Airplane navigation. Methods of orientation in the air.
There are six methods of navigation.
The first, and simplest, is flying by visual references.
Like in a car, only higher.
This also includes flying with a compass and map. In a car, we glanced at it to know where we were or how far it was to the next turn.
The same is true in an airplane. Our bearing is the compass bearing, for example, 270° west.
It's clear that this method of flying, especially when asking for directions, isn't the most reliable way to safely reach your destination. Therefore, at the dawn of aviation, a second method of navigation was invented – ESTIMATED.
When we're on the ground, we know the weather forecast, which way the wind is blowing and how strong it is. We also know the aircraft's basic characteristics – cruise speed and climb/descent rate.
Before takeoff, we use a chart ruler (oh, that chart ruler) or a route calculator to calculate the direction and flight time from the takeoff airfield to the first turning point, taking into account our speed and wind speed, and from there to the next, and so on.
The main instruments that help us in flight are a compass, which shows us our "road" (in quotes), and a stopwatch, which displays the time on this leg and allows us to determine when to make the next turn.
Despite its apparent simplicity, it's a fairly reliable method, especially on short flights. However, any change in wind direction or strength causes the aircraft to "blow" off course, and as we continue to fly along the calculated legs, we only accumulate and increase the error.
The third method of navigation—celestial navigation, or navigating by the stars—was used on long-distance routes, for example, on bombers during World War II, on transatlantic flights, or on flights to the North or South Poles, where a compass becomes completely useless, as it would lose its bearings and become lost, making the previous method simply unnecessary.
The next, fourth, and perhaps most important method today is radio navigation.
Even our ancient ancestors began creating bright and visible objects on the shore—lighthouses—for sea travel.
In the air, these landmarks were radio beacons—antennas emitting a radio signal that made it possible to locate these antennas, allowing for a relatively simple, quick, and, at the same time, accurate calculation of one's location.
Gradually, radio towers emitting signals began to appear in all countries that were developing aviation. The world of aviation has changed – a single pilot can now easily and safely control an aircraft. The desired course can be set with a knob on the panel, and the autopilot will guide you to your desired point, making adjustments for wind, slip, yaw, and deflection.
It became standard practice for every large airport to have its own radio beacon. They were also installed in areas where airport coverage was insufficient, and the sections between beacons were called airways.
The fifth method of air navigation is satellite navigation. In fact, this is also radio navigation, but we distinguish it as a separate method because the radio beacons are not on the ground, but simply in the sky.
GPS, however, is not the first satellite navigation system. The first was the American Transit, also known as Navsat, first tested in 1960 and launched in 1964.
Navsat used the Doppler effect, like Sheldon's suit from The Big Bang Theory. The Cold War continually demanded new solutions, including for aircraft and missiles, so following Transit, the Americans began developing a system that would allow for the precise navigation of high-speed targets.
This system became the well-known Navstar GPS, whose chip is now found in every phone.
And the sixth air navigation system is inertial navigation.
Originally, it was based on the principle of gyroscopes—rotating disks that allow the aircraft to maintain its position in space regardless of any external factors. Now, semiconductor and laser systems are used as gyroscopes.
All systems complement each other. After all, due to corrections, an inertial system cannot provide absolute accuracy, like, for example, GPS navigation, which can guide an aircraft with an accuracy of up to 80 centimeters, including during landing.
Therefore, three engineering systems—inertial, GPS, and ground-based navigation—support and complement each other. The fourth backup system is the pilot themselves, who, in the event of all else failing, must have a map, compass, and flying skills.
0:00-2:52 - Navigation on the Ground and in the Sky
2:53-5:03 - Visual Orientation
5:04-6:18 - Calculated Orientation
6:19-6:56 - Celestial Navigation - Orientation by the Stars
6:57-11:16 - Radio Navigation by Ground-Based Beacons
11:17-13:29 - Satellite Radio Navigation
13:30-15:50 - Inertial Navigation. Laser Gyroscope
15:51-17:55 - In the cockpit - General overview of navigation instruments
17:55-18:58 - Garmin 100, Garmin GNS 430, Garmin 650, Garmin 375 - GPS navigation developments
18:59-20:28 - Tablets and phones as map collection...