Civil Aviation Training Institute

Hyderabad-Pakistan
Radio Navigational Aids

By Zulfiqar Mirani
Senior Electronics Engineer
School of Electronics Engineering

Civil Aviation Training Institute, Hyderabad-Pakistan

Navigation

Navigation systems are the basis for an aircraft's ability to get from one
place to another and know where it is and what course to follow. It's
more than just maps. The closest thing today's automobiles come to an
aviation navigation system is the "navigation center" some automobiles
come with. These computers establish an automobile's position via
satellite and place the position on a moving map. Intelligence
programmed into the system allows the driver to navigate to destination
by executing instructions provided by the system.

Historically, aircraft navigated by means of a set of ground-based

beacons, each broadcasting on its own frequencies. Aircraft systems
could tune into the frequencies of two of these beacons and fly between
them (from one beacon to the next). Knowing where the aircraft is
between two of these beacons allows the aircraft to know where it is in a
global sense. Since the 1980s, aircraft systems have evolved towards
the use of satellite navigation.
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Radio Navigation Systems

Types of Radio Navigation Systems

1) En-route Navigation
 NDB (Radio Beacons)
 VOR
 DME

2) Aids to Approach, Landing and Departure

 ILS

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Non Directional Beacon
(NDB)
Non Directional Beacon (NDB)

Purpose

It is used with direction finding equipment in the aircraft to

provide bearing information of a location on the air route or
of an airport.

The NDB equipment is installed en-route areas as well as

on the airports to provide navigational guidance to the pilot.

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NDB: Operating Frequency:

ICAO has assigned Low and Medium Frequency band of

200 – 1750 KHz for NDB operation; where as most of NDB
equipments are found operating within frequency band of
200-525 KHz.

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NDB:

Construction

 NDB consists of
 LF/MF Transmitter
 LF/MF Antenna and
 Monitor

Transmission

It radiates a non-directional pattern permitting reception from

any point within service range of the facility (usually 200 NM).
Station identification code in the form of two letter Morse Code
is also transmitted by the NDB.
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NDB: Airborne Indication

An airborne radio direction finding (RDF) equipment once

tuned to the signal indicates bearing of the NDB transmitter
with respect to aircraft heading. Bearing Indicator displays
the bearing of the station relative to the nose (heading) of
the aircraft.
Relative Bearing is the angle formed by the line drawn
through the center line of the aircraft and a line drawn from
the aircraft to the radio station.

Magnetic Bearing is the angle formed by a line drawn from

aircraft to the radio station and a line drawn from the aircraft
to magnetic north (Bearing to station).

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NDB: Relative and Magnetic Bearing

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NDB: Airborne Equipment

Airborne equipments that interacts with NDB (ground

station) is called Automatic Direction Finder (A.D.F) and
indicates bearing on a full 360 degree radial. Figure 2-3
shows pictures of ADF.


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NDB: Airborne Equipment -Samples

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NDB: ADF Airborne Indicators

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VHF Omni Range
(VOR)
VOR

Purpose
It is a radio aid that provides, with inter action of airborne
equipment, information about azimuth, the course and TO-
FROM to the pilot.

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VOR: Information

AZIMUTH in VOR is a clockwise angle between magnetic

north and the line connecting the VOR and the aircraft. The
indication is displayed on an “Omni Bearing Indicator” in the
aircraft.

The COURSE is the information whether aircraft is flying to

the left or right of, or exactly on the pre-selected course line.
The course information is displayed on a “Flight Path
Deviation Indicator”.

TO-FROM indication tells the pilot whether an aircraft is

approaching to or moving away from VOR stations.

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VOR

Operating Frequency
VOR is assigned to operate in VHF band range from 112 –
118 MHz.

Transmission
It radiates two radio signals modulated at 30 Hz, a
reference signal which has constant phase through out 360
degrees and a variable signal whose phase varies with
variation in azimuth. Station identification code, consisting
two or three letters, in the form of Morse code is also
transmitted by the VOR.

Civil Aviation Training Institute, Hyderabad-Pakistan

VOR: Some Considerations

 The VOR is usually located at airfields but as they serve

to define designated air routes [airways] they are also
installed away from airfields, on the key air route
locations

 As VHF transmissions are line-of-sight; the ground to air

range, thus, depends on the elevation of the transmitter
site, the height of the aircraft and the power output. Any
obstacles (buildings, mountains or other terrain features,
including the curvature of the earth) block VOR signals
and restrict the distance over which they are received at
a given altitude.

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VOR: Airborne Indication

Indications of VOR information are given on airborne

indicators as follows.

Course Selector is used in conjunction with left-right needle

and To-From indicator to display VOR information.

This type of display is called “ Omni Bearing Indicator” or

OBI (as commonly refereed by the pilots). The course
selection can be displayed on a 360 degree azimuth dial or
a 3 digit counter.

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VOR: Airborne Indicators

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VOR: The Course Deviation Indication

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VOR: TO-FROM Information

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Distance Measuring Equipment
(DME)
DME

The DME system is to provide continuous and accurate

indication of the slant range distance (expressed in nautical
miles) of an equipped ground reference point (i,e ground
DME facility).

System Components:
The system consists of two basic components, one fitted
into the aircraft and the other installed on the ground.

The aircraft equipment is referred to as INTRROGATOR

and the ground component as TRANSPONDER.
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DME: Operating Frequencies

The system operates within frequency band of 960 MHz to

1215 MHz.

The interrogation and Reply frequencies are assigned

frequencies with, at least, 1 MHz separation.

The DME operates in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band

and therefore is restricted to line-of-sight transmission.

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DME: Principle of operation

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DME: Range Determination

Distance measurement in DME utilizes two way travel time

of the pulses and is called range time.
time As used in DME
range time is the interval of time between transmission of an
interrogation to the reception of a reply to that interrogation
(exclusive of system delay and pulse pair spacing).

Notice that range time is the time required for a signal to

travel a given distance twice, therefore range time for One
NM is the time it takes a signal to travel actual distance of
Two NM.

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DME: Range Determination

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DME: Capability and Coverage

Aircraft Handling Capability:

The transponder equipment should be capable of handling
100 aircrafts or peak traffic which ever is less.

Coverage:
DME facility provides coverage up to 200 NM.

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DME: Airborne Indication

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Civil Aviation Training Institute, Hyderabad-Pakistan
Instrument Landing System
(I.L.S)
ILS

It is a radio aid to the final approach and is used only within

a short distance from the airport. Its purpose is to help the
pilot land the airplane. It is very helpful when visibility is
limited and the pilot cannot see the airport and runway.

The landing path in ILS is determined by intersection of two

planes a vertical plane and a horizontal plane. Horizontal
plane contains information of the Central Line of a runway
and Vertical plane provides Glide Path angle.

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ILS: Construction

ILS comprises of the following three components or sub-

systems:

„ Localizer
„ Glide Slope
„ Marker Beacons

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ILS : Location and Operation

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ILS: Localizer

Localizer is installed at the STOP END of a runway.

It provides central line information to the pilot approaching the

aircraft for landing. The localizer signal is transmitted at the far
end of the runway.

It is assigned specific transmitting frequency in the VHF band

ranging between 108 MHz to 112 MHz.

Each localizer is identified by two or three letter Morse code

designator preceded by the letter “I”, which is modulated at 1020
Hz signal and transmitted six times per minute. For example: IKC
for ILS of Karachi Airport.
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ILS: Localizer Airborne Indication

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ILS: Glide Slope

Glide slope is installed at the APPROACH END of a

runway. The transmitter is located 750 to 1,250 feet (ft)
down the runway from the threshold, offset 400 to 600 ft
from the runway centerline. The Glide path is adjusted to
project an angle of 20 (degrees) above the horizon. This
angle may vary between 20 and 4.50 degrees depending
upon obstructions along an approach angle.

Coverage:
The Glide Slope is to provide signals sufficient to allow
satisfactory operation in the sector of 8 degrees on each
side of the Glide path to a distance of 10 NM.

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ILS: Glide Path Airborne Indication

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ILS :

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ILS: Marker Beacons

Marker beacons associated with ILS are designated as:

„ Outer Marker (OM),

„ Middle Marker (MM)
„ Inner Marker (IM)

The Markers are located along a localizer front course at

specific distances from the approach end of the runway

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Outer Marker
It is located at 4 to 7 miles from the approach end of a runway and
identified by transmission of continuous dashes. The OM is modulated
at 400 Hz that activates PURPLE light on Pilots instrument panel.

Middle Marker
MM is located at approximately 3,500 feet (1050 meters) from the
approach end of runway and identified by transmission of alternating
dots and dashes. The MM is modulated at 1,300 Hz that activates
AMBER light on Pilots instrument panel.

Inner Marker
IM is identified by transmission of continuous dots transmitted at a rate
of 6 dots per second. It is installed between 250 feet and 1500 feet (450
meters) from the runway threshold. The signal is modulated at 3000 Hz
and activates WHITE light.

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RADAR
Radar

The term “RADAR” is derived from “RADIO DETECTION

AND RANGING”.

Radar is a method whereby radio waves are transmitted

into the air in a specific direction and are received when
they are reflected by an object in the path of the beam.

RANGE in RADAR is determined by measuring the time,

radio wave takes, from the radiation to return of its echo;
whereas DIRECTION is determined from the position of
antenna at the time of reception of signal.

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FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF ATC RADAR SYSTEMS

1. En-route Radar
2. Terminal Approach Radar
3. Precision Approach Radar
4. Ground Movement Radar

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TYPES OF RADAR

Primary Radar
It provides “Range and Bearing” information to the Air
Traffic Control Center. It does not need cooperation of the
aircraft for providing information as above for it depends
upon reflection of the radio waves transmitted by the system
itself.

Secondary Radar
It provides “identification and altitude” information to ground
ATC. It works with cooperation of the aircraft. The
information produced by the Secondary Radar is therefore
function of both ground equipment and airborne equipment.

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Primary Radar Principle

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Primary Radar Operation
Primary Radar Indication

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Secondary Radar Operation
Secondary Radar Indication
Thank You