VIGYANAM’20

A National Level
Technical Paper Presentation Competition
29thFebruary, 2020s

AIRCRAFT GPS TRACKING

M.S.KIRTANA, AKSHAT GAUR, ANUSHKA MISHRA

1. B.Tech, 2nd yr. Student, RKGIT, Ghaziabad, U.P, India, kirtanamarepalli@gmail.com

2. B.Tech, student, RKGIT, Ghaziabad, U.P, India

3. B.Tech, student, RKGIT, Ghaziabad, U.P, India

Abstract: GPS aircraft tracking. GPS aircraft tracking is a means of tracking the position of an
aircraft fitted with a GPS receiver. By communication with GPS satellites, detailed real-time data
on flight variables can be passed to a server on the ground.
Keywords: FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)

1. INTRODUCTION: requirements for aviation users. Space-

based position and navigation enables
The global positioning system (GPS) is a three-dimensional position determination
vital component of modern air navigation for all phases of flight from departure, en
and an invaluable component of the FAA's route, and arrival, to airport surface
Next Gen program. GPS data allows pilots navigation.
to obtain precise three-dimensional or
four-dimensional location data.
The GPS system uses triangulation to
determine an aircraft's exact location, as
well as speed, track, distance to or from
checkpoints, and time.
Aviators throughout the world use the
Global Positioning System (GPS) to
Cockpit view of pilots landing a plane. The
increase the safety and efficiency of flight.
trend toward an Area Navigation concept
With its accurate, continuous, and global
means a greater role for GPS. Area
capabilities, GPS offers seamless satellite
Navigation allows aircraft to fly user-
navigation services that satisfy many of the
preferred routes from waypoint.
 to waypoint, where waypoints do not beyond the
depend on ground infrastructure. capabilities of
Procedures have been expanded to use the current GPS
GPS and augmented services for all phases services. The
of flight. This has been especially true in availability of
areas that lack suitable ground based this signal
navigation aids or surveillance equipment. offers increased
instrument
New and more efficient air routes made
approach opportunity throughout the world
possible by GPS are continuing to expand.
by making the use of dual-frequency
Vast savings in time and money are being
avionics possible. Dual frequency means
realized. In many cases, aircraft flying
that errors that occur in the signals due to
over data-sparse areas such as oceans have
disturbances in the ionosphere can be
been able to safely reduce their separation
significantly reduced through the
between one another, allowing more
simultaneous use of two signals. This will
aircraft to fly more favourable and
improve the overall system robustness, to
efficient routes, saving time, fuel, and
include accuracy, availability, and
increasing cargo revenue.
integrity, and will allow a precise approach
Improved approaches to airports, which capability with little or no ground
significantly increase operational benefits infrastructure investment.
and safety, are now being implemented
Reliance on GPS as the foundation for
even at remote locations where traditional
today and tomorrow's air traffic
ground-based services are unavailable. In
management system is a major part of
some regions of the world, satellite signals
many national plans. Those aviation
are augmented, or improved for special
authorities that are moving forward with
aviation applications, such as landing
GPS have observed and documented
planes during poor visibility conditions. In
reductions in flight time, workload, and
those cases, even greater precision
operating costs for both the airspace user
operations are possible.
and service provider. GPS also serves as
The good news for the aviation community an essential component for many other
is that GPS is being constantly improved aviation systems, such as the Enhanced
and modernized. A main component of the Ground Proximity Warning System
ongoing civilian modernization effort is (EGPWS) that has proven successful in
the addition of two new signals. These reducing the risk of Controlled Flight into
signals complement the existing civilian Terrain, a major cause of many aircraft
service. The first of these new signals is accidents.
for general use in non-safety critical
applications. The second new signal will
be internationally protected for aviation
navigational purposes. This additional
safety-of-life civilian signal will make
GPS an even more robust navigation
service for many aviation applications.
The second safety-of-life signal will
enable significant benefits above and

2. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CAR AND AIRCRAFT GPS
SYSTEM
The Global Positioning System used by
both cars and airplanes has three elements:
a receiver that employs satellite signals to
locate where you are from moment to
moment; a computer processor that
interprets that information to determine
direction and speed; and a database that
tells you how to get from where you are to
where you’re going.
The receiver picks up transmissions from
24 satellites, each in its own orbit above
the Earth. Those signals tell the receiver
exactly what angle it is from a satellite.
Picture a thread running from the satellite
to the receiver. That’s called a “line of
position” and the concept dates back to
when ancient navigators determined where
they were by observing the angle of the
sun and stars above the horizon—the
original GPS “satellites.”
Knowing where you are in relation to just
one GPS satellite might not help much.
But if you stretch out the equivalent of
those electronic threads to several of the
24 satellites, you can zero in on where they
all converge. That’s your position in space
(including your altitude), and GPS can nail
it to within the proverbial gnat’s backside.
The processor then takes over. As you
speed along, it measures where you are
now…and now…and now, recording your
exact location several times per second.
From that data, it can calculate what
compass direction you’re heading. And by
comparing distance travelled with the time
elapsed, it knows how fast you’re moving.
Great stuff.
Your car’s GPS uses the same satellites
that aircraft employ, and its receiver reads
the signals just fine. It’s the database in the
automotive GPS that falls short. And it has
nothing to do with the quality of the
hardware. The problem is that a car
requires almost infinitely more complex
data than an airplane.
Aircraft have to fly a carefully
choreographed route only right after take-
off and just before landing. That’s when
they have to avoid hills, cell towers, and
skyscrapers. And since airports are to
airplanes what switching yards are to
trains, traffic control is critical, too.
Especially in low visibility, every aircraft
has to stay on the right track, and there are
lots of them converging.
But taking off and landing usually
represent just a few minutes out of a flight.
The rest of the time, direct “airways”
follow a series of straight lines between
electronic waypoints that could be
hundreds of miles apart. According to the
FAA, our national airspace system
includes 62,310 GPS waypoints. A
waypoint can represent an airport, a
navigation beacon, an intersection between
two airways, or a strategic fix that’s part of
a safe instrument approach to an airport.
While 62,310 might sound like a lot, its
computer child’s play compared with the
Salmost infinite number of pinpoints
needed to map out the U.S. roadway
system. Think of every traffic light, one-
way alley, and exact street address. And
remember, the airplane needs only to fly
from waypoint to waypoint in a straight
line. The roadway database has to track
every twist and turn in every highway and
byway.
2. HISTORY OF GPS
The United States military first used GPS
as a navigation tool in the 1970s. In the
1980s, the U.S. government made GPS
accuracy of GPS for public users,
reserving only the most accurate version of
GPS for the military.
In 2000, under the Clinton administration,
selective availability was turned off, and
the same accuracy that the military had
benefited from was made available to the
general public.
GPS Components:
The GPS system has three components:
The space segment, control segment, and
user segments.
The space component consists of about 31
GPS satellites. The United States Air
Force operates these 31 satellites, plus
three to four decommissioned satellites
that can be reactivated if needed. At any
given moment, a minimum of 24 satellites
is operational in a specially designed orbit.
This orbit ensures that at least four
satellites are in view at the same time from
almost any point on earth. The complete
coverage that satellites offer makes the
GPS system the most reliable navigation
system in modern aviation.
The control segment is made up of a series
of ground stations used to interpret and
relay satellite signals to various receivers.
Ground stations include a master control
station, an alternate master control station,
12 ground antennas, and 16 monitoring
stations.
The user segment of the GPS system
involves various receivers from all
different types of industries. National
security, agriculture, space, surveying, and
mapping are all examples of end-users in
the GPS system. In aviation, the user is
available to the general public, free of
charge, with one catch: A special mode,
called Selective Availability, would be
enabled to purposefully reduce the
typically the pilot, who views GPS data on
display in the cockpit of the aircraft.
How It Works:
GPS satellites orbit about 12,000 miles
above us and complete one orbit every 12
hours. They are solar-powered, fly in
medium Earth orbit and transmit radio
signals to receivers on the ground.
Ground stations use the signals to track
and monitor satellites, and these stations
provide the master control station (MCS)
with data. The MCS then provides precise
position data to the satellites.
The receiver in an aircraft receives time
data from the satellites' atomic clocks. It
compares the time it takes for the signal to
go from the satellite to the receiver, and
calculates distance based on that very
accurate and specific time. GPS receivers
use triangulation—date from at three
satellites—to determine a precise two-
dimensional location. With at least four
satellites in view and operational, three-
dimensional location data can be obtained.
GPS Errors:
Ionosphere interference: the signal from
the satellites actually slows down as it
passes through the Earth's atmosphere.
GPS technology accounts for this error by
taking an average time, which means the
error still exists but is limited.
Clock error: The clock on the GPS
receiver might not be as accurate as the
atomic clock on the GPS satellite, creating
a very slight accuracy problem.
Orbital error: Orbit calculations can be interference can occur. GPS signals are
inaccurate, causing ambiguity in only available when the receiver can "see"
determining the satellite's exact location. the satellite, meaning the data will be
missing or inaccurate among tall buildings,
Position error: GPS signals can bounce
dense terrain, and underground.
off of buildings, terrain, and even electrical
Practical Use of GPS: airspace system to become much more
efficient and assist in meeting the needs of
GPS is widely used in aviation today as a
the national airspace system in the future.
source of area navigation. Almost every
aircraft built today come with a GPS unit How Pilots Use Air Navigation to Fly:
installed as standard equipment. General
Dead Reckoning and Pilotage:
aviation, business aviation, and
commercial aviation have all found At the most simple level, navigation is
valuable uses for GPS. accomplished through ideas known as
dead reckoning and pilotage. Pilotage is a
From basic navigation and position data to
term that refers to the sole use of visual
airspeed, tracking and airport locations,
ground references. The pilot identifies
GPS is a precious tool for aviators.
landmarks, such as rivers, towns, airports,
Installed GPS units can be approved for and buildings and navigates among them.
use in IMC and for other IFR flights. The trouble with pilotage is that, often,
Instrument pilots find GPS to be extremely references aren't easily seen and can't be
helpful in maintaining situational easily identified in low visibility
awareness and flying instrument approach conditions or if the pilot gets off track even
procedures. Handheld units, while not slightly. Therefore, the idea of dead
approved for IFR use, can be a helpful reckoning was introduced.
back-up for instrument failures, as well as
Dead reckoning involves the use of visual
a valuable tool for maintaining situational
checkpoints along with time and distance
awareness in any situation.
calculations. The pilot chooses
Pilots flying VFR also use GPS as a checkpoints that are easily seen from the
navigation tool and a back-up to traditional air and also identified on the map and then
pilotage and dead reckoning techniques. calculates the time it will take to fly from
one point to the next based on distance,
All pilots can appreciate GPS data in
airspeed, and wind calculations. A flight
emergency situations, as the database will
computer aids pilots in computing the time
allow them to search for the nearest
and distance calculations and the pilot
airport, calculate time en route, fuel on-
typically uses a flight planning log to keep
board , time of sunset and sunrise, and
track of the calculations during flight.
much, much more.
Most recently, the FAA has enabled
WAAS GPS procedures for approaches,
introducing a new precision approach to
pilots in the form of a Localizer
Performance with Vertical Guidance
(LPV) approach. This is a precision
approach that will enable the national

WORKING OF Global Positioning
System (GPS) in Aviation:
Global positioning system navigation
(GPS) is the fastest growing type of
GPS receiver with extreme accuracy. GPS
can be utilized on its own for en route
navigation, or it can be integrated into
other navigation systems, such as
VOR/RNAV, inertial reference, or flight
management systems.
navigation in aviation. It is accomplished
through the use of NAVSTAR satellites
set and maintained in orbit around the
earth. Continuous coded transmissions
from the satellites facilitate locating the
position of an aircraft equipped with a
maintaining situational awareness in any
situation.

There are three segments of GPS: the

space segment, the control segment, and
the user segment. Aircraft technicians are
only involved with user segment
equipment such as GPS receivers,

displays, and antennas.

Instrument approach procedures. Handheld

units, while not approved for IFR use, can

be a helpful back-up for instrument
failures, as well as a valuable tool for