Practical Training Manual

Bangladesh airlines Training Centre

EASA Part 147 Approved Maintenance Training
Organization

Task Code Name of the Task Applicability

13.04.202.1.1 B2
6

Location:
Number of students in a group: 08
Allocated Hours: 03

Objective:
To understand the main components of Radio Altimeter System.

Tools/Equipment and Materials:

1. KING KRA 405 Radio Altimeter System

Students Activity:

Safety Precaution:

Theory:
The radio altimeter measures the height of the aircraft above the ground. If an aircraft is in
level flight, the barometric altimeter reading will be steady. While the radio altimeter reading
will varying unless the aircraft is flying over sea or plain. It follows that radio altimeters are
most useful when close to the ground, say below 2500 feet, and practically so when landing
providing the final approach over a fat surface.
Radio Altimeter System is made of the following main components:
A. Transceiver
B. Indicator
C. Antenna
D. Aircraft Installation Delay

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Bangladesh airlines Training Centre
EASA Part 147 Approved Maintenance Training
Organization

Transceiver: The transmitter – receiver (T/R) contains all the RF circuits as well as the
modulator, duplexer, IF stages, analogue to digital converter and power supply unit. Energy
is radiated at a frequency in the band of (4200-4400) MHZ. Modulation of the carrier is
necessary in order to ‘mark’ the time of transmission. So, both FM and pulse transmissions
are used. Radio height is measured using the basic idea of radio ranging. The receiver
measures the elapsed time between transmission of an e.m wave its reception after reflection
from the ground.
The height is given formula:
h=492t
where , t= Elapsed time in microsecond

FIGURE: RADIO ALTIMETER INDICATOR

Indicator: Radio altitude is got in feet on a mechanical scale. The pointer reads this data.
These are the features of KRA-405 radar indicator.

Flag: Indicates invalid altitude information. It is displayed when self-test button is depressed.

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Bangladesh airlines Training Centre
EASA Part 147 Approved Maintenance Training
Organization

DH Lamp: This lamp glows when the aircraft reaches at DH height. The lamp can be turned
off by pushing the lamp in. the lamp can turn on again, when below the decision height, by
depressing the lamp a second time.
Once turned off, the DH Lamp will be automatically armed upon climb out as the aircraft
passes through the DH altitude. Pressing the self-test button will also turn on the DH lamp if
the DH bug is set above 50 feet.

Self Test button: When depressed the flag comes in view and (50± 5) feet in displayed.

DH knob: This knob controls the DH bug. By turning it clock-wise , the bug will increase in
altitude and counterclockwise the bug will decrease in altitude.

DH bug: Indicates altitude during an approach at which the DH lamp will glow.

Antenna
There are two antennas for radio altimeter system. One is transmitting antenna and other one
is receiving antenna. The antenna are broadly directional, flash-mounted horn type, often
being employed giving a beam width between about 20° and 40°. The antenna must be
mounted sufficiently for apart to avoid excessive leakage but not so for apart as to produce a
large parallax error at touchdown.

Aircraft Installation Delay

Aircraft installation delay (AID) is the elapsed time between transmit and receive when the
aircraft is at touchdown, and is due to the delay in the feeders and the height of the antennas
above the ground. In order that the indicator will read zero feet on landing the installation
must be calibrated. Various methods have been used, by far the most common being that laid
down in ARINC 552A; AID is defined by the formula:
AID = P+K(Ct + Cr)…………….. 1
where:
P is total minimum path length between transmit and receive antennas via the ground when
the aircraft is in the touchdown position (minimum path length is specified to avoid parallax
error);
K is the ratio of the speed of light to the speed of propagation of the co-axial cable .
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 Practical Training Manual
Bangladesh airlines Training Centre
EASA Part 147 Approved Maintenance Training
Organization

Ct is the transmitter feeder length ;

Cr is the receiver feeder length.
(AID is not in fact aircraft installation delay since AID is an elapsed time whereas the right-
hand side of (equation 1 ) is in feet. A more accurate term would be residual altitude).

Limitations

_______________________
Assessor’s Signature

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