Why do aircraft cockpits have so many buttons and switches? What do all those actually control and are they all used?
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Most of the controls needed to fly the plane are the ones in front of the pilot and in the centre console. But that’s still quite a lot. You have a the yoke and throttle, of course, but there’s also landing gear, flaps, and a couple of other essential controls.
Then you have a radio. At the very least this needs a numeric pad to set the frequency. You also need controls for autopilot and navigation.
In an airliner, you also have a bunch of other non-essential controls. The “Please fasten your seatbelts” sign needs a switch. There’s an intercom for giving pilot announcements to the passengers, cabin lights and things like that. It all adds up.
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