Method and apparatus for an improved flight management system providing for synchronization of control display units in an alternate navigation mode

摘要

An improvement to an aircraft flight management system automatically allows changes entered into one control display unit (CDU) to be transmitted to the remaining CDU's upon failure of the onboard flight management computers (FMC). Each CDU includes memory allowing it to store the initial flight plan as being implemented by the flight management computer. Upon failure of all onboard flight management computers, detection of the failures by the CDU's initiates an alternate navigation mode. In this mode, entries made by a flight crew in one CDU are automatically transmitted to the remaining CDU's and, correspondingly, to the navigation displays, to thereby avoid redundant data entries in the remaining CDU's of a new, modified flight plan. In addition, all navigation displays (112,114,120) are automatically caused to display the new, desired flight plan.