Newsgroups: sci.aeronautics.airliners Path: news From: rdd@cactus.org (Robert Dorsett) Subject: REVIEW of _FMC User's Guide_ X-Submission-Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 02:43:07 CST Message-ID: Approved: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM Sender: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM X-Submission-Message-Id: <9212170843.AA17392@cactus.org> Date: 17 Dec 92 03:35:17 PST Title: FMC User's Guide: Advanced Guide to the Flight Management Computer Author: Bill Bulfer Published by: Bill Bulfer Technical Publications 2031 River Falls Drive Kingwood, TX 77339 713-358-7252 Cost: $40. Optional update service, $12. Pages: ~200; extensive illustrations. It is designed to be carried in a flight bag, printed on "half-pages," in a flexible, compact, three-ring binder. No ISBN. The Flight Management System is the "heart" of modern transport operations. It is the core of navigation functionality and automatic flight control, and permits a flight to be flown very economically. Despite its overall usefulness, standard interfaces leave something to be desired: consequently, a high proportion of training time is currently dedicated to the FMS, at the inevitable expense of other systems. There is evidence this training is somewhat lacking, with hands-on time limited. This means that "real learning" occurs in-flight, on the job. This is not a desirable situation, since it increases heads-down operations, thus decreasing the situational awareness of the pilot(s). The author, a Continental 737 pilot, wrote the book (manual, really) in an attempt to provide a high-quality, goal-oriented overview of FMS functions, as a supplement to airline training programs. It is a result of his own exposure, extensive research, and feedback from the manufacturers. The book is oriented around the Smiths Industries FMS, in use on the 737, but the author explicitly addresses differences and similarities with the Honeywell lineage, which is in use on more types of airplanes. The book is written for pilots, but may also be of interest to researchers and hard-core airliner enthusiasts. It is oriented around CDU (control data unit) operation, but includes mode control unit notes, where appropriate. As indicated, it's heavily goal-oriented, showing precisely what the pilot would see on various screens, with relevant fields highlighted, as he attempts to set up a solution to a given problem. An update service is available, on a yearly basis, for a nominal fee. Bulfer plans on issuing updates about every six months: the current update is about 80 pages. He's also working on a "final exam," to go with the manual. My main gripe is that, although the book is based on laser-printed originals, his printing service seems to have scaled the originals to fit on the pages. Consequently, some thin lines, such as boxes surrounding notes, look somewhat odd, with varying print intensity along the line. Otherwise, the type and illustrations look fine. I heartily recommend this book for anyone seriously interested in the intricacies of FMS operation. It is one of the best pilot-oriented technical publications I've ever seen. Disclaimer: I have no financial connection with or interest in this project; I'm just a very satisfied customer. I received my copy in September, and have been working through it (slowly :-)) since then. --- Robert Dorsett rdd@cactus.org ...cs.utexas.edu!cactus.org!rdd