Central Monitoring System (CMS)

Hi, my name is Central Monitoring System, or CMS in short. I exist in most of the modern aircrafts these days including those manufactured by Boeing, Airbus and Learjet. As my name suggests, I am in charge of monitoring the overall aircraft systems and giving the pilots warning or caution messages when there is a malfunction.

I am named EICAS in this Boeing 777 aircraft. EICAS stands for Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System.


I am named ECAM in this Airbus 340 aircraft. ECAM stands for Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor.

The aircraft systems that I monitor include Engines performance, Fuel management, Navigation accuracy, Hydraulic and Electrical systems and many more. As more and more people are traveling by air these days, my role to assist the pilots in executing a safe flight has become increasingly important. The pilots rely on me to give them the correct steps in the form of a checklist to execute should there be a malfunction in any of the aircraft systems that I monitor.

For example, if one of the landing gears did not come down during an approach to land, I would be able to sense it through my sensors and warn the pilots through visual and audio means. Visual means include showing red colour coded messages on the computer screens. Audio means include continuous repetitive chime over the speakers in the cockpit. Through the computer screen, I would also instruct the pilots to take alternative steps to lower the landing gear such as recycling the landing gear lever or lowering the gear through gravity extension.

Having said all that, like all computer systems, I am only as smart as what my manufacturer made me. I rely very much on my sensors and the computer algorithm programmed into my ‘brain’. I may sometimes, due to system complexity and redundancy, give wrong signals to the pilots. In such cases, instead of helping them, I confuse them. Sometimes, sad to say, this can lead to fatal consequences.

Yes, if you are smart enough to correlate, I exist in every one of you too. My sensors are your eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. I process sensory information to tell you, among many things, whether it is cold or hot, whether you need to wear thicker clothing or not for example.

I also grow smarter as you grow older. I am able to take in and store information. When a new event occurs, I will process it based on what I have been told, i.e. based on your ‘knowledge’. When the same event occurs again, I will most likely process it the same way like I did before unless you consciously tell me to do otherwise. As more and more events and information are stored, my database grows larger and you become more ‘experienced’.

Just one word of caution, like I have mentioned before, I am only as smart as what I have been told. The education that you received in school plays a large part in ‘shaping’ me. What your parents and friends told you and how they behave are also taken in by me, be it consciously or subconsciously. Your religious beliefs will also make me process information in a certain way. Sometimes not based on logic.

I will also put the things that you see or hear through the ‘internal checking’ process. After which, depending on how old you are, I will give you the results as ‘moral judgment’. Then I will also instruct you to behave accordingly.

Certain information, depending on how I am programmed, will make me give you the feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, jealousy, confusion and so on. And based on these emotions, I will also make you act constructively or destructively.

The question is: Are you aware of my existence?

If yes, are you going to make sure that I receive only ‘good’ inputs so that I will grow wiser and greater?

In this human body, I am named the same as the child - Caden Chan.