PBN.3.3 PBN Components – Navigation Infrastructure Flashcards
What’s NAVAID infrastructure?
One of the three components of PBN
Refers to Ground and Space-based NAVAIDs
What does it provide?
Positioning capability
What functionality may acft include that can also provide positioning capability?
INS
Which institution sets out performance requirements for nav systems to support the different phases of flight?
ICAO
Where can you find these performance standards?
Annex 10, Volume 1 of the Chicago Convention
What do the navigation aids (NAVAIDs) primarily provide?
Range or bearing information which is received by the acft’s sensors
For what objective is this information used?
To estimate a position
How is this estimate used?
It is compared to a defined flight path by a navigation computer
What are the primary sensors used for Area NAvigation (laterally)
GROUND BASED
VOR/VOR (Bearing/Bearing)
- Requires 2 stations to estimate a position
- Poor accuracy means that it is not used by RNAV systems
VOR/DME (Bearing/Range)
- Angular error from the VOR limits the maximum range for some
navigation applications
DME/DME (Range/Range)
- Requires a minimum of 2 DMEs to estimate a position
- Computer must resolve point of ambiguity (the other point where
the two circles intersect) - Supports all navigation applicaitions down to the Final Approach Fix
(FAF)
SPACE-BASED
- GPS + acft or satellite-based augmentation systems (GNSS)
- 3D position is calculate by estimating range from 4 satellites
What are the systems that support vertical navigation?
(VERTICAL POSITIONING)
- Barometric Altimetry (BARO VNAV)
- Provides readings based on atmospheric pressure (temperature
dependant) - Approach path will become shallower in colder temperatures and
steeper in higher temperatures
- Provides readings based on atmospheric pressure (temperature
- Geometric Altimetry:
- Part of the 3D solution provided by GNSS. Its vertical accuracy is quite good but the integrity of GPS constellation alone is insufficient for aviation approach applications.
What are the systems developed to increase the integrity of the GPS constellation?
- Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS): provides lateral and vertical position accuracy with integrity
- EGNOS - EUROPE
- WAAS - United States
- MSAS - Japan
- GAGAN - India
- SDCM - Russia
- SACCSA South America
- Ground Based Augmentaion Systems (GBAS):
- Supports precision approaches down to CAT I. Could be used by suitably equipped RNAV systems
- Precision Approach is not part of PBN
What are the implications for PBN?
LNAV/VNAV
- Estimated horizontal and vertical position is compared against the defined path created by the nav computer
- Waypoints dfining the path are normally extracted from the nav database
- Lateral and Vertical guidance from the estimated position onto the defined path is called, LNAV and VNAV, respectively
Positioning Accuracy
- Related to the type of navigation sensor used.
- Each sensor has its own error value: Navigation Sensor Error (NSE)
- Also called Dilution of precision (DOP)
What’s DOP dependent on? What is it used for?
Relative angle the signals subtend at the aircraft (angle of cut)
Used by navigation computer to calculate the level of uncertainty in position estimation
Sensors and PBN:
NDB
- Not considered PBN as it is not accurate enough for position estimation
VOR
- The least accurate at long range of the ground-based NAvaids used in PBN
- Too inacurate for the more demaing lateral track accuracy requirements
- VOR only supports RNAV 5
DME
- Supports a navigational performance down to 1NM, providing there are sufficient stations with appropriate geometry
- accuracy of a DME/DME position estimation is too poor when the subtended angles (due to DOP) of the signals from a pair of stations are less than 30º and more than 150º
- DME positions cannot support RNP APCH
GNSS
- Smallest error
- With augmentation (integrity checking) provides a navigation solution for every NAvigation Application
Who decides which sensors are fitted to the aircraft?
The aircraft manufacturers and AOs
On-Board Autonomous Navigation Capability
How can the position information of an aircraft be given by other means than a sensor?
Inertial Platforms
What are the two types of inertial platforms?
Inertial Reference Systems (IRS) & Inertial Navigation Systems (INS)
When is inertial capability required?
Only for the most demanding Navigation Specification - RNP (AR) APCH
Inertial Reference Systems (IRS)
- Positional info derived autonomously, without reference to any external systems and can be used when no other position information is available
- It can provide short term accurate information that can be used with ground or space-based navigation systems to enhance the position estimation.
- It can also be used to replace external sensors to cover short term outages