Purpose: This document sets forth the characteristics of a Flight Control Computer System (FCCS) portion of the larger Automatic Flight System (AFS) specifically designed to provide autoland capability for commercial transport aircraft.

The intent of this document is to provide general and specific design guidance for the development and installation of an FCCS primarily for airline use. This document will make reference to and state need for assumptions or prerequisites for the Flight Augmentation Computer System (FACS), the Flight Management Computer System (FMCS), and the Thrust Control Computer System (TCCS), but those elements of the total Automatic Flight System (AFS) will be defined in separate ARINC characteristics. As such, this guidance will include the desired operational capability of the system and the standards necessary to ensure limited interchangeability.

Equipment manufacturers should note that this document encourages them to produce maintenance-free, high performance equipment rather than that of minimal weight and dimensions. They are at liberty to accomplish this objective by means of design techniques they consider to be the most appropriate, as their airline customers are interested primarily in the end result rather than the means employed to achieve it.