Navigation Systems

Navigation has been an ever present component of man's exploration of the capability of flight. While the principles of navigation have not changed since the early days of sail, the increased speed of flight, particularly with the advent of the jet age, has placed an increased emphasis on accurate navigation. The increasingly busy skies and rapid technology developments have both emphasised the need for higher accuracy navigation and the means to accomplish it. Navigation is no longer a matter of getting from A to B safely, it is about doing it in a fuel efficient manner, keeping to tight airline schedules and avoiding other air traffic — commercial, general aviation, rotary wing, leisure and military. This chapter addresses some of the modern methods of navigation in a modern air transport system. The chapter describes current methods of navigation in general use which include classic dead reckoning, the use of radio navigation aids, baro-inertial navigation, the use of space based systems, and the integration of all these. Modern and emerging navigation systems are also described with the impact that these have on the human machine interface