Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Chapter 6.3
Automatic Landing System
Introduction
If the weather is poor at a particular destination, it is still possible to land there, and not divert to
another destination, saving the expense of transporting passengers to their original destination
by other means, by using an Automatic Landing System. Any diversion also means that the
aeroplane will be out of position, and most probably would have to be flown to its original
destination with no fare paying passengers.
For an aeroplane to be certified with an automatic landing capability it must comply with the
minimum requirements laid down in JAR-AWO (ALL WEATHER OPERATIONS).
Basic Requirements for an Automatic Landing System
The basic requirements for an Automatic Landing System are that:
The safety achieved by an automatic landing must not be less than a manual
landing, and the risk of a fatal accident should be better than 1 x 10-7.
The flight crew must be able to adequately monitor the landing phase, so that if a
critical malfunction occurs, the autopilot can be manually disengaged, and manual
control of the aeroplane taken at any time, with the minimum skill required to keep
the aeroplane under control.
The aerodrome must have the required and suitably calibrated radio aids.
It is improbable that the landing performance will be outside the following limits, as
shown in the following diagram.
6-3-1
6-3-2
6-3-3
Depending on the number of channels engaged the system will perform an automatic landing
with a Land 2 or Land 3 status, which is displayed on the EADI.
Land 2 signifies 2 autopilot channels engaged giving the system a Fail Passive
capability.
Land 3 signifies 3 autopilot channels engaged giving the system a Fail Operational
capability.
During the cruise and approach to an airport a single autopilot is normally engaged and
controlling the aeroplane along the designated route. As the aeroplane approaches the airport
the flight crew manually select the other autopilots, and when the Approach Mode (APP) is
selected on the AFCS control panel, the localiser/glide slope, together with the two remaining
autopilots will be armed. As the aeroplane passes through 1500 ft radio altitude, with the
localiser and glide slope already captured, the two off line autopilots will be automatically
engaged. This will be indicated to the flight crew by a LAND 3 status, and the aeroplane will
continue to fly down the glide slope.
Note:
If a single failure occurs between 1500-200ft radio altitude, the system will
downgrade itself to a Fail-Passive system, and a LAND 2 status will be annunciated.
At a radio altitude of 330ft the aeroplane will be trimmed nose up by an automatic adjustment of
the variable incidence tailplane. As the aeroplane passes through the alert height (normally
200ft radio altitude) the reversion to LAND 2 due to a fault will be inhibited until the aeroplane
is below 40 knots, during the roll out.
6-3-4
6-3-5
Approach lighting.
In connection with automatic landing systems, the term `All Weather Operations' is frequently
used. This term, which is frequently taken to mean that there are no weather conditions that can
prevent an aeroplane from taking-off and landing successfully, is not strictly correct, eg. an
aeroplane cannot perform a landing task in wind conditions in excess of those for which it has
been certificated, or on a runway which, because of contamination by water, slush or ice, is not
fit for such an operation.
The Fundamental Landing Requirement
During an automatic landing an aeroplane should be controlled in such a way that:
Its wheels make contact with the ground comfortably within the paved surface of the
runway and that the landing point is not too far down the runway.
It lands at a very low vertical velocity in order to avoid collapse of the landing gear.
Wings should be levelled prior to the actual landing, and any drift `Kicked-Off'
before touchdown.
To achieve all of the above, requires that the aeroplane be controlled about all three axes
simultaneously.
Any such system, as well as being capable of achieving at least the targets listed above, must
also be designed with the following aims:
6-3-6
Achieving the highest integrity and reliability of systems, bearing in mind that they
need to be entrusted with very considerable authority over the controls of an
aeroplane, including the throttles, and in the presence of the ground.
The substitution of the flight crews direct vision with an automatic externally
referenced guidance system, having an integrity and reliability of the same high
order as that demanded of the `on board' system.
They must limit the effect of a `runaway' such that a safe recovery can be effected
by the flight crew;
They must allow sufficient authority to the control system so that the required flight
path can be followed accurately in the presence of disturbances.
A further factor limiting the application of safety devices (in the manner of conventional control
systems) is their inability to protect against passive failures. While not producing flight path
changes directly, these failures would nevertheless mean that the predetermined and accurate
flight manoeuvre of automatic landing, could not be maintained, and so could set up an equally
dangerous situation.
It therefore follows, that to achieve the objective of automatic landing, the operation of an AFCS
must be of such a nature that it will:
Have adequate authority for sufficiently accurate control along the required flight
path.
Not fail to complete the intended flight manoeuvre following an active or a passive
failure.
In order to resolve these problems the concept of `system redundancy' is applied. ie. the use
of multiple systems, operating in such a manner that a single failure within a system will have an
insignificant effect on the aeroplane's performance during the approach and landing operation.
The autothrottle will remain in control of the engines until reverse thrust is
demanded.
6-3-7
The AFCS will remain in control of the aeroplane until the crew disengages it.
At any time from 2000 feet down to the decision height, the flight crew can elect to abort the
approach, by pressing the TOGA switch on the throttle, which will cause the throttles to advance
to a pre-set reduced thrust Go-Around value. A second press of the TOGA switch will
command the throttles to advance the engines to full power. The Go-Around phase will then
interact with the AFCS, and will cause a GA annunciation on the ADI. The pitch channel will
generate a pitch-up command, and the aeroplane will be placed in the correct climb attitude.
6-3-8