Boeing merged previous designs of the performance management computer and the navigation computer into a single FMC that integrated many functions beyond navigation and performance operations. When Boeing began work on the 767 airplane program in the late 1970s, the company created a flight deck technology group with engineers dedicated to the development of the flight management computer (FMC) and the control display unit (CDU) (see fig. THE FIRST INTEGRATED FLIGHT MANAGEMENT COMPUTER Pilots operating in areas where VOR and DME coverage was available had both distance and course information readily available. DME transmitters would respond to interrogation by transceiver equipment installed on airplanes and provide the pilot with a reliable distance in nautical miles to the transmitter. A DME transmitter was usually located on the ground with VOR stations. Even so, the reliance on the flight crew to manually interpret and integrate flight information still provided opportunities for operational errors.įigure 1: Typical VOR installation By 1952, more than 45,000 miles of airways using the VOR were in operation. Each of these steps reduced the amount of interpretation by the flight crew by presenting more specific indications of airplane positional and situational status. During this same time, Collins produced the AINS-70, an area navigation (RNAV) computer on the DC-10. Boeing’s initial entry into this arena was represented by the implementation of the early Sperry (now Honeywell) automatic navigation systems on the 727, 707, and 747-100. As a result, avionics manufacturers began producing performance management computers and navigation computers to help operators improve the efficiency of their airline operations. Flight crews could enter waypoints and the INS would calculate heading, distance, and estimated time of arrival to the respective waypoint.Īt the same time, the 1970s fuel crisis provided the drive to optimize navigation capabilities in commercial airplanes. The introduction of the inertial navigation system (INS) on airplanes facilitated long-range capability by providing a continuous calculation and display of the airplane’s position. Long-range navigation over remote and oceanic areas, where navigation radio transmitters did not exist, was originally accomplished by dead reckoning and celestial navigation. VOR and DME provided the framework for a permanent network of low-altitude victor airways (e.g., V-4) and high-altitude jet routes (e.g., J-2), which are still in place today. VORs came into wide use in the 1950s and quickly became the preferred navigation radio aid for flying airways and instrument approaches (see fig. In the 1940s, the introduction of a radio-magnetic indicator or dual-bearing distance-heading indicator facilitated the use of ground-based navaids, including the very-high-frequency omni-directional range (VOR) navigation system and distance measuring equipment (DME). Non-directional radio beacons are still being used today throughout the world. Non-directional radio beacons and the airplane’s airborne automatic direction finder equipment allowed aviators to “home in” on the beacon and navigate reliably from station to station. However, these early flights were filled with uncertainties and their use of visual flight rules soon gave way to reliable attitude indicators and ground-based navigation aids, or navaids. Early “turn and slip” indicators and ground references such as lighted beacons enabled aviators to fly coast to coast across the United States. This article helps operators better understand how the FMS and other airplane flight systems have evolved over time, how they contribute to PBN operations, and plans for further advancement.ĪIR NAVIGATION TOOLS LEADING UP TO THE FMSĮarly aviators relied on very basic instrumentation to keep the airplane upright and navigating toward the desired destination. The PBN concept is made possible largely by advances in the capabilities of airplane FMS. These operations provide a basis for designing and implementing automated flight paths that will facilitate airspace design, terminal area procedure design, traffic flow capacity, and improved access to runways (more information about PBN can be found in AERO second-quarter 2008). The PBN concept defines navigation performance in terms of accuracy, integrity, availability, continuity, and functionality. For transport airplanes, it typically is specified in terms of required navigation performance (RNP). PBN is a concept used to describe navigation performance along a route, procedure, or airspace within the bounds of which the airplane must operate.
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