APALS program status: preproduction flight test results and production implementation

James J. Hvizd; Otto W. Dieffenbach

doi:10.1117/12.241061

27 May 1996 APALS program status: preproduction flight test results and production implementation

James J. Hvizd, Otto W. Dieffenbach

Proceedings Volume 2737, Air Traffic Control Technologies II; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.241061
Event: Aerospace/Defense Sensing and Controls, 1996, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The APALS system is a precision approach and landing system designed to enable low visibility landings at many more airports than now possible. Engineering development of the APALS system began October 1992 culminating in the pre- production Advanced Development Model (ADM) system currently undergoing flight testing. The paper focuses on the Cat III accuracy and integrity requirements defined by ICAO, Annex 10 and the required navigation performance (RNP) tunnel concept. The resulting ADM architecture developed to meet them is described. The primary measurement is made with the aircraft's weather radar and provides range and range rate information to the ADM necessary to update the precision navigation state vector. The system uses stored terrain map data as references for map matching with synthetic aperture radar with synthetic aperture radar maps. A description of the pre-production flight test program is included. Testing is being conducted at six different airports around the country demonstrating system performance in various environmental conditions (precipitation, heavy foliage, sparse terrain, over water and turbulence). ADM flight test results of 131 successful CAT II hand-flown approaches at ALbuquerque, NM and Richmond, VA are presented. Detailed statistical analysis of these results indicate that the APALS system meets the RNP for Cat III.

Citation Download Citation

James J. Hvizd and Otto W. Dieffenbach "APALS program status: preproduction flight test results and production implementation", Proc. SPIE 2737, Air Traffic Control Technologies II, (27 May 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.241061

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