Unit 1.

Embedded Global
Positioning System; Inertial
Navigation System

1a. Identify the principles of navigation systems

with at least 80% accuracy.
1a. Identify the principles of navigation systems
with at least 80% accuracy

Overview

Purpose
Terms
Navigational Measurements
Inertial Navigation
Radio Navigation
1a. Identify the principles of navigation systems
with at least 80% accuracy

Purpose
Navigation is the art and science of conducting
an aircraft expeditiously and safely to a specific
destination
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
Coordinate system +90
(position)
Latitude 60

30
Measure
North
Reference for Latitude 0 To
Is the equator (0 deg) South

30

60

Run East to West -90

 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms Reference
is the
Coordinate system (position) Prime
Longitude Meridian
0 degrees
Greenwich
,England

150 120 60 30 0
Run north to south 180 90

Measure
East
International Date Line to
+ 180 degrees West
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
+90
Latitude stated first in
degrees / minutes
60
Followed by Longitude
N 33 58.9 30
W 98 20.4
180 150 120 90 60 30 0
0

30

60

-90
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
Measuring in degrees
Degrees
Symbol:____
360 in a complete circle
Minutes
Symbol:___
60 in one degree
1 cannot exceed 60
61 = 1 1
Tenths of minutes
32 28.1
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
Nautical Mile
One Nautical Mile (nm) equals:
1 minute of longitude (only at the equator)
6076.1 ft
It is the primary navigation measurement for distance
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
Nautical Mile
Latitude and the nautical mile (nm)
Measurement is constant all the way to the poles
One minute of latitude, anywhere, equals one nautical mile
Longitude and the nautical mile (nm)
Measurement is NOT constant
One minute of longitude decreases in distance when approaching the
poles (converge)
One minute of longitude is only equal to 1nm when measured at the
equator
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Example calculating destinations

Plot destination if next destination was 10 Nm north of the aircraft
Start

Latitude
Current position 1Nm = 1 minute (always) Selected destination point
STPT 1

Add 10 Nm to current Latitude

W
S

N
E
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
Great Circle Steering

Greatest circle on any sphere is Great circles divide the

a great circle earth in two equal halves

Greatest circle are the Aircraft navigation

shortest distance navigating computes destinations
point to point on a sphere using great circle steering
computations
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
Altitude
Measures aircraft elevation
Above sea level (Mean Sea Level:MSL)
Above ground level (AGL)
Modes of operation dictate which altitude is used or calculated
Always measured in feet
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Terms
Steerpoints
Zulu Time
Time-Over-Steerpoints
Azimuth steering
Steer-to-indication
Steer-from
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Navigational Measurements
Reference planes Z

N
Y E

Horizontal Planes: X Y
-Used to determine
movement in N, S, E and W
direction
X
W S
Start
Vertical Plane: Z
-Used to determine movement in
inertial altitude
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Navigational Measurements
Speed- rate of motion
Velocity (ft/sec or Nm/hr)
Includes both speed and direction
Horizontal (X and Y axis)
Vertical (Z axis)
Acceleration (ft/sec2) change in velocity
Ground speed
Slant Range
Gravity
Force which pulls bodies towards the center of the earth
G force represents force of gravity exerted on all objects
The higher the g number the more force is exerted
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Navigational Measurements
Attitude The orientation of an aircrafts axis relative to a reference line

Horizon line- Reference that is parallel to

earths surface against which pitch and roll
is displayed

Normal Axis

Aircraft Axis
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy
Navigational Measurements
Azimuth
Pitch Normal Axis -Vertical Z axes (yaw) passes
-Imaginary pivot along lateral through the center of gravity
axis (wing to wing)
-Measures Nose up (+90)
and nose down (-90)
Left Wing Down, counter
Right Wing Down,
clockwise, negative roll (-)
clockwise, positive roll (+)

Roll
-Imaginary pivot along
longitudinal axis (nose to
tail). Measures to + 180 deg Pitch Roll Azimuth
Click to activate
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy
Magnetic North
Navigational Measurements standard for all
Navigation
Heading (Reference is North Pole) N(0) headings
Where the nose of the aircraft is (compass)
pointing along the horizontal
reference planes (X & Y); North,
True North
South, East or West (Earths spin axis)
W(270) standard for
Compass Lat/Long (maps)
360deg
Cardinal Points E(90)
N = 0deg
E = 90deg
S= 180deg
W = 270deg
S(180)
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy
Magnetic North
Navigational Measurements
Magnetic Variation N(0)
Angular difference between True North
magnetic north and true north

Converts true heading to mag

heading for use with conventional W(270)
aviation

Based on present position (incr

the further north you fly) E(90)

Mag/Var is automatically
computed within the F-16
navigational computer S(180)
Its necessary for pilots using
magnetic instruments with
standard maps (true north)
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy
Navigational Measurements
Course N(0)
The ground track which an aircraft is
flying (not heading)
Reference is the North pole
Drift due to winds (sideslip)
E
SE
NE
W(270) Heading E(90)
adjusts to
maintain a
course

S(180)
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Navigational Measurements
Relative Bearing
Angular direction measured from one
position to another

90
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
A primary navigation system computes the following:
Velocity (groundspeed not airspeed)
Acceleration
Attitude
Position
Inertial Altitude
Distance to destination
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

It is a self contained operating system

using a stable platform assy
Operates independent of the
environment
System designed to measure movement
based on:
Principles of inertia
Newtons laws of motion
Objects tends to maintain a state of
motion (at rest or in a straight line)
unless a force is applied
Acceleration is dependent on an objects
mass and the force applied to it
For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation Y

Basic Components Z X
Accelerometers
Primary measuring device
Pendulous device: Pendulum, due to inertia, tends to swing away from its
neutral position when movement occurs

Please Wait
Acceleration

Force
10 10 10
5 15 5 15 5 15
0 0 0
Signal Pickoff Device Tells how far the pendulum device has moved
The greater the distance, the greater the acceleration
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
Mechanical Gyro
Balance maintained
by spinning mass
Resist lateral
movement.
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy
Ring Laser Gyro (RLG)
Use lasers traveling in opposite directions within the same ring
Laser traveling in same direction of rotation has a longer distance to travel
Laser traveling in opposite direction has a shorter path to travel; the beam and the
detector are converging towards each other (shorter distance)
Variance in the lasers frequencies is proportional to the amount of rotation

Rotate Lasers
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
Standard INS
Mechanically establishes
a stable platform that
remains oriented with the
earths gravitational field
(horizontal axis)
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
Gimbals (4 each)
Connected to the airframe
serving as a ball & socket joint
between the
gyros/accelerometers and the
aircraft
Allow platform to move 360 deg
in all directions
Operate conjunctly with the
gyros keeping a level platform
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
Mechanical Gyro
Orient to keep the
platform level to the
earth at all times Gyros

Allow the stable

platform to operate
independently of the
environment
The leveled platform
represents the horizon
line
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
Accelerometers
1 Accelerometer (Vertical axis)
3 mounted on a
stabilized platform Z
Measure aircraft
acceleration along
each axis
X
Y

2 Accelerometers (Horizontal axis)

 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
Z

Ring Laser Gyros

One per axis
Accelerometers
Determines rotation about
3 axes
Roll
Output of rotation and
Y Pitch

acceleration used to
determine required
information by
mathematical equations X
Does not have mechanical
limitations of the Standard
INS YAW
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Inertial Navigation
Radial Error Rate (RER)
The amount of drift an inertial navigation unit has incurred over a period
of time (NM/hour)
Drift
The angular tilt of the platform inducing velocity errors
This is due to an accumulation of small platform errors over a period of

time
Observable errors:
Heading

Position(Lat/Long)

Velocity (X,Y, and Z)

RER rate is 1.6 NM/hour

 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Radio Navigation
Local Ground or Airborne system
Once Signal is received aircraft is able to determine:
Start

N32*55.9 W98*20.4

W
S

N
E
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Radio Navigation
Global positioning system (GPS)
Elements include:
Ground Stations: Located around the world
Transmit signals to the satellites
Keep the satellite constellation functioning

Satellite Network: 24 equally spaced satellites

Satellites orbit the earth in 12 hours
Each satellite continually transmits: Its location
Time marker
Orbit data/Almanac data

Airborne GPS Receiver: Installed in the aircraft

Only receives signals from visible satellites
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Radio Navigation
Satellite Ranging
The Receiver receives and decode satellite signals
Measure time for signal to travel from satellite to receiver
Multiply travel time by signal speed = distance to satellite
Know the distance to four satellites and precise 3D position can be
calculated
Calculate speed by measuring movement since last position calculation
GPS will calculate and provide the following:
Present position: Latitude & Longitude
Altitude
Velocity
Time
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Radio Navigation
GPS Receiver tracking sequence:
Receiver searches for satellites and determines which ones are visible
Visibility is based on:
User entered predictions of (PVT)
Present Position

Velocity

Time

Stored Almanac data (via DTC)

Almanac Data (from satellites)
Satellites orbit data and health info

Allows GPS receiver to know where satellites are: Receiver Position

Current date
Current time
Continually updated by satellites
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Radio Navigation
GPS Receiver tracking sequence:
If Almanac data is Not available or poor PVT predictions entered:
Receiver must search the sky for satellites (up to 90minutes)
Receiver locks onto any satellite in view
Downloads new almanac data
Initializes Tracking Sequence
 1a. Identify the principles of navigation
systems with at least 80% accuracy

Summary
Purpose of Navigation
Terms
Navigational Measurements
Inertial Navigation
Radio Navigation