Definition
An avionics architecture in which navigation, communication, flight instruments, autopilot, and engine displays are combined into a single, interconnected system driven by shared computers and displays, rather than installed as separate, standalone units.
Plain English
It's the modern setup where all the cockpit's flight, navigation, and engine information runs through one connected system and shows up on large glass screens, instead of each instrument being its own separate box.
Context Anchor
Seen when using modern flight displays and navigation databases, especially when selecting, loading, or checking instrument procedures in the cockpit.
Derivation
Integrated' comes from the Latin integrare, meaning 'to make whole.' The point is that the avionics are not a collection of separate parts — they are wired and programmed to work together as one system, sharing data across displays and functions.
Why Pilots Care
A limitation in one part of the system, such as an outdated navigation database, can affect multiple displays and automated functions at once.
Intuition Check
Integrated does not just mean several electronic units are installed in the same airplane. Here it means the units are connected and share information as part of one coordinated cockpit system.
Example Sentence 1
The aircraft's integrated avionics system displayed the GPS course, engine readings, and traffic information all on the same multifunction display.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach, the integrated avionics system updated the flight path on both the primary display and the navigation page after the pilot accepted the clearance.