A LOW COST AIRCRAFT PRECISION APPROACH AND LANDING SYSTEM TO SUPPORT ANTARCTIC OPERATIONS

THE AIRCRAFT LANDING SYSTEM USES THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) IN CONJUNCTION WITH SPECIAL PURPOSE GROUND EQUIPMENT TO PROVIDE A HIGHLY ACCURATE, FULLY AUTONOMOUS, PORTABLE PRECISION APPROACH AND LANDING SYSTEM. THE GROUND STATION INCLUDES A HIGHLY ACCURATE GPS REFERENCE RECEIVER THAT CAN BE USED TO SUPPORT OTHER APPLICATIONS SUCH AS ATMOSPHERIC DATA COLLECTION OR SURVEYING. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVER CAN ALSO BE USED TO SUPPORT EN ROUTE NAVIGATION AND NON-PRECISION APPROACHES WHEN OUT OF RANGE OF THE GROUND STATION. SIMULATION RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT THE SYSTEM CAN RELIABLY PROVIDE A CAT 2 PRECISION APPROACH CAPABILITY. THE GPS PRECISION APPROACH AND LANDING SYSTEM IS BEING DESIGNED TO OPERATE IN THE EXTREME ANTARTIC ENVIRONMENT. THE PRECISION APPROACH AND LANDING SYSTEM CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE SAFETY AT NSF FACILITIES IN ANTARCTICA. GPS PROVIDES THE CAPABILITY FOR AN ALL-WEATHER LANDING SYSTEM THAT CAN FUNCTION EQUALLY WELL AT FIXED INSTALLATIONS, FIELD SITES, AND ON MOVING LANDING SITES SUCH AS ICE DRIFTS WITHOUT ANY DEGRADATION IN PERFORMANCE.