Boeing 787
The Boeing 787 has a full Autoland capability where the aircraft
is able to land using its redundant autopilot systems, GPS/INS systems, and FAA
certified approach plate database. The
pilot of the aircraft selects the approach that is required and then selects
the Autoland system for the approach.
The pilot is capable of taking control and landing manually or aborting
the approach at any time. This system
has full control of the aircraft and will even keep the aircraft on the
centerline of the runway, slow down, brake, and stop the aircraft without input
from the pilot. Once the plane stops the
pilot must then take control of the airplane to taxi off the runway and to the
terminal. The crew of the aircraft is required
to keep current on this system and must do an Autoland approach on a regular
basis to keep proficient with this system.
The only downside to this system like any automated system is the
risk of complacency and putting too much trust into the system. Because the pilots are not actively engaged
in the landing other than as a system monitor there is a higher chance of
distractions and inattention. This must
be overcome with training and discipline.
I don’t see any other limitations to this system since the plane can be
reverted to fully manual control at any time.
Future improvements will likely involve more automated aborts if
approach limitations are exceeded and more accurate navigation equipment.
MQ-1C Gray Eagle
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle has a very extensive Automatic Takeoff and
Landing System (ATLS) which utilizes GPS/INS/DGPS systems as well as a backup
system call Tactical Automated Landing System (TALS) which uses a ground based
navigation system to takeoff and land the aircraft. The GPS/INS/DGPS system on this aircraft is
very accurate with an accuracy of less than 1 meter and the TALS system has
similar accuracy. The runway is surveyed
using the aircraft GPS and the GCS is surveyed as well for DGPS capability and
the ATLS mission is then loaded to the aircraft. When the operator is ready for takeoff or
landing he selects the desired runway, puts the aircraft within the required
parameters and then selects land or take off.
For takeoff the aircraft accelerates and becomes airborne with the
system capable of automatic aborts for system, emergency, or environmental (winds)
conditions or it can be aborted manually by the operator prior to rotation of
the aircraft. After lift off the pilot
is able to command heading changes at 50’ AGL and full control at 300’ AGL. For landing the auto aborts are the same and
the operator can manually abort all the way until touchdown. After touchdown the aircraft tracks the
runway and brakes to a stop without input from the operator. After the aircraft stops the operator takes
manual control of the aircraft to taxi off the runway. The aircraft does have the capability of
being configured to have a backup GCS with full manual control as with other
Predator aircraft however this capability will be going away shortly because
the Army does not want full manual control of the aircraft. The operator can override all automatic
aborts to force the aircraft to land but this can lead to a crash if too far
outside system capabilities.
The TALS works in a similar manner to the normal ATLS system but
works with a ground based navigation unit that has its own TALS GDT like
antenna that takes control of the aircraft and lands it when selected. The primary purpose of the TALS system is as
a backup in case GPS capability is degraded or lost for any reason.
There are negatives to this system. Because the runway has to be surveyed prior
to being able to takeoff or land from it the aircraft is unable to land at
another runway if it is unable to land at its home field. Future capabilities may allow the aircraft to
land at alternate fields but this is not available at this time. Because there will be no full manual control
if the aircraft is unable to land for any reason the only option is to ditch
the aircraft in a safe area. This would
be a major problem if the aircraft was attempting to land in a large metropolitan
area with few or no safe ditching areas which is a hindrance to this aircraft
flying in the NAS. More flexibility and
is going to be required of this system to allow full integration into the NAS.
References
JustPlanes. (2014, June 15). PilotCAM 787 Autoland into Brussels Rwy 01 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zllukY-
No comments:
Post a Comment