ElI5 Why was the shuttle’s insturmentation (layout, technology, etc) so similar to that of your everyday A340 even when the two are vastly different?

Question

ElI5 Why was the shuttle’s insturmentation (layout, technology, etc) so similar to that of your everyday A340 even when the two are vastly different?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

The pilot/co-pilot/flight engineer model is well known, well-tested, and still highly applicable. It still has to be flown (mostly for landing; takeoff is largely automated).

The details of each knob or switch may be different but the larger use case is quite similar.

**edit:** also, nearly all of the shuttle commanders and pilots were Air Force or Navy pilots. They already had thousands of hours of experience in that arrangement.