What is flight management computer system (FMCS) ??

Question

What is flight management computer system (FMCS) ??

Answer 1

It's obvious a couple of you have never actually used an FMS.

It is a multi-function interface with an alphanumeric keypad and a screen. It can provide fuel consumption info, ETA info, wind and drift info and a lot of useful info. Weights, V-speeds, etc. (Older ones do a little less.) A principal use is for entering waypoints for the flight, and departure procedures and STARS and approaches. It's a bit complicated to really get into all of the uses here. It is not the same as the autopilot, however. As a nav interface, it integrates GPS, VOR/DME, and other sources and auto-tunes. With FMS's I have used, the nav display must be taken out of FMS mode (into nav mode) for an ILS. A GPS approach is flown in FMS mode, as the FMS is your GPS interface. In a full glass cockpit, the FMS has a Radio page which replaces the nav/com heads found on older panels. You don't actually see a radio stack. You interface with all of your nav/com equip. through your FMS Radio page (except possibly for a back-up nav/com). In older cockpits, you still have a visible radio stack, but not a visible GPS and the FMS still auto-tunes VORs as needed for position-sensing and tracking waypoints.  

Answer 2

A computer used for the entire flight; it calculates the speeds for take-off (V1, Vr, V2, Vfr etc) and optimum flightlevel for the cruise. It is also a navigationcomputer, so coupled to the autopilot it can fly the entire route (including approach and landing) using GPS and/or VOR/DME/ILS information to determine it's position.

Answer 3

black box that does all our thinking for us. why i retired.

Answer 4

http://www.rockwellcollins.com/ecat/br/F...

Answer 5

A flight management system, or FMS, is a computerized system that pilots the aircraft in most phases of flight.  Modern airliners are all equipped with flight management systems, and the majority of every commercial flight today is flown under computer control.  The pilots simply watch the computers work, and occasionally double-check things. Pilots are there mainly to handle any unexpected problems, which computers aren't very good at dealing with.

Most airliners are flown by hand during take-off, and during landing.  However, the flight management system and other automation systems can land the aircraft on its own, if necessary (in poor visibility, for example), and most of the take-off can be automated, too. Pilots like to fly by hand when they can, so they prefer to fly take-offs and landings on their own.  Often airline company policies require them to use the FMS during the rest of the flight, mainly because the computer is better at minimizing fuel consumption than human pilots are.

The FMS knows the entire route of the flight, from take-off to landing, and handles all changes in altitude, turns, speed changes, and so on.

Smaller aircraft usually don't have a FMS, because it's very expensive, and because aircraft flown by people for pleasure wouldn't be as much fun to fly if the computer did it all.  As others here have indicated, sitting and watching the FMS fly the plane isn't very interesting, but it's an economic and business necessity these days for commercial airlines.

Answer 6

Using GPS, Inertial navigation etc. it adjusts the aircraft flight controls to keep the aircraft in a steady and reasonable attitude. Modern aircraft are unflyable by humans as the control surfaces have to be moved at over 1000 adjustments per second to keep the aircraft in flight. The FMCS ensures that the aircraft flies. It is basically a triple redundant mission computer that sits on the aircraft bus system and monitors and controls the aircraft sytems. Without it the plane can't fly!

Answer 7

a computer that does all the hard work, like navigation for u

it also computes departure, climb, cruise, descent and arrival speeds

the SIDs and STARs etc etc

does everythin!