Definition
An integrated flight control system is an avionics architecture in which the autopilot, flight director, autothrottle, navigation computer, and related subsystems are linked together so they share data and operate as one coordinated system rather than as independent components. The pilot interacts with a single set of controls (typically a mode control panel) and the integrated system commands the airplane's pitch, roll, yaw, and often thrust to fly the selected modes accurately.
Plain English
It is a setup where the autopilot, flight director, autothrottle, and navigation computer all talk to each other and work together as one team, instead of each one doing its own job in isolation. The pilot tells the system what to do, and it coordinates everything needed to fly the airplane that way.
Context Anchor
Seen in flight director and autopilot discussions, especially when one system manages both the guidance shown to the pilot and the automatic control of the airplane.
Derivation
Integrated comes from the Latin integrare, meaning to make whole. The word captures the core idea: separate flight control subsystems are joined into a single whole that operates as one.
Why Pilots Care
When the subsystems are integrated, selecting a single mode (such as an approach) automatically configures the autopilot, flight director, and autothrottle together. The pilot needs to understand how the parts interact, because a change in one mode can ripple through the others and change what the airplane actually does.
Intuition Check
Integrated does not mean the airplane is making all decisions on its own. It means several guidance and control functions are connected and work together through one system.
Example Sentence 1
The crew briefed the approach and then armed the modes on the IFCS so the autopilot, flight director, and autothrottle would capture the localizer and glideslope together.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach the IFCS coupled the autopilot to the localizer and glideslope signals.