ICAO PBN Workshop

Tanzania

Introduction to RNAV
 Outlines

Introduction to RNAV
• Introduction
• Conventional vs RNAV
• RNAV positioning
• RNAV calculator

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 Introduction to RNAV System

« Area navigation (RNAV). A method of navigation which

permits aircraft operation on any desired flight path within the
coverage of station-referenced navigation aids or within the limits
of the capability of self-contained navigation aids, or a
combination of these. »

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 RNAV System - History Some history

Visual References (Stars…)

Instrument landing System: 1938

Copyright 2009 © Quovadis S.A.S. All rights reserved

VOR (Airways): 1960s

Introduction of 2D RNAV VOR/DME: 1975

GPS navigation: 1994 RNP: 1996

PBN ICAO mandate: 2016

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 RNAV System - History

• RNAV began in the US in the 1970’s and the certification/approval

requirements followed evolutions of this concept and of its associated
technologies.
• AC 90-45 « Approval of area navigation systems for use in the US NAS »
issued in 1969.
• AC 90-45A issued in 1975
• 2D RNAV with vertical guidance for advisory
• Positioning based on VOR/DME
• AC 20-130 Approval of multi-sensor navigation system for use in the US
NAS » issued in 1988.
• Positioning based on VOR/DME, DME/DME and/or Inertial
• AC 20-130A issued in 1995 addressing FMS and GPS systems.
• AC 90-100A (RNAV for Enroute and Terminal area) and AC 90-101 (RNAV
for specific approaches: RNP AR) issued in 2007
•…
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 Conventional navigation versus RNAV

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 Conventional Routes

• Defined based on old aircraft capabilities and use of conventional navigation

means
• Large protection areas and separation criteria to cope with limited accuracy of
position estimation

• Based on Ground Navigation Aids

• Overfly
• Relative position

Ground
• Limited design flexibility NAVAIDs
• Leading to traffic saturation Eg: VOR/NDB

Widely used but no more suitable due to traffic increase

and high fuel cost
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 RNAV Definition

• RNAV stands for Area Navigation

• RNAV : Capability to fly any desired flight path, defined by waypoints such as
geographic fixes (LAT/LONG) and not necessarily by ground navaids
Ground
navaids

Waypoint
RNAV capability is linked to aircraft on-board equipments (RNAV systems)
8

RNAV is a method of navigation allowing for the definition of

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more direct routes
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 RNAV advantage

VOR/DME WPT

town NDB runway

VOR/DME

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PBN Predictability

KATL Before RNAV Departures

Four departure fixes

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PBN Predictability

KATL After RNAV Departures

Eight departure fixes

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 The RNAV system

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RNAV system - Basic principle

Human – Machine Interface

(ex keyboard, ,…)
Displays

Sensor RNAV Computer AP FD

positioning Annunciators
Path definition …..
Defined in
Navigation DataBase

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RNAV positioning Positioning
sensor

• Determine the aircraft position (latitude and longitude)

• The aircraft can determine its position on the following sensors:
• GNSS
• DME/DME
• VOR/DME
• Inertial

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 Positioning : GNSS

Based on GPS constellation

A constellation of 24 satellites* into 6 orbital planes

Position calculated Worldwide coverage

in the WGS84
reference system

Actual accuracy Usable all phases of

within about ten flight
meters

* USA engagement on the minimal GPS constellation

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 Positioning : GNSS

1. Measurement of the distance user – 2

satellite from time information (satellite .
and user clocks)
4
2. GPS signal contains satellite position

3. Determination of the navigation solution

by triangulation 1
4. Error calculation 3

GPS user positioning accuracy

(95% of time, global average)
Annexe 10 – attachement D
Horizontal position error 33 m (108 ft) SA ON – 13m (43 ft) SA OFF

Vertical position error 73 m (240 ft) SA ON – 22m (72ft) SA OFF

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 Positioning : GNSS

• GPS alone performance does not meet ICAO requirements for navigation
• ABAS Autonomous Based Augmentation System is required to check integrity of the GPS data
• Horizintal Alarm Limit (HAL)
• 2 Nm (En route), 1 Nm (Terminal area) and 0.3 Nm (Final Approach)
• Two techniques:
RAIM AAIM
Stand-alone integrity control by the receiver Stand-alone integrity control by the aircraft
Stand-alone GNSS receiver Multi-sensors system
Multi-sensors system
Based on the redundancy and the geometry of GPS Based on the combination of GNSS signal with other
satellites sensors (example: inertial system)

• Accuracy (NSE) (on board – TSO C129 performance requirements)

• 0.124 Nm (95%) in En-route and Terminal area
• 0.056 Nm (95%) in Approach
RAIM : Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring
AAIM : Aircraft Autonomous Integrity Monitoring

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 13/10/2014

A need to trust “SIS” for safe operation

GPS or Satellites may broadcast

GLONASS  Erroneous signal for hours
 Distance errors

Erroneous clock or ephemeris data

 Positioning errors

Users needs
 To know quality of computed position
 To be warned if anything goes wrong

This is checking integrity of SIS

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 13/10/2014

GNSS integrity monitoring

GNSS integrity monitoring techniques aim at monitoring the quality of GNSS

positioning

Large variety of techniques:

In an autonomous manner (ABAS) :
Using the redundancy of GNSS measurements only (RAIM )
Using additional information from other sensors (AAIM)

Using a ground station (GBAS)

Using a network of ground stations (SBAS)

All these systems can include Fault Detection (FD) or Fault Detection and
Exclusion (FDE)

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 13/10/2014

A need to trust “SIS” for safe operation

 4 satellites to determine 3D position
GPS or GLONASS and time

 Usually more satellite are available

(6 to 12)

 RAIM uses
 5 satellites for fault detection (FD)
 6 satellites for fault detection and
exclusion (FDE)

 RAIM provides integrity and warning

RAIM

RAIM on board function to guarantee integrity

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 Positioning : GNSS

Note that : for approach the GPS can be completed with

• a satellite based augmentation signal SBAS (ex WAAS, EGNOS)
• Increase precision and integrity => used for Approach with vertical guidance (part of
PBN)
• A ground based augmentation signal – GBAS
• Used for precision approach (not part of PBN)

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 Positioning : DME/DME

• Position calculated (lat&long) from 2 DME distances

• To have the accuracy performance within 1NM:

30°≤ θ ≤150°
DME2
• FMS constraints: (lat&long)

3NM < d <160NM

θ
d
•The DME is selected and tuned by the RNAV
system
•Scanning DME (with multiple chanel)
DME1
(lat&long)

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 Positioning : RNAV Inertial

• Autonomous Navigation
• Positioning
• Position determined through computations based on accelerometer and laser gyro sensed
signals
• IRU senses accelerations along and rotation about each of the three axis.
• Inertial drift
• 2Nm/hour
• High drift rate the first ½ hour of navigation (8Nm/hour)
• Alignment of IRS is required before the flight
• IRS alignment consists of determining local vertical and initial position and angles.
• with / without automatic radio updating of aircraft position
• Inertial data can be used to update GPS data and provide an Hybrid GPIRS position (e.g Airbus
aircraft).

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 Positioning : VOR/DME

• Use of VOR/DME
• Position computed from a DME distance and a VOR angle
(bearing)
• Accuracy
• Depend on the distance from the station
• The VOR/DME is selected and tuned by RNAV
• Positioning not accurate enough (no future)

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RNAV calculator

• Compute a guidance to follow the required path

• Based on the positioning
• Based on a selected trajectory

• Positioning can use one or several positions

– Simple (ex GPS),
– Hybridization (ex GPIRS),
– IRS Radio update (ex IRS/DME),
– Blended position (ex W1IRS+ W2 Radio+ W3 GPS)

• Selected Trajectory
– By the pilot
– Flight Plan, route, procedure,…

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 RNAV computer and the coding cycle

ARINC 424 : standardizes waypoints

path terminators and routes «
depiction »
Translation of the route or the
procedure from the paper chart into
an electronic format

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 RNAV computer - ARINC 424 - Waypoints

Two types of waypoints for two different trajectories :

Fly-over waypoint Fly-by waypoint

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 Example of ARINC 424 path terminator

Several different trajectories may exist to reach the same point

DF: Direct to Fix

TF: Track to Fix

CF: Course to Fix

According to the path terminator, the trajectory is more or less predictable

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 Other example of ARINC 424 path terminator

• Transition with repeatability of the path

RF leg can be used in terminal area and Approach For routes R will depend on the level of the
transition

Radius to Fix (RF leg) Fixed Radius Turn (FRT)

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 Examples of RNAV Avionics Architecture

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RNAV architecture for General aviation example – Stand alone

Remote annunciator and

selection

Display system slaved to

the route to be flown NSE

Flight Technical Error (FTE)

Standalone RNAV system

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 RNAV architecture for air transport aircraft – Multisensors

Display
selection Display
selection
Flight
Director/Autopi
lot selection

Displays Displays

MCDU MCDU

Sensors FMC 1 FMC 2 Sensors

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End of the presentation

Thank you for your attention – Any question ?

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