The only idea I could come up with to explain these numbers on the control yoke was that they were used for the pilot to remember a certain heading. I doubt that is the answer, so what are they actually used for?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/Flyin...ptainspanel.jpg

(seen on the right handle of the control yoke.)

Numbers? I don't see anything on the right grip except the trim switches.

Do you mean those things between the trim switches?

:lol:

I think they are used to display (and remember) the flight number.

Those are used to remember certain things. It depends on the airline ,what they want to remember. With UA for instance as PC6 wrote they use it to remember the flight number. With the airline I work for it is used to remember the assigned altitude/level. It is not connected to anything and therefore will not give you any kinds of commands or reminders. Since it has 3 digits it would work well with altitude,heading speed.The flight number version has always left me wondering what they do with 4 digit flight numbers....

Just what I thought, thanks for the info.

The stab trim switches are on the left side glenn.

Isn't that what the APA/Altitude Preselector Alerter is for?? Why bother putting important info on the yoke in tiny digits when you have an APA with the autopilot? You put it in twice?

(With 4 digits, you just use the last 3.)

On the left of the yolk you have the ATC push button.

Retrieved from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yolk

Actually we put it in 3 times. (Autopilot altitude window, once on each yoke). I guess the airline just hates altitude busts. Since we have the flightnumber written on our take off data sheet in the center there was no better way to make use of the little "reminder" on the yoke. This technique is limited to the 737 since that is the only airplane with that option on the yoke among our fleet.

It was discovered that if you have any kind of transient electrical power interruption or transfer, the numbers you had set in the altitude preselector either blanked or (worse still) changed to something you hadn't set. This happened a few times on B.737-400s in an airline I used to work for, resulting in a few altitude busts until the problem was identified. Guys got used to setting the cleared level on the control wheel counters as a back up in case the preselector window went U/S. In the outfit I'm with now however, we set the MSA (minimum safety altitude) on the control wheel during climb and decent for awareness during those critical periods. I suppose it just goes to show, they can be used for all kinds of things?

I am glad mine aren't digital then!