Do flight managment computers have passwords?
Avoid imitations
Joined: Nov 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 15,116
Likes: 1,091
From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Ours is very temperamental. There's no known password as such, but the only way to get what you want is to caress the "ON" button in a certain way.
A bit like the wife really..... but the advantage is that when you realise you've done something wrong, you can always pull the circuit breaker and start again
A bit like the wife really..... but the advantage is that when you realise you've done something wrong, you can always pull the circuit breaker and start again
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
From: USA
A password is an operator option for certain functions. One may program in whatever character pattern is desired to allow access to whatever function is needing protection.
In some systems it takes an engineer to do it by repinning a program plug, in others anyone may do it from the CDU keyboard.
In the company I'm now working for, one of our pilots did it to five aircraft in three days and almost grounded the fleet until we figured out what the hell happened to cause the "Maint Check" symbol to appear.
TWA had a password to keep stick actuators from getting into the maintenance pages. Some companies have passwords to guard the updated databases so that only duly authorized individuals may do the changeover.
In some systems it takes an engineer to do it by repinning a program plug, in others anyone may do it from the CDU keyboard.
In the company I'm now working for, one of our pilots did it to five aircraft in three days and almost grounded the fleet until we figured out what the hell happened to cause the "Maint Check" symbol to appear.
TWA had a password to keep stick actuators from getting into the maintenance pages. Some companies have passwords to guard the updated databases so that only duly authorized individuals may do the changeover.
Uneasy Pleistocene Leftover
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 320
Likes: 0
From: Gone, but not forgotten apparently?! All forums marked "Private"...
And we now have someone who is going to hack PPRuNe in order to discover logins. Because as we all know, people tend to reuse passwords, don't they?! 
(why do I always think I have something useful to say...)
(why do I always think I have something useful to say...)
