IMPACT The Evolution of Flight Management Systems

In 1978, Honeywell began developing its flight management system (FMS), putting the first FMS into service as standard equipment in 1982 on the Boeing B757 and B767. Now, every major aircraft manufacturer includes a Honeywell FMS in the cockpit. In total, the Honeywell FMS has 15 distinct baselines flying on more than 14,000 aircraft. It currently totals around a million source LOC and increases by perhaps 2 percent per year. R&D is already underway for innovations and improvements to both new and existing technologies: 4D trajectories, future air navigation systems, required time of arrival, and trajectory-based optimization.