Design of a low cost, fault tolerant flight management and control system for general aviation aircraft

A design for a fully integrated flight management/flight control system suitable for light aircraft is introduced. The goals of the system are discussed, and a top-level design to meet those goals is outlined. Tradeoffs among selected elements are discussed, and performance issues are considered. The overall goals of the system are increased flight safety with a reduction of general pilot skill requirements. These goals will be accomplished by workload reduction, uniform data presentation, a natural user interface to flight data and controls, active flight condition monitoring and assistance, and active flight controls. Low cost will be attained by use of readily available industrial components. System reliability will be ensured by careful design and use of redundant elements to avoid single-point critical failures. Active flight assistance will reduce the skill necessary for safe aircraft operation. Deabstraction and appropriate presentation of data, particularly navigation and systems data, will greatly reduce the pilot workload and contribute to flight safety and enjoyment.<>