ATSEP Radio Navigation Aids TDD 9104

NATS, as the largest UK ANSP, provides engineering maintenance for Radio Navigation Aids at all the major UK airports.

We have an unequalled pool of engineering expertise to maintain these systems, all of which stems from the underpinning knowledge our engineers gain by attending a navigation qualification course prior to the system and equipment training courses. The engineering students attending the Radio Navigation Aids course will explore the following areas:-

Navigation Concepts

Navigation Concepts examines the requirements of the performance of a navigation system as well as defining the aspects of Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and Area Navigation concept (RNAV – Basic (B-RNAV) and Precision (P-RNAV)

Ground Based En-route and terminal Navigation Aids

Describes the operation and general architecture of Non-Directional Beacons (NDB), VHF Direction Finding (VDF), VHF Omni Range (CVOR and DVOR), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Instrument landing system (ILS) and Microwave Landing System (MLS). This will encompass the principles of operation, regulatory requirements, use of the system, ground station architecture, transmitter/receiver architecture, appropriate aircraft on-board systems and displays and the compliance with standards for these equipments.

Satellite Based Navigation Systems

This unit discovers the principles of providing a satellite based navigation system utilising Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS1), Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and the GALILEO System. Students will also learn about the concepts of Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS), Space/Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) and Aircraft Based Augmentation Systems (ABAS). Improvements to systems by the introduction of GNSS2 and modernised GPS will be explored.

On Board Navigation Architecture

This area looks at the current sensors, Human Machine Interface (HMI), Flight Management System (FMS) and navigation database principles in current general usage.

Display Systems

Display Systems describes typical aircraft instrumentation such as the Horizontal situation Indicator (HSI), Navigation Display (ND) and Primary Flight Display (PFD)

Inertial Navigation

This area investigates the principles and key features of Inertial Navigation
Vertical Navigation – Identifies and defines key elements of Barometry and Radio Altimetry. Terminology such as QFE, QNH and RVSM is explained as well as the links to SSR Mode C and Mode S.

Where next?