FMS glossary

Line select keys (1L–6L, 1R–6R)

There are six keys down each side of the screen. They are named by row, counting 1 to 6 from the top, and by side, L or R. So 1L is the top key on the left and 6R is the bottom key on the right.

The names are not printed on the keys, on the real unit or in our trainer. Manuals, checklists and our scenarios use them because “press 1L” is quicker than “press the top key on the left”.

Each key acts on the line of the screen beside it. If the scratchpad holds something, pressing the key enters it into that line’s field. If the line shows a prompt, pressing the key selects it. On the Boeing CDU, pressing a key with an empty scratchpad copies that line’s data down into the scratchpad.

Scratchpad

The bottom line of the screen. Everything you type on the keypad appears here first, and nothing reaches a field until you press the line select key beside it. The CLR key erases the last character; hold it to clear the whole line. The scratchpad also shows messages such as NOT IN DATA BASE.

Prompts (< and >)

Text with an arrow, such as <INDEX or ACTIVATE>, is a prompt. Pressing the key it points to opens that page or performs that action. A prompt at the top of the right column is selected with 1R.