Chapter Area navigation

16

- -
d = 1.1 h

16.1 RNAV overview

Table 16.1 Theoretical LOS range

-
Altitude (feet) Range (nm)

100 10
1,000 32
5,000 70
10,000 100
20,000 141
208 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

(a) VHF omni directional range (VOR) overview

(b) VHF omni directional range line of sight

Figure 16.1 VOR principles

(a) Secondary radar used for DME (b) DME transponder (right of photo)

Figure 16.2 DME principles

Area navigation 209

Figure 16.3(a) Aircraft flying along a conventional airway

Figure 16.3(b) A typical airways chart

210 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

(a) Line of sight versus altitude

Figure 16.5(a) Creating a waypoint (VOR

VOR)

(b) DME slant range

Figure 16.4 Line of sight and slant range

Figure 16.5(b) Creating a waypoint (VOR
DME)

Figure 16.6 Creating an RNAV leg

 

- -


-
Area navigation 211

Figure 16.7 Features and benefits of RNAV

16.2 RNAV equipment

16.2.1 Control display unit (CDU)


 -
212 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

(d) Integrated avionics touchscreen display

(a) RNAV control display unit (CDU)

(e) Integrated avionics - keyboard

(b) Course deviation indicator (CDI)

(f) IFD100 tablet application (courtesy of

Avidyne)
(c) Horizontal situation indicator (HSI)

Figure 16.8 RNAV control and display

Area navigation 213

Key point
RNAV systems use a combination of navigation
system inputs

Key point -

RNAV-equipped aircraft are able to operate in

conditions and scenarios that would not have
been previously possible, thereby obtaining higher
utilisation of the aircraft.

16.2.2 Navigation instruments -

16.2.4 Navigation database (NDB)

16.2.3 Computer




- 






214 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

Figure 16.9 RNAV geometry

Area navigation 215

Figure 16.10 RNAV geometry vertical profile

Figure 16.11 RNAV geometry lateral profile

216 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

- -
Figure 16.12 Ambiguous DME position fix

Table 16.2 Navigation aids in Belgium

-
Name Identification Type
Affligem AFI VOR DME
16.2.5 Integrated systems
Antwerpen ANT VOR DME
Beauvechain BBE TACAN
Bruno BUN VOR DME
Brussels BUB VOR DME
Chievres CIV VOR
Chievres CIV TACAN
Costa COA VOR DME
Flora FLO VOR DME -
Florennes BFS TACAN
Gosly GSY VOR DME
Huldenberg HUL VOR DME
-
Kleine Brogel BBL TACAN
Koksy KOK VORTAC
-
Liege LGE VOR DME -

-
-
Area navigation 217

Figure 16.13 Illustration of standard instrument departures (SIDs)

Test your understanding 16.3

-
What feature is used to select the best navigation
aids for optimised area navigation?

Test your understanding 16.1 16.3 Kalman filters

Give (a) three features and (b) three benefits of
RNAV.

Test your understanding 16.2

The navigation database contains permanent
records for radio navigation aids. List the typical
information that is stored for each one.
218 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

Figure 16.14 Illustration of standard terminal arrival routes (STAR)

Figure 16.15 Line-of-sight coverage of radio

navigation aids in Northern Europe
Area navigation 219

Test your understanding 16.4

What is the difference between a SID and STAR?
-

Key point -
The RNAV navigation database is updated every
28 days to take into account anything that has
changed with a navigation aid, e.g. frequency
changes, temporary unavailability, etc.

Test your understanding 16.5

Explain the purpose of a Kalman filter.




16.4 Required navigation performance 
(RNP) 







 -



220 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

Test your understanding 16.7

Explain what is meant by RNP and why it is
needed.

Test your understanding 16.8

-
Explain why an RNAV database needs to be
updated every 28 days.

16.5 PBN system errors

-
Key point
Waypoints can be based on existing navigation
aids and defined mathematically as:
 rho theta (using one DME and one VOR
navigation aid)
 rheta theta (using two VOR navigation aids)
 rho rho (using two DME navigation aids).

Key point
Auto-tuning of navigation aids is used by RNAV
systems to select the best navigation aids for
optimised area navigation.

Key point
Required navigation performance (RNP) is the -
performance-based successor to area navigation
(RNAV).

Test your understanding 16.6

Explain why RNAV systems using VOR DME are
generally unavailable beyond land and its
immediate coastal regions.
Area navigation 221

16.6 Multiple choice questions

-
222 Aircraft communications and navigation systems

Figure 16.16 See Question 16