During the early days of the automobile, very little in the way of instruments was available to monitor the performance of the vehicle or its power plant. Today's automobiles come to the owner with a myriad of dials and indicators to inform the driver as to the performance of the automobile and how his power plant is functioning. The necessity for some of the gauges is dictated by laws governing speed, signaling, and road conditions that permit faster travel, resulting in higher fuel consumption, higher temperatures and so forth.

The airplane in its infancy was likewise simple in construction and necessitated very few engine instruments and ~fewer, if any, flight instruments. The pioneer pilot relied upon the oil temperature, oil pressure, tachometer and temperature gauges to keep him posted as to the performance of his engine. The flight instruments in 1910 might have consisted of a compass (of dubious capabilities), altimeter. and an airspeed indicator. Up to the time of World War I, some aircraft were completely devoid of any flight instruments. The pilot estimated his altitude, followed the 'iron' compass on cross-country flights, and as long as the whine of wind through the flying wires was at the right pitch he was at the proper speed.