A flight management system (FMS) is a critical component of a contemporary airliner's avionics, and it is essential to the operation of the aircraft. A flight management system (FMS) is a customized computer program that automates a broad range of in-flight operations, decreasing the strain on the flight crew to the point that contemporary passenger aircraft no longer carry flight engineers or navigators, as was the case before. The major responsibility is the administration of the flight plan while in flight. The FMS may lead the aircraft along the flight plan by using a variety of sensors (such as GPS and INS, which are often backed up by radio navigation) to establish the aircraft's location. The Flight Management System (FMS) is often managed from the cockpit through a Control Display Unit (CDU), which consists of a tiny screen, keyboard, and/or touchscreen. The Flight Management System (FMS) provides the flight plan to the Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), Navigation Display (ND), or Multifunction Display (MFD) for display (MFD). The Flight Management System (FMS) can be summarised as a dual system that consists of the Flight Management Computer (FMC), the Central Display Unit (CDU), and a cross talk bus.
The current flight management system (FMS) was first used on the Boeing 767, while previous navigation systems were also used.
Systems comparable to FMS are already available on aircraft as small as the Cessna 182, which is a light aircraft. An FMS has evolved through time to include a variety of various sizes, functionalities, and controls. Certain traits, on the other hand, are shared by all FMSs.