The Boeing 717-200 cockpit is an electronic cockpit with glass screen, liquid crystal displays (LCD) for flight instrumentation. The flight deck is no longer the newest and greatest, however it does have advanced features when compared to other aircraft of it's age. When the airplane was introduced in the early 2000s, its cockpit was one of the most advanced. An airline pilot advisory group helped McDonnell Douglas and Boeing design the Boeing 717 cockpit to have features that pilots needed.

The Avionics System in the Boeing 717-200 Flight Deck
There are six 8 by 8 inch LCD displays in the 717's cockpit. Each of the displays are used for the following items, primary flight displays, navigation displays, the system display and the engine and alerting display. When looking at the displays you will notice that they are similar to the Boeing 737 NG displays. The displays are powered by two versatile integrated avionics (VIA) computers. The first VIA powers the 3 right side (first officer seat) displays and the second one powers the left 3 (captain's seat) displays. Redundancy is ensured as one of the VIA's can power all six screens if one fails.

Boeing 717-200 Cockpit or Flight Deck Photo

Above Boeing 717-200 cockpit photo by JMG717 at en.wikipedia on Wikimedia Commons. Photo (only) released under a Creative Commons License. 

Primary Flight Displays (PFD)
The PFDs are the number one and number six displays in the Boeing 717-200 cockpit (right and left displays). The primary flight displays show some of the most important information to fly the jet. This includes the artificial horizon, airspeed, altitude, half compass and more.

Navigation Displays (Nav Displays / Screens)
The Nav Displays show all the navigation information on screens 2 and 5 (from left to right). They show five different pages that include:

  • Very high frequency omni-directional radio beacon (VOR) and approach (APPR).
  • Traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS)
  • Pre-flight planning (PLAN).
  • Map of route during flight (MAP)

The Engine and Alerting Display
The third screen displays the Engine and Alerting information in the Boeing 717-200 cockpit. Engine data and warnings / alerts are shown on this screen.

System Display
The system display in the Boeing 717 flight deck is the fourth display. It shows 10 pages that include information on the following systems:

  • Air
  • Fuel
  • Hydraulics
  • Engines
  • Configuration
  • Electrical System

Overhead Panel
The Boeing 717-200 cockpit has an overhead panel that has control switches for the aircraft. All controls are aligned by the side they are on (left, center, right) and are grouped by system. Exterior / Cockpit light controls, passenger addressing system, attendant call system and intercom controls are located on the Boeing 717-200 overhead panel. These controls are located at the front. Engine, APU, anti-ice and cabin pressurization controls are also on the overhead panel and are on the sides of the panel.

The Center Console
Located here are the two flight management systems / computers (FMS / FMC), the throttle, spoiler speedbrake controls, and flap and slat controls.

Other Features in the Boeing 717 Cockpit
The aircraft has the following items that Boeing pointed out when the plane was rolled out.

  • Pencil holders that are attached to the window panels
  • Handholds / handle above windshield
  • More storage
  • Side consoles with cup-holders to fit most cups plus "spill moats" to contain spills.
  • Relocation of headset jack to above the clear view windows
  • Indication of the flight number the flight is flying.
  • Redesigned chart holders (control wheel style).

Some of the systems listed here could be or may have been upgraded by some Boeing 717-200 operators in recent years.

Other Names for the Boeing 717-200 Cockpit and Flight Deck
The Boeing 717-200 aircraft has a few different names that it is called by. The following is a list of them:

  • Boeing B712 Cockpit and Flight Deck: B712 is the ICAO code for the airplane that is used by air traffic controllers, airlines and others. More information on this will be posted later.
  • Boeing 717 Cockpit and Flight Deck (with out the -200): Many call the 717-200 just the 717, which is the main aircraft program the plane is in (the only plane in the 717 program). 717 is also the IATA code for the jet aircraft.