Instructions for Continued Airworthiness § 23.1541 (3.755) Markings and Placards: General § 23.1543 (3.756) Instrument markings: General § 23.1545 (3.757) Airspeed indicator § 23.1549 (3.759) Powerplant and auxiliary power unit instruments § 23.1551 (3.760) Oil quantity indicator § 23.1553 (3.761) Fuel quantity indicator § 23.1555 (3.762) Control markings § 23.1559 (3.772) Operating limitations placard § 23.1581 (3.777) Airplane Flight Manual and Approved Manual Material: General § 23.1583 (3.761 and 3.778) Operating limitations § 23.1585 Operating procedures § 91.205 Powered civil aircraft with standard category U.S. airworthiness certificates: Instrument and equipment requirements § 121.305 Flight and navigational equipment § 135.149 Equipment requirements: General 2

§ 135.159 Equipment requirements: Carrying passengers under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at night or under VFR over-the-top conditions § 135.163 Equipment requirements: Aircraft carrying passengers under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)

3.2 Advisory Circulars and Related Documents. You may access the latest version of the ACs, notices, orders, and policy statements on the FAA website: www.faa.gov.

Table 2 - Advisory Circulars and Related Documents AC 20-88A Guidelines on the Marking of Aircraft Powerplant Instruments (Displays) AC 20-115B RTCA, Inc., RTCA/DO-178B AC 20-136A Protection of Aircraft Electrical/Electronic Systems Against the Indirect Effects of Lightning AC 20-138B Airworthiness Approval of Positioning and Navigation Systems AC 20-140A Guidelines for Design Approval of Aircraft Data Link Communication Systems Supporting Air Traffic Services (ATS) AC 20-149 Safety and Interoperability Requirements for Initial Domestic Flight Information Service - Broadcast AC 20-152 RTCA, Inc., Document RTCA/DO-254, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware AC 20-153A Acceptance of Aeronautical Data Processes and Associated Navigation Databases AC 20-155 SAE Documents to Support Aircraft Lightning Protection Certification AC 20-158 The Certification of Aircraft Electrical and Electronic Systems for Operation in the High-Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) Environment AC 20-167 Airworthiness Approval of Enhanced Vision System, Synthetic Vision System, Combined Vision System, and Enhanced Flight Vision System Equipment 3

AC 20-170 Integrated Modular Avionics Development, Verification, Integration and Approval Using RTCA/DO-297 and Technical Standard Order C153 AC 21-16F RTCA Document DO-160 versions D, E and F, “Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment AC 23-8C Flight Test Guide for Certification of Part 23 Airplanes AC 23-15A Small Airplane Certification Compliance Program AC 23-17C Systems and Equipment Guide for Certification of Part 23 Airplanes AC 23-18 Installation of Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) Approved for Part 23 Airplanes AC 23-22 Guidance for Approved Model List (AML) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) Approval of Part 23 Airplane Avionics Installations AC 23-23 Standardization Guide for Integrated Cockpits in Part 23 Airplanes AC 23.1309-1E System Safety Analysis and Assessment for Part 23 Airplanes AC 25-11A Electronic Flight Deck Displays AC 90-106 Enhanced Flight Vision Systems AC 91-75 Attitude Indicator AC 91-78 Use of Class 1 or Class 2 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) AC 120-64 Operational Use and Modification of Electronic Checklists AC 120-76A Guidelines for the Certification, Airworthiness, and Operational Approval of Electronic Flight Bag Computing Devices Order 8110.49 Software Approval Guidelines, dated June 3, 2003 Order 8110.105 Simple and Complex Electronic Hardware Approval Guidance PS-ACE100-2001-004 Guidance for Reviewing Certification Plans to Address Human Factors for Certification of Part 23 Small Airplanes

3.3 Technical Standard Orders (TSO). You may access the TSOs on the FAA website:

www.faa.gov. The following is a list of the FAA TSOs that are referenced in this AC. For a complete list of TSOs that are related to this AC, see AC 20-110L, “Index of Aviation Technical Standards Orders” or the web site for the most current list.

a. TSO-C63c, Airborne Weather and Ground Mapping Pulsed Radars.

b. TSO-C113, Airborne Multipurpose Electronic Displays.

c. TSO-C153, Integrated Modular Avionics Hardware Elements.

d. TSO-C157, Aircraft Flight Information Services-Broadcast (FIS-B) Data Link Systems and Equipment.

e. TSO-C165, Electronic Map Display Equipment for Graphical Depiction of Aircraft Position.

3.4 Industry Documents. You may obtain copies of current editions of the following publications.

3.4.1 RTCA Documents. The following RTCA documents are available from RTCA, Inc., 1828 L Street NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036-4001 or at their website at www.rtca.org.

a. RTCA/DO-160G, Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment.

b. RTCA/DO-178B, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification.

c. RTCA/DO-187, Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Airborne Area Navigation Equipment Using Multi-Sensor Inputs.

d. RTCA/DO-200A, Standards for Processing Aeronautical Data.

e. RTCA/DO-201A, Standards for Aeronautical Information.

f. RTCA/DO-254, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware.

g. RTCA/DO-257A, Minimum Operational Performance Standards for the Depiction of Navigation Information on Electronic Maps.

h. RTCA/DO-267A, Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards (MASPS) for Flight Information Services-Broadcast (FIS-B) Data Link.

i. RTCA/DO-297, Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) Development Guidance and Certification Considerations.

j. RTCA/DO-313, Certification Guidance for Installation of Non-Essential, Non- Required Aircraft Cabin Systems and Equipment.

k. RTCA/DO-315A: Minimum Aviation Performance Standards (MASPS) for Enhanced Vision Systems, Synthetic Vision Systems, Combined Vision Systems, and Enhanced Flight Vision Systems.

3.4.2 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Inc. The following Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Inc., documents are available from SAE, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 or from their website at www.sae.org.

a. ARP 268G, Location and Actuation of Flight Deck Controls for Transport Aircraft.

b. ARP 450D, Flight Deck Visual, Audible, and Tactile Signals.

c. ARP 926B, Fault/Failure Analysis Procedure.

d. AIR 1093A, Numeral, Letter and Symbol Dimensions for Aircraft Instrument Displays.

e. ARP 1161A, Crew Station Lighting—Commercial Aircraft.

f. ARP 1782A, Photometric and Colorimetric Measurement Procedures for Airborne Direct View CRT [Cathode Ray Tube] Displays.

g. ARP 1834A, Fault/Failure Analysis for Digital Systems and Equipment.

h. ARP 1874, Design Objectives for CRT Displays for Part 25 (Transport) Aircraft.

i. ARP 4032A, Human Engineering Considerations in the Application of Color to Electronic Aircraft Displays.

j. ARP 4033, Pilot System Integration.

k. ARP 4067, Design Objectives for CRT Displays for Part 23 Aircraft.

l. ARP 4101, Flight Deck Layout and Facilities.

m. ARP 4102, Flight Deck Panels, Controls, and Displays.

n. ARP 4102/7, Electronic Displays.

o. ARP 4103, Flight Deck Lighting for Commercial Transport Aircraft.

p. ARP 4105B, Abbreviations and Acronyms for Use on the Flight Deck.

q. ARP 4155A, Human Interface Design Methodology for Integrated Display Symbology.

r. ARP 4256A, Design Objectives for Liquid Crystal Displays for Part 25 (Transport) Aircraft.

s. ARP 4260A, Photometric and Colorimetric Measurement Procedures for Airborne Electronic Flat Panel Displays.

t. ARP 4754, Certification Considerations for Highly Integrated or Complex Aircraft Systems.

u. ARP 4761, Guidelines and Methods for Conducting the Safety Assessment Process on Civil Airborne Systems and Equipment.

v. ARP 5287, Optical Measurement Procedures for Airborne Head-Up Display (HUD).

w. ARP 5288, Transport Category Airplane Head Up Display (HUD) Systems.

x. ARP 5289, Electronic Aeronautical Symbols.

y. ARP 5364, Human Factor Considerations in the Design of Multifunction Display Systems for Civil Aircraft.

z. ARP 5365, Human Interface Criteria for Cockpit Display of Traffic Information.

aa. ARP 5430, Human Interface Criteria for Vertical Situation Awareness Displays.

bb. ARP 5677, Human Engineering Considerations for Cockpit Integration of Enhanced/Synthetic Vision Systems.

cc. AS 5703, Minimum Performance Standard for Enhanced Vision System.

dd. AS 8034A, Minimum Performance Standard for Airborne Multipurpose Electronic Displays.

ee. AS 8055, Minimum Performance Standard for Airborne Head Up Display (HUD).

3.4.3 General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). The following documents are available from the GAMA, 1400 K St. NW Suite 801, Washington, DC 2005 or from their website at www.gama.aero/industry-standards.

a. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Publication No. 10, Recommended Practices and Guidelines for Part 23 Cockpit/Flight Deck Design.

b. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Publication No. 12, Recommended Practices and Guidelines for an Integrated Cockpit/Flightdeck in a 14 CFR Part 23 Certificated Airplane.

4.0 Background.

a. Amendment 23-41, effective November 26, 1990, established airworthiness standards, in § 23.1311, for installing electronic display instrument systems in normal, utility, acrobatic, and commuter category airplanes. The first electronic displays developed were direct replacements for the conventional electromechanical components, with later designs providing more extensive information integration. Before Amendment 23-41, most electronic display instrument systems were approved by special condition for installation in part 23 airplanes. Amendment 23-49, effective March 11, 1996, further amended part 23, to harmonize 14 CFR with the Joint Aviation Requirements (JAR). Section 23.1311, Amendment 23-49, removed redundant requirements and clarified which secondary instruments are required, including the visibility requirements for those instruments.

b. Amendment 23-62 made several changes that affect the installation of electronic displays. Guidance relative to electronic displays of those sections is also included in this AC. The significant changes were:

(1) Clarified requirements for trend information and appropriate sensory cues;

(2) Incorporated equivalent visual displays of the instrument markings on electronic displays;

(3) Allowed an applicant to take credit for reversionary or secondary flight displays on a multi-function flight display (MFD) that provides a secondary means of primary flight information (PFI);

(4) Revised some redundancy requirements to be only applicable for IFR operations;

(5) Accommodated new technology for magnetic direction indicator;

(6) Updated the terminology for system safety assessment;

(7) Revised requirements for instruments using power source(s); and

(8) Revised requirements for storage battery backup times.

5.0 Scope. This AC is generally applicable only to an applicant seeking issuance of certain type certificates. These include a type certificate (T C), an amended type certificate (ATC), or a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the approval of a new type design or a change in the type design. This AC does not completely address Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) or Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS), and Head-Up Displays (HUD). Contact the Small Airplane Directorate if there are any conflicts with other guidance and this AC. The Small Airplane Directorate will coordinate and resolve the conflicts among the points of contact of the other documents.

6.0 Acronyms/Definitions.

6.1 Acronyms.

a. AC, Advisory Circular

b. ACO, Aircraft Certification Office

c. ADC, Air Data Computer

d. ADI, Attitude Direction Indicator

e. ADDS, Aviation Digital Data Service

f. AFM, Airplane Flight Manual

g. AFMS, Airplane Flight Manual Supplement

h. AHRS, Attitude Heading Reference System

i. ARD, Aerospace Research Document

j. ARP, Aerospace Recommended Practice

k. AS, Aerospace Standard

l. ASTC, Amended Supplemental Type Certificate

m. ATC, Amended Type Certificate

n. CAR, Civil Air Regulations

o. CDI, Course Deviation Indicator

p. CFR, Code of Federal Regulations

q. CIP, Current Icing Potential

r. C/L, Center Line

s. CRT, Cathode-Ray Tubes

t. DN, Down

u. EADI, Electronic Attitude Direction Indicator 9

v. EHSI, Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator

w. EICAS, Engine Indication and Crew Alert System

x. ELOS, Equivalent Level of Safety

y. EVS, Enhanced Vision Systems

z. FAA, Federal Aviation Administration aa. FD, Flight Director bb. FHA, Functional Hazard Assessment cc. FLS, Field-Loadable Software dd. FMEA, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis ee. FOV, Field-Of-View ff. GPS, Global Positioning System gg. HIRF, High Intensity Radiated Fields hh. HUD, Head-Up Display ii. HSI, Horizontal Situation Indicators jj. ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization kk. IFR, Instrument Flight Rules ll. ILS, Instrument Landing System mm. IMA, Integrated Modular Avionics nn. IMC, Instrument Meteorological Conditions oo. JAR, Joint Aviation Requirements pp. LCD, Liquid Crystal Displays qq. LED, Light Emitting Diodes rr. LT, Left 10