Thank you Kyle for clarifying the ACARS subject. Now I completely understand that there is no standard interface as every VA has its own set of parameters for data reporting. Regarding the VA program yes I use ALT+TAB and then use task manager and switch to the FSX again. As you have suggested I try to do this after I complete the flight at the time of PIREP filing.

 

Cheers.

 

 

Thank you Kyle for clarifying the ACARS subject.

 

You're welcome.  And sorry if it was a little terse.  Besides the other junk in the forum, I got some unfortunate news (nothing life altering, but still irritatingly unfortunate) earlier today, so I'm even more of a joyous person to be around.  :wink:

Most has been said on this topic, but maybe summing it up makes things easy.

 

The whole thing we are talking about is called the Flight Management System (FMS).

There is only one FMS.

 

The FMS consists of two Flight Management Computers (FMC) in the avionics bay, invisibile to the pilots.

One FMC is primary, the other one is monitoring (cross checking).

If I remember correctly, each flight the primary and monitoring FMC will switch.

If one FMC fails, no problem.

 

Pilots input to the FMC are made through the CDU.

The Capt and FO CDU are normally (no dual FMC failure) used for that.

 

The center CDU is a backup.

It normally does not show any Navigational pages. Instead it will show things like the interphone system (press a line select key to call a cabin area/door), or the Sat Com pages (press a line select key to call the company, destination, maintenance, etc), or you can change what GPS sattelite you want to tune to with it.

 

(If both FMC fail then the Capt and FO CDUs become like "mini or light" backup FMCs and provide a few basic navigation functions. But many things are lost, like Vnav.)

 

Since the CDU is under normal conditions (no dual FMC failure) basically only an input device to the FMC, both left and right CDU will show the same data (when on the same CDU page).

The capt and FO can be looking at different pages, but anything entered in one CDU goes to the FMC and then shows up in the other CDU as well.

So no, you can not have different routes in them.

 

(What you do have is a route 1 and a route 2 page. You can program an arrival to rwy 16L on route 1 and to 16R on route 2. Only one route can be active, but the other one can be simply made active if ATC changes the rwy on you)

 

DSP = Display Select Panel.

This is the panel on the copilots side that lets you select systems to display (like hydraulics, electrics, etc)

If this panel fails you can use the center CDU as a backup.

The display on the center CDU will be like a virual DSP then, where each Line select key has a function like hydraulics, electrics, etc.

I suppose the 3rd CDU, or central CDU, will come in most handy for ground connections, closing doors and/or configuring the numerous option that you want for your T7 flightdeck. The central CDU will only interact with one of the 2 FMC's if the other 2 CDU's happen to fail (which is highly rare unless you get a sledgehammer out and start swinging).

 

That's exactly what I've been using it for - controlling all the ground ops and options stuff without having to take the forward CDUs off their normal FMC pages.

Exactly how I use the third MCDU in the MD-11 too, for fueling, doors etc

Now all I need to do is link the cabin interphone page up with my telephone in my house....and then call up for some food and cold beverages (mmmmmmm beeer droooooooool).

 

But yeah definately the centre pedestal CDU is a nice little handy peice of kit.

So if I understand correctly, no OOOI?

 

Shame, as it was really convienent for my log book :( guess I'll need to find some sort of pen and paper lol

I was going to go with ADT for my cockpit security, but then I found the PMDG777LR!  With a twist of a knob my cockpit door was locked, free from today's threat of terrorists!  

 

 

Thank you PMDG!  I couldn't be happier!