AEE 207 Aircraft Electronic Instrument Systems

ACARS-ARINC Communication and Addressing and

Reporting System EICAS-Engine Indication and Crew
Alerting System FBW-Fly-by-Wire FMS-Flight
Management System IRS-Inertial Reference System.

2024-2025 Fall Semester

General Information

❑ ACARS-ARINC Communication and Addressing and Reporting System

❑ EICAS-Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System
❑ FBW-Fly-by-Wire
❑ FMS-Flight Management System
❑ IRS-Inertial Reference System.

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INTRODUCTION

• This part of the course is primarily concerned with digital aircraft systems.
Generally, in modern aircraft fitted with digital systems there is greater
system integration when compared with their analogue counterparts.
Devices capable of solving problems, by processing information in a
discrete format, make up a digital Line Replaceable Unit (LR U), or when
combined with others, a digital system.
• These systems operate using data, including magnitudes, letters and
symbols, that are expressed in binary form, i.e. '0' and '1'.
• The following paragraphs discuss some of these systems and provide
schematic block diagrams of typical installations.
• This part of the course provides an overview of the major avionic systems
fitted to a modern passenger aircraft.

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INTRODUCTION

• The aim is to put into context the material contained in previous chapters,
which underpins the operation of these complex systems, including:

• Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS)

• Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS)
• Fly-By-Wire (FBW)
• Flight Management System (FMS)
• Inertial Reference System (IRS)

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AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATION ADDRESSING AND REPORTING SYSTEM
(ACARS)

• In the early eighties world-wide data networks were developed as an

addressable, digital data link for commercial and business jets and their
respective companies. This was the beginning of the Aircraft
Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS).
• It was produced to reduce the flight crew's workload by using modern
computer technology to exchange any routine reports and messages.
• This improves the safety and efficiency of modern air travel.
• The current scope of ACARS covers three datalink services:
• Pre-Departure Clearance (DCL); Datalink ATIS (D-ATIS) and Oceanic
Clearance (OCL).
• Their respective ACARS air-ground protocols are now specified in
EUROCAE specifications ED-85A, ED-89-A and ED-106 respectively.
• ACARS is a digital data link system transmitted in the VHF range (129–137
MHz).
• ACARS provides a means by which aircraft operators can exchange data
with an aircraft without human intervention.

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AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATION ADDRESSING AND REPORTING SYSTEM
(ACARS)

• This makes it possible for an airline to communicate with the aircraft in their
fleet in much the same way as it is possible to exchange data using a
landbased digital network.
• ACARS uses an aircraft’s unique identifier and the system has some
features that are similar to those currently used for electronic mail.
• The ACARS system was originally specified in the ARINC 597 standard but
has been revised as ARINC 724B.
• A significant feature of ACARS is the ability to provide real-time data on the
ground relating to aircraft performance (see the next Figure).
• This has made it possible to identify and plan aircraft maintenance activities.

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Example of a downlink ACARS message sent from a Boeing 777 aircraft

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AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATION ADDRESSING AND REPORTING SYSTEM
(ACARS)

• This system automatically transmits vital flight and maintenance information

to an organisation's ground personnel via the aircraft's normal
communication systems, i.e. VHF, HF or Satellite.
• The ACARS accesses information from various sources, including the
aircraft's Central Maintenance Computers (CMC), if fitted and then uses
the third VHF radio or other communication system to modulate the carrier
wave with digital data, i.e. a string of ‘0s' and '1 s' that conforms to an
ARINC standard; ARINC is an abbreviation for Aeronautical Radio Inc, a
corporation based in the USA, owned by various USA and foreign airlines,
aircraft manufacturers and other air transport companies, whose aims
include an effort to standardise the manufacture of avionic equipment
throughout the aviation industry.
• A typical system gives the flight crew access to data such as pre-departure
and oceanic clearances, flight plans, weather, digital Automatic Terminal
Information Service (ATIS), Terminal Weather Information for Pilots (TWIP)
and various other messaging services that all come under the umbrella of
ACARS.
• In most installation, the ACARS is interfaced with the aircraft's Flight
Management System (FMS) and can display graphical information on a 8
suitable EFIS screen, or MCDU. (see the next Figure)
ACARS FMS Display 9
ACARS

• ACARS communications are automatically directed through a series of

ground-based ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Incorporated) computers to the
relevant aircraft operator.
• The system helps to reduce the need for mundane HF and VHF voice
messages and provides a system which can be logged and tracked.
• Typical ACARS messages cater for the transfer of routine information such
as:

• passenger loads
• departure reports
• arrival reports
• fuel data
• engine performance data.

• This information can be requested by the company and retrieved from the
aircraft at periodic intervals or on demand.
• Prior to ACARS this type of information would have been transferred via
VHF voice communication.

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 ACARS
• ACARS uses a variety of hardware and software components including
those which are installed on the ground and those which are present in the
aircraft.
• The aircraft ACARS components include a management unit, which deals
with the reception and transmission of messages via the VHF radio
transceiver, and the control unit, which provides the crew interface and
consists of a display screen and printer.
• The ACARS Ground Network comprises the ARINC ACARS remote
transmitting/receiving stations and a network of computers and switching
systems.
• The ACARS command, control and management subsystem consists of the
ground-based airline operations and associated functions including
operations control, maintenance and crew scheduling.
• There are two types of ACARS messages:

• downlink messages that originate from the aircraft;

• uplink messages that originate from ground stations.

• The data rate is low and messages comprise plain alphanumeric

characters. 11
ACARS Operating Principle

• ACARS is used to pass short messages back and forth between aircraft and
ground facilities.
• It can be compared to e-mail, or even better, to mobile phone text
messaging.
• However it uses quite different technology, based on either classical VHF
transmission or satellite communications.
• One of the initial applications for ACARS was to automatically detect and
report changes to the major flight phases (Out of the gate, Off the ground,
On the ground, and Into the gate), referred to in the industry as OOOI. (see
the next Table)

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OOOI Actions and Conditions

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ACARS

• Frequencies used for the transmission and reception of ACARS messages

are in the band extending from 129 MHz to 137 MHz (VHF), as shown in
following Table.
• Note that different channels are used in different parts of the world.
• A typical ACARS message (see the next Figure) consists of:

• mode identifier (e.g. 2)

• aircraft identifier (e.g. G-DBCC)
• message label (e.g. 5U)
• block identifier (e.g. 4)
• message number (e.g. M55A)
• flight number (e.g. BD01NZ)
• message content

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ACARS channels

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ACARS OOOI Protocol 16
ENGINE INDICATION AND CREW ALERTING SYSTEM (EICAS)

• EICAS is designed to provide all engine instrumentation and crew

annunciations in an integrated format.
• The equivalent system on Airbus aircraft is the Electronic Centralised
Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) system.
• The information supplied by EICAS/ECAM includes display of engine
torque, inter-stage turbine temperature, high and low pressure gas
generator RPM, fuel flow, oil temperature and pressure.
• As part of EICAS, graphical depiction of aircraft systems can be displayed.
• Such systems as electrical, hydraulic, deicing, environmental and control
surface position can be represented.
• All aircraft messages relating to these systems are also displayed on
EICAS.
• EICAS improves reliability through elimination of traditional engine gauges
and simplifies the flight deck through fewer stand-alone indicators.
• EICAS also reduces crew workload by employing a graphical presentation
that can be rapidly assimilated.
• EICAS can also help to reduce operating costs by providing maintenance
data.
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Boeing 757 EICAS 18
A320 ECAM displays located above the centre console between the captain and first
officer
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EICAS/ECAM

• A typical EICAS comprises two large high-resolution, colour displays

together with associated control panels, two or three EICAS data
concentrator units and a lamp driver unit.
• The primary EICAS display presents primary engine indication instruments
and relevant crew alerts.
• It has a fixed format providing engine data including:

• RPM and temperature

• fuel flow and quantity
• engine vibration
• gear and flap details (where appropriate)
• caution alerting system (CAS) messages (colour-coded to indicate
importance).

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EICAS/ECAM

• The secondary EICAS display indicates a wide variety of options to the crew
and serves as a backup to the primary display.
• They are selectable in pages using the EICAS control panel and include
the display of information relating to:

• landing gear position

• flaps/trim
• auxiliary power unit
• cabin pressurisation/anti-ice
• fuel/hydraulics
• flight control positions
• doors/pressurisation/environmental
• AC and DC electrical data.

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EICAS/ECAM

• The EICAS displays receive data bus inputs from the EICAS Data
Conversion Unit (DCU).
• The EICAS displays provide data bus outputs to the integrated avionics
processing system (IAPS) data concentrator units (DCUs). Note that the
pilot or co-pilot can select either display.
• Selecting one display blanks the second display and allows data pages to
be selected.
• The EICAS control panel is used to select pages.
• The information on the data buses is routed to both EICAS displays and
both multi-function displays.
• The DCU receives data in various formats from a variety of sensors,
including the high- and low-speed ARINC 429 bus, from analogue and
discrete inputs from the engines and other aircraft systems.
• These are concentrated and processed for transmission on system buses
(ARINC or otherwise).

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EICAS simplified block schematic
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 EICAS/ECAM

• Outputs include crew-alerting logic, engine data to the displays,

maintenance, diagnostic and aircraft data to the IAPS DCU, indicator lamp
data to the Lamp
• Driver Unit (LDU), aircraft system data to the Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
and data link management unit.
• The LDU is a dual-channel unit capable of driving up to 120 indicator lamps.
Channels 1 and 2 receive digital buses from the DCU.
• The buses convey lamp activation words from the DCU.
• Channels 1 and 2 are identical and the outputs from each side are tied
together (wired-OR logic).
• If one channel lamp sink fails, the other channel lamp sink will provide the
• function.
• The LDU monitors the lamp sinks to verify correct function and outputs the
lamp sink states on a digital bus to the DCU.

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EICAS/ECAM

• The Electronic Routing Units (ERUs) are junction boxes for the data
concentrator units.
• The ERU splits each input signal to three output pins.
• The pilot ERU routes left-side airplane data and the co-pilot ERU routes
right-side airplane data.
• EICAS simplifies flight deck clutter by integrating the many electro-
mechanical instruments that previously monitored engine and aircraft
systems.
• Safety is increased and the pilot workload is simplified.
• EICAS continuously monitors the aircraft for out-of tolerance or abnormal
conditions and notifies the crew when an event occurs.

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EICAS Colour Scheme
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