Sextant Avionique

Alain Goujon

Philippe Coirier

Roger Parus

Alain Leger

This device relates to assistance in the piloting of an aircraft or helicopter in conditions of poor visibility, at the landing stage, during the final approach before touchdown. In case of poor visibility, the landing operations are facilitated by ILS radioelectrical installations that enable an automatic approach to the runway threshold. All that remains to be done is to perform a flare-out for touchdown which has to be done in a certain zone at the start of the runway. It happens, in the event of poor visibility, that this touchdown zone is difficult to assess. This causes risks of overshooting. The disclosed device is aimed at putting out an alarm in the event of overshooting of the nominal touchdown zone. It has means for the integration of the ground speed, means to detect the crossing of a lower value of a threshold of height with respect to the ground activating said integration means and means to detect a crossing of an upper value of a distance threshold acting on the signal delivered by the integration means and generating an alarm when there is no detection, by the load sensor, of an alighting of wheels.

Device for assistance in the piloting of an aircraft at the landing stage

The disclosed optoelectronic device is designed to facilitate the piloting of an aircraft under conditions of poor visibility, notably during landing at the stage when the aircraft approaches a runway. It consists of a collimator which displays, in addition to the artificial skyline, miniature aircraft index and attitude bars, a slope scale positioned across and on either side of the artificial skyline, at the position of the selected course chosen by the pilot. This slope scale, depicted in the form of a line of dots spaced out at one slope degree, enables the pilot to be presented simultaneously with information on selected course and slope and enables the determining of pitch attitude with high precision.

Optoelectronic device for assistance in the piloting of an aircraft

An optoelectronic device designed to facilitate the piloting of an aircraft under conditions of poor visibility, at take-off and in the event of an interruption of approach procedures through a wave-off maneuver. It consists of a collimator displaying, in addition to the artificial skyline, the aircraft model and the ground speed vector, two take-off and wave-off slope scales inclined symmetrically along the arms of an X laid on the artificial skyline and intersecting at a value of pitch attitude called a safety pitch attitude to be maintained in the event of engine failure, a local horizon locked into the aircraft model and two pointers that identify the safety pitch attitude and frame the artificial skyline when the pitch attitude of the aircraft corresponds to the safety pitch attitude. Through these new graphic symbols, the pilot can examine the pitch attitude of the aircraft and its roll attitude without taking his eyes off the aircraft model. This makes it easier for him to pilot the aircraft at take-off and during wave-off maneuvers with or without engine failure.

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Martignas Sur Jalle, France

Alain Goujon