Aircraft Navigation Basics

1/C MQS
Two Schools of Air Nav
Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
Navigation accomplished primarily by visual reference to the
ground (charts, DR)
Requires at least 1000 ft. cloud ceiling and 3 miles of visibility
(must be able to see where youre going!)
Basic pilot training/certification

Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)

Navigation accomplished primarily by reference to onboard
instruments, electronic navigation aids, and Air Traffic Control
No weather minimums
More advanced pilot training/certification required
Methods of AirNav
Visual (Pilotage)
Dead Reckoning
Course Rules (preplanned routes based on major landmarks)
Charts
Global Navigation Satellite System
GPS
GLONASS
Radio Beacons
Automatic Direction Finder (ADF)/Non-Directional Beacon (NDB)
Very-High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR)
Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN)
RADAR Surveillance
Air Traffic Control
Airborne/Shipboard RADAR
Visual Flight Rules

VFR Charts Display

Major landmarks/obstacles
Airports and relevant information
Population centers
Major roads
Airspace dimensions
 Global Positioning System (GPS)

Primary navigation
method for modern aircraft

Minimal error

Can be used for precision

landings

Worldwide coverage
 Non-Directional Beacon (NDB)
Fixed ground station provides basic bearing
to information

Greater range but less precision than other

methods

Aircraft can use signal to home on the

station
Radio Navigation
VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR)

Ground station emits directional radio

signals 360 around station

Offers more precise course guidance

Line-of-Sight (LOS) dependent

Provides aircraft with a line of position

to/from the station (radial)

Multiple station fixes can be used to

triangulate position
 TACAN (TACtical Air Navigation)
Available to military users only

Ground or ship-based

Provides bearing AND range

information

Distance Measuring Equipment

(DME) onboard aircraft sends and
receives signals to ground station
to determine range (similar to
active SONAR).

Distance provided is slant range

distance, which is not the same
as distance over the ground!
 RADAR Surveillance
Navigation function performed by RADAR
stations
Ground facilities
Airport towers
Approach/Departure Control
Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC)
Ships
CIC
ASW/ASUC Tactical Air Controller (ASTAC)
Aircraft
E-2 Hawkeye
E-3 AWACS

Primary function is aircraft separation and

airspace management

Requires two-way communication

Severe weather avoidance available

Signals Degradation
Navigational data is typically provided simultaneously,
providing redundancy and enhanced reliability.

Any of the navigational aids utilized by aircraft are vulnerable

to attack/jamming/compromise.

In a degraded signals environment, aircraft navigation and

operational performance will suffer as data inputs are
reduced or eliminated altogether.

Many modern weapon systems such as the GPS guided

JDAM are similarly vulnerable to a degraded environment.
Review
Two categories of aircraft navigation
Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)

Methods of aircraft navigation

Dead reckoning, visual orientation, pilotage
GNSS (GPS)
Radio beacon (NDB, VOR, TACAN)
RADAR Surveillance

Signals degradation
Navigational accuracy and operational performance are
degraded when input signals are jammed or compromised