IN-FLIGHT DETECTION OF ERRORS FOR ENHANCED AIRCRAFT FLIGHT SAFETY USING DTED WITH GPS AND RADAR ALTIMETER

Robert Gray and Frank Van Graas

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	This paper describes an integrated architecture using digital terrain elevation data DTED with kinematic GPS KGPS and a radar altimeter. Flight testing was performed to assess the feasibility of enhanced flight safety. Reasons for enhanced flight safety are twofold: 1 the ad hoc integration of terrain elevation data into the cockpit could conceivably create scenarios that would lead to accidents because the cockpit display is quite realistic, and 2 controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) is reduced. The radar altimeter is the principal sensor used to compare navigation outputs with publicly available DTED. Results show it is feasible to define an operationally useful detection threshold to determine the level of agreement among KGPS, DTED, and the radar altimeter by using a mean-square-difference test statistic. If the test statistic exceeds the detection threshold, the pilot can be warned that the terrain depiction does not agree with the navigation solution provided by KGPS, so that flight safety is enhanced.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 47, Number 4
Pages:	245 - 256
Cite this article:	Gray, Robert, Van Graas, Frank, "IN-FLIGHT DETECTION OF ERRORS FOR ENHANCED AIRCRAFT FLIGHT SAFETY USING DTED WITH GPS AND RADAR ALTIMETER", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 47, No. 4, Winter 2000-2001, pp. 245-256.
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