Off-Airport Landing Site Selection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pilots face challenges in quickly selecting suitable emergency landing sites during in-flight emergencies, especially under Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) and single-pilot operations, due to limited time and information availability, with existing GPS features being ineffective for off-airport landings.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that processes flight and geographic data to generate route data, providing information on safe landing areas, including off-airport sites, using a routing algorithm that integrates GPS, aircraft instrumentation, and performance parameters, displaying critical information such as runway length, obstacles, and wind conditions to aid pilots in real-time decision-making.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pilots rely on training and experience to select emergency landing sites, then decision-making is based on conservative information, but the time required to make informed decisions increases and may be insufficient during emergencies
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores energy requirement data for multiple potential landing sites before emergencies occur. During emergencies, pilots can quickly access pre-computed information about which sites are reachable from their current position, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual energy calculations while ensuring reliable decision-making based on accurate performance data.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an energy management system as an intermediary between the pilot and the complex task of selecting landing sites. This system automatically calculates and presents energy-feasible options, acting as a decision-support intermediary that bridges the gap between pilot knowledge and accurate energy state assessment, thereby improving both speed and reliability of emergency landing decisions.
2Reliability
If pilots use conservative training information for emergency landing decisions, then safety margins are maintained, but the availability of actionable landing options is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the assessment of landing site feasibility by incorporating real-time energy state parameters and aircraft performance data. Instead of applying fixed conservative margins, the system calculates precise energy requirements for each potential landing site based on current aircraft conditions, allowing pilots to identify viable options that meet actual performance capabilities while maintaining appropriate safety margins.
3Loss of information
If the nearest airport feature is used in GPS receivers, then navigation information is provided, but the feature is ineffective when the aircraft cannot reach the airport due to energy constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors aircraft energy state and compares it against the energy requirements for reaching various landing sites. This feedback mechanism dynamically updates the presentation of landing options to the pilot, showing only those sites that are currently reachable given the aircraft's energy state. This prevents pilots from being presented with misleading navigation information about airports that cannot be reached, thereby improving the reliability of landing feasibility assessment.
Data Source
AI summary
A routing tool is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method and system include receiving flight data and geographic data in the aircraft, and generating route data based on the flight data and the geographic data. The route data provides information about attainable landing areas for the aircraft.