Test flights were conducted to evaluate the capability of Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) to provide the accuracy and integrity required for International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Category (CAT) 3 precision approach and landings. These test flights were part of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program to evaluate the technical feasibility of using DGPS based technology for CAT 3 precision approach and landing applications. A United Airlines Boeing 737-300 (N304UA) was equipped with DGPS receiving equipment and additional computing capability provided by Stanford University. The test flights were conducted at NASA Ames Research Center's Crows Landing Flight Facility, Crows Landing, California. The flight test evaluation was based on completing 100 approaches and autolandings; 90 touch and go, and 10 terminating with a full stop. Two types of accuracy requirements were evaluated: 1) Total system error, based on the Required Navigation Performance (RNP), and 2) Navigation sensor error, based on ICAO requirements for the Microwave Landing System (MLS). All of the approaches and autolandings were evaluated against ground truth reference data provided by a laser tracker. Analysis of these approaches and autolandings shows that the Stanford University/United Airlines system met the requirements for a successful approach and autolanding 98 out of 100 approaches and autolandings, based on the total system error requirements as specified in the FAA CAT 3 Level 2 Flight Test Plan.
Flight Test Evaluation of the Stanford University/United Airlines Differential GPS Category 3 Automatic Landing System
1995
473 pages
Report
No indication
English
Global Navigation Systems , Air Transportation , Navigation & Guidance System Components , Aeronautics , Accuracy , Aircraft landing , Approach indicators , Automatic landing control , Certification , Flight tests , Global positioning system , Ground truth , Microwave landing systems , Civil aviation , Commercial aircraft , Lasers , Navigation instruments , Technology assessment
DGPS CATEGORY IIIB FEASIBILITY DEMONSTRATION LANDING SYSTEM WITH FLIGHT TEST RESULTS
Online Contents | 1996
|DGPS Category IIIb Feasibility Demonstration - Landing System with Flight Test Results
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1996
|