Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T07:44:07.521Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Experimental advanced RNP to xLS approaches with vertical path coding and automatic landings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2018

T. Dautermann*
Affiliation:
German Aerospace Center (DLR)Institute of Flight GuidanceBraunschweigGermany
T. Ludwig
Affiliation:
German Aerospace Center (DLR)Institute of Flight GuidanceBraunschweigGermany
R. Geister
Affiliation:
German Aerospace Center (DLR)Institute of Flight GuidanceBraunschweigGermany
T. Blase
Affiliation:
German Aerospace Center (DLR)Institute of Flight GuidanceBraunschweignow at MBDA Deutschland GmbHHagenauer Forst 2786529 SchrobenhausenGermany

Abstract

We report on the flight test results of an Airbus 320 during novel advanced required navigation performance (RNP) procedures which contain a fixed radius turn that delivers the aircraft onto a short instrument landing system (ILS) precision final. Moreover, the advanced RNP part contains altitude constraints and/or a coded vertical path angle. The approaches were flown automatically with guidance and autothrust as computed by the flight management system. We investigated the use of the fixed radius in conjunction with vertical path options onto (a) the performance of the speed profile for arrival time optimisation, (b) the vertical path during the RNP part of the procedure and (c) the performance of the autoland capability after a curved transition onto an ILS.

For the trials, we designed five instrument approaches to a runway equipped with ILS. A RF curve terminates at the ILS intercept point at heights of 550, 750, 1000, 1500 and 2000 ft above aerodrome level and each approach had four different initial approach fixes which corresponded to a track angle change of 30°, 60°, 90° and 180° during the constant radius turn-to-final. We constructed the procedure such that the altitude constraints at initial, intermediate and final approach fix describe a continuous vertical path with minus 2° inclination, transitioning to the –3° glide path of the ILS and intercepting the glide path from below. In all cases, the land mode of the flight guidance computer became active between 316 and 381ft radar altitude. The vertical path following error depended on the coding of the procedure in the database. With coded vertical path angle and altitude constraints, the vertical path following error was never greater than +57 m (above desired flight path) during the RNP part when flown by the automatic flight guidance system without any pilot intervention.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Aeronautical Society 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Forssell, B. Radionavigation Systems. GNSS Technology and Applications Series, Artech House, 2008.Google Scholar
2. Misra, P. and Enge, P. Global Positioning System: Signals, Measurements, and Performance. No. ISBN 0-9709544-1-7, Ganga-Jamuna Press, 2011.Google Scholar
3. Walter, T. and Enge, P. “Weighted RAIM for precision approach,” in Proceedings of the 8th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1995), Palm Springs, CA, pp. 1995–2004, September 1995.Google Scholar
4. NAVSTAR GPS Joint Program Office, NAVSTAR GPS Space Segment/Navigation User Interfaces, IS-GPS-200H, 2014.Google Scholar
5. Russian Institute of Space Device Engineering, GLONASS INTERFACE CONTROL DOCUMENT, 2008.Google Scholar
6. “European gnss (galileo) open service signal in space interface control document,” 2015.Google Scholar
7. Dautermann, T., Felux, M. and Grosch, A. Approach service type D evaluation of the DLR GBAS testbed, GPS Solutions, 2012, vol. 16, (no. 3), pp. 375387 doi: 10.1007/s10291-011-0239-3.Google Scholar
8. Felux, M., Dautermann, T. and Becker, H. GBAS landing system – precision approach guidance after ILS, Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, 2013, vol. 85, (no. 5), pp. 382388 doi: 10.1108/AEAT-07-2012-0115.Google Scholar
9. RTCA DO253C, Minimum Operational Performance Standards for GPS Local Area Augmentation System Airborne Equipment, 2008.Google Scholar
10. EUROCAE ED114A, Minimum operational performance specification for global navigation satellite ground based augmentation system ground equipment to support category I operations, 2013.Google Scholar
11. Dautermann, T. Civil air navigation using GNSS enhanced by wide area satellite based augmentation systems, Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 2014, vol. 67, pp. 5162. doi: 10.1016/j.paerosci.2014.01.003 Google Scholar
12. RTCA DO229D, Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Global Positioning System/ Wide Area Augmentation System Airborne Equipment, 2006.Google Scholar
13. RTCA DO236B, Minimum aviation system performance specification required navigation performance for area navigation, September 2000.Google Scholar
14. Titterton, D. H. and Weston, J. L. Strapdown Inertial Navigation Technology, 2nd Edition. The Institution of Electrical Engineers, 2004.Google Scholar
15. Groves, P. Principles of GNSS, Inertial, and Multisensor Integrated Navigation Systems. Artech House Inc, 2007.Google Scholar
16. ICAO, Performance-based Navigation Manual, fourth edition ed., 2012. Doc 9613.Google Scholar
17. Geister, R., Dautermann, T., Mollwitz, V., Hanses, C. and Becker, H. “3d-precision curved approaches: A cockpit view on atm,” in Proceedings of the Tenth USA/Europe Air Traffic Management Research and Development Seminar (ATM2013), June 2013.Google Scholar
18. Kelly, R. J. and Davis, J.M. Required navigation performance (rnp) for precision approach and landing with GNSS application, Navigation, 1994, vol. 41, (no. 1), pp. 130.Google Scholar
19. Aeronautical Radio Inc., Navigation System Database. No. 424-20, 2011.Google Scholar
20. International Civil Aviation Organization, Procedures for Air Navigation Services Volume 2, doc 8168-ops/611 ed.Google Scholar
21. “ICAO Annex 10 Aeronautical Telecommunications: Volume 1 - Radio Navigation Aids,” 2006.Google Scholar
22. DeSmedt, D., Robert, E. and Behrend, F. “RNP to precision approach transition flight simulations,” in Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC), 2014 IEEE/AIAA 33rd, pp. 2B3–1–2B3–18, Oct 2014.Google Scholar
23. SESAR Joint Undertaking WP9.9, “Report for the rnp to precision approach transition flight simulations (vp-801),” Tech. Rep. D23, 2014.Google Scholar
24. SESAR Joint Undertaking WP9.9, “Rnp to xls functional requirements,” Tech. Rep. D25, 2014.Google Scholar
25. SESAR Joint Undertaking WP9.9, “Rnp to xls architecture,” Tech. Rep. D26, 2014.Google Scholar
26. SESAR Joint Undertaking WP9.9, “Rnp to xls operational concept document,” Tech. Rep. D24, 2014.Google Scholar
27. DeSmedt, D., Robert, E. and Behrend, F. “Simulations investigating combined effect of lateral and vertical navigation errors on pbn to xls transition,” in Digital Avionics Systems Conference (DASC), 2015 IEEE/AIAA 34th, pp. 1–23, Sept 2015.Google Scholar
28. Performance based operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee, Rnp to xls recommendations, United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 2011.Google Scholar
29. ICAO Doc 9365, Manual of all-weather operations, 2013.Google Scholar
30. EASA CS-AWO, Certification specifications for all weather operations, 2003.Google Scholar
31. EASA CS-25, Certification specifications and acceptable means of compliance for large aeroplanes, 2016.Google Scholar
32. EASA OPS.SPA, Acceptable means of compliance (amc) and guidance material (gm) to part-spa.Google Scholar
33. Aeronautical Radio, INC., ARINC429, Mark 33 digital information transfer system (dits) part 1: Functional description, electrical interface, label assignments and word formats, Sept 2001.Google Scholar
34. Dautermann, T. Extending required navigation performance to include time based operations and the vertical dimension, Navigation, 2016, vol. 63, (no. 1), pp. 5364 doi: 10.1002/navi.124.Google Scholar
35. Airbus Industries, Airbus 320 Flight Crew Operating Manual.Google Scholar
36. International Civil Aviation Organization, Required Navigation Performance Authorization Required (RNP AR) Procedure Design Manual, doc 9905 ed., 2009.Google Scholar
37. Performance based operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee, “Rnp established-parallel approach,” tech. rep., Performance-based operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee, 2011.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Dautermann et al. supplementary material

Dautermann et al. supplementary material 1

Download Dautermann et al. supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 2.8 MB