5.

15 TYPICAL ELECTRONIC /
DIGITAL AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS

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ACARS - Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System)
ACARS is a digital datalink system for
transmission of short messages between
aircraft and ground stations via airband radio
or satellite. The protocol was designed by
ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Incorporated.
The ACARS is used to transmit or receive
automatically or manually generated reports or
messages to or from a ground station. The
ACARS is dedicated to maintenance, operation
and commercial purposes. The ACARS can
Aircraft system
manage both transmission and reception of
data. Ground-to air and air-to-ground digital
messages are transmitted or received via VHF
transceiver or the SATCOM system when the
VHF link is not available.

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 ACARS - Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System)
Operations, requests and communications with ACARS
ACARS messages may be of three broad types:
Air traffic control messages are used to request or provide clearances.
Aeronautical operational control.
Airline administrative control.
Control messages are used to communicate between the aircraft and its base,
with messages either standardized according to ARINC Standard 633, or user-
defined in accordance with ARINC Standard 618. The contents of such messages
can be OOOI events, flight plans, weather information, equipment health, status
of connecting flights, etc.
OOOI events
A major function of ACARS is to automatically detect and report changes to the
major flight phases, G1, G2, G3, G4 respectively (out of the gate, off the ground,
on the ground, and into the gate), referred to in the industry as OOOI. These
OOOI events are detected using input from aircraft sensors such as doors,
parking brake and strut switch sensors. At the start of each flight phase, an
ACARS message is transmitted to the ground describing the flight phase, the time
at which it occurred, and other related information such as the amount of fuel
on-board or the flight origin and destination. These messages are used to track
the status of aircraft and crews.

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EICAS – Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System
The display of the parameters associated with engine performance and airframe systems
control by means of CRT- or LCD-type display units has, like those of flight instrument systems,
become a standard feature of many types of aircraft. The display units form part of two
principal systems designated as engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) and
electronic centralised aircraft monitoring (ECAM) system, which were first introduced in Boeing
757 and 767 aircraft and the Airbus A310 respectively.
In respect of EICAS, engine operating data is displayed on its LCD display units (DUs), thereby
eliminating the need for traditional instruments. The data, as well as those relevant to other
systems, are not necessarily always on display but in the event of malfunctions occurring at any
time, the flight crew’s attention is drawn to them by an automatic display of messages in the
appropriate colours. The ECAM system, on the other hand, displays systems’ operation in
checklist and schematic form, and as this was a concept based on the view that engine data
needs to be displayed during the whole of a flight, traditional instruments were retained in the
Airbus A310. It is of interest to note, however, that in subsequent types produced by this
manufacturer, e.g. A320, the ECAM system is developed to include the display of engine data in
one of its display units.

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EICAS – Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System
The basic system comprises two display units, a
control panel, and two computers supplied with
analogue and digital signals from engine and
system sensors as shown in the schematic
functional diagram shown (next page). The
computers are designated ‘left’ and ‘right’, and
only one is in control at a time; the other is on
‘standby’, and in the event of failure it may be
switched in either manually or automatically.
Operating in conjunction with the system are
discrete caution and warning lights, standby
engine indicators and a remotely-located panel
for selecting maintenance data displays. The
system provides the flight crew with information
on primary engine parameters (full-time), with
secondary engine parameters and
advisory/caution warning alert messages
displayed as required.

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FBW - Fly-By-Wire
The reasons that manufacturers are switching to FBW include:
 Flight test savings - FBW offers the prospect of using software changes to solve otherwise
difficult and expensive handling problems uncovered during flight test.
 Uniform handling characteristics - One of the advantages offered by Airbus and Embraer
with their family of aircraft concept is uniform cockpit layouts and uniform flying
characteristics. This is achievable only through FBW and offers reduced flight crew training
costs as well as increased crew scheduling flexibility.
 Weight and complexity savings - FBW along with FADEC technology reduces the
requirement for direct cable linkages between the flight deck and engines and control
surfaces.
 Avoiding structural resonance - Large slender aircraft such as the A340-500/600 can
encounter pilot control induced structural resonance. In this particular instance, Airbus have
introduced a special version of a flight control system to prevent pilots from exciting the
natural resonance modes of the aircraft.

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FBW - Fly-By-Wire
Basic operation
 Fly-by wire systems are quite complex, but their operation can be explained in simple
terms. When a pilot moves the control column (or sidestick), a signal is sent to a
computer (analogous to moving a game controller) the signal is sent through multiple
wires (channels) to ensure that the signal reaches the computer. A ‘triplex’ is when there
are three channels being used. In an analogue system, the computer receives the signals,
performs a calculation (adds the signal voltages and divides by the number of signals
received to find the mean average voltage) and adds another channel. These four
‘quadruplex’ signals are then sent to the control surface actuator, and the surface begins
to move. Potentiometers in the actuator send a signal back to the computer (usually a
negative voltage) reporting the position of the actuator.

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FBW - Fly-By-Wire
When the actuator reaches the desired
position, the two signals (incoming and
outgoing) cancel each other out and the
actuator stops moving (completing a feedback
loop).
 In a digital fly-by-wire flight control system,
complex software interprets digital signals
from the pilots control input sensors and
performs calculations based on the flight
control laws programmed into the flight
control computers and input from the air data
inertial reference units and other sensors. The
computer then commands the flight control
surfaces to adopt a configuration that will
achieve the desired flight path.

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 FBW - Fly-By-Wire
• Basic principle
Flight control surfaces are all
• Electrically-controlled, and
• Hydraulically-activated.
The stabiliser and rudder can also be mechanically-controlled.
Pilots use sidesticks to fly the aircraft in pitch and roll (and in yaw, indirectly,
through turn coordination).
Computers interpret pilot input and move the flight control surfaces, as
necessary to follow their orders.
However, when in normal law, regardless of the pilot’s input, the computers
will prevent excessive manoeuvres and exceedance of the safe envelope in
pitch and roll axis. However, as on conventional aircraft, the rudder has no
such protection.
Control surfaces
The flight controls are electrically or mechanically controlled as follows
Pitch axis
Elevator Electrical
Stabiliser Electrical for normal or alternate control. Mechanical for manual
trim control
Roll axis
Ailerons Electrical
Spoilers Electrical
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Yaw axis
 FMS - flight management system
The flight management system (FMS) can be
thought of as the ‘brain’ of the aircraft
navigation system, which assists pilots in
navigation and flight preparation to compute the
most efficient flight in fuel and time savings and
automatically navigate the aircraft. It calculates
performance data and the most fuel-efficient
route to be flown based on typical aircraft
parameters such as weight, cruise altitude and
actual aircraft position, regardless of weather
conditions.
The flight management system (FMS) compares
a pilot selected flight plan with the actual
horizontal and vertical aircraft position. In case
of a difference between the selected flight plan
and the aircraft position the FMS makes a
steering and a thrust command.

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 FMS - flight management system
The FMS shows the information about the selected flight plan
on the control display unit (CDU). Through the keyboard of the
CDU the crew can change the flight plan.
The FMS gives the steering and thrust commands to the auto
flight system (AFS). The AFS can use the commands to fly the
aircraft automatically on the flight plan. The AFS can also send
the commands to the crew via the flight director command
cues. The FMS also gives information to the EFIS to show the
flight plan on the navigation display.
The FMS uses information from various aircraft systems and
from a database.

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IRS - Inertial Reference System

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ECAM – Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitoring

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EFIS – Electronic Flight Instrument System

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GPS - Global Positioning System

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IMA – Integrated Modular Avionics

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Cabin Systems

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Information Systems

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frequency range such as lightning.

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