A cold-and-dark Airbus starts with a blank FMGC. This guide walks you through waking it up, confirming the aircraft status and GPS position, and completing the INIT A page — company route, flight number, cost index, cruise level, and IRS alignment — so your jet is ready to accept a flight plan.

1. Powering up the FMGC

With the aircraft cold and dark, the first job is to bring the Flight Management Guidance Computer (FMGC) online:

1. Activate the FMGC

   Press 1L so the FMGC label turns green — the computer is now active.

2. Open A/C STATUS

   Press DATA, then 4L to open the A/C STATUS page.

2. Checking A/C STATUS & verifying GPS

The A/C STATUS page shows the aircraft model, engine type (for example CFM56-5B4), and the navigation database expiry. The code after the database refers to the aircraft registration.

Before going further, confirm your GPS position is valid: press DATA, then 3L to open GPS MONITOR, and check that the displayed latitude and longitude match your actual airport coordinates.

3. Completing the INIT A page

Once the status and GPS check out, open the INIT page and fill in the departure data. Here's what each field means:

CO RTE — Company Route

A pre-stored route that saves you from typing every waypoint. For example, GLKMSPKSFO reads as GL Airlines, KMSP to KSFO. If no company route exists, you'll enter the route manually later on the F-PLN page.

FLT NBR — Flight Number

Entered after the airports. It's required in real-world operations but optional in the simulator.

COST INDEX

A value from 1 to 999 that tells the FMGC how to balance time against fuel. Lower values favor speed and shorter flight time; higher values favor fuel efficiency. A typical figure is around 30.

CRZ FL / TEMP — Cruise Level & Temperature

Cruise flight level is written in hundreds of feet — so 23,800 ft is FL248. Enter a level below the aircraft's maximum certified ceiling (for example FL340). Add the cruise temperature in °C, e.g. 340/-53. Press 6L to lock the data in.

4. Aligning the IRS & wind request

ALIGN IRS (3R): verify the latitude and longitude, then confirm your position with the lower-right key to align the inertial reference system.

Wind request: usually skipped in the sim, but part of real operations. You can input winds manually, pull automatic pre-loaded data (3R), or use historical data (1R).

With the FMGC awake, the position verified, and INIT A complete, your Airbus is ready for the next step: building the route on the F-PLN page.

Frequently asked questions