IN 1963, in addition to examining the characteristics of the Omega system, we were also very concerned with a comprehensive navigation system study which was designed to examine all aspects of a world-wide navigation system operating in a B.O.A.C. type environment. This concerned a study of dead reckoning as well as externally referenced sources of information. You have the choice of an all dead reckoning system probably employing multiple sensors of the same type, triple IN is typical, or you could have a mixture of externally referenced and self-contained, in other words dead reckoning sensors. Occasional reference could be made to short-range aids or even a satellite system if available to increase the integrity of the position-fixing information. The inertial and computer aspects have been examined by the Avionics Department at R.A.E. whereas the radio sensors, which are externally referenced, and the relevant software have been the responsibility of the Radio Department. I think that I should say straight away that it is very reasonable to consider a hybrid as an alternative to a multiple dead reckoning system, if for no other reason that it is attractive on the basis of cost. We should face the fact that if we are considering a world-wide system then aircraft other than the supersonic transport and the jumbo jet must be included. You may wonder why Omega has been chosen as a subject for much of our work. It is because it has much to offer in the context of a world-wide facility. Omega contains elements of most of the hyperbolic aids and we can learn a lot from it. It is an area coverage system which provides an enroute capability and a very useful terminal area service. It satisfies the three R's-reliability, redundancy and range. It is therefore a good subject for study. We have been able to gain practical experience in such facets as the design of coordinate conversion computer programmes and techniques for the reduction of computer size by the predigestion of such parameters as geodesic coordinates, which can be pre-calculated for the flight path before flight, thus making a smaller demand upon the aircraft computer. Now Mr. Jones has mentioned that during our studies we discovered, almost stumbled across, the fact that the second mode propagation at night was greater than expected; several papers on this subject have been published. We had to design and construct equipment to examine these

In this review of the evolution of displays and controls in military and civil fixed-wing aircraft, the author traces the development of flight instruments, largely in this country, from their rudimentary beginning before the first World War to the present high degree of automation and suggests certain pitfalls from the pilot's point of view in high-technology solutions.The Wright Brothers' aeroplane flew with only a stopwatch, a tachometer to measure engine speed, and an anemometer, all for measuring performance; the pilot had no instrumentation to help him fly the aircraft. There was little change up to the beginning of the first world war in 1914. The cockpit hardly existed as such: controls varied in design; some were levers, and often there was a wheel which, in the early days, controlled wing warping to change the lift of each wing to allow the aircraft to bank.

An informal discussion on the operation of light aircraft took place at a meeting of the Technical Committee of the Institute in London on 21 April 1976. A personal view expressed by Mr. F. S. Stringer and comments by Mr. C. Powell and Professor A. N. Black are printed below.Recent technical press disclosures have highlighted C.A.A. concern that the London Air Traffic Zone is being entered by unauthorized light aircraft, the infringements varying from minor boundary incursions to major crossings of the area. The pilots involved vary in experience, and in most if not all cases have been flying under VFR rules and out of radio contact with Air Traffic Control. It seems very probable that these pilots are lost, or at least very unsure of their position; the topographical relation of charts to places on the ground is becoming increasingly difficult to interpret due to the complexity of built-up areas, especially around the T.M.A.s. Not all aircraft carry VOR or ADF and the map and DR are the main navigational aids; some pilots are reluctant to call for radar assistance for a variety of reasons.

Long-range transport aircraft of the next decade will almost certainly contain a navigation system capable of providing accurate and reliable fixing and flight director information over any part of the world. Over the North Atlantic Ocean die navigation system must be reliable enough to ensure safety at an agreed separation between aircraft flying in a controlled environment. At the conclusion of the en-route part of a flight these long-range aircraft pass through an interface of some 200 or 300 n.m. radius around the terminal airfield before they come within the close terminal control, with its specialized aids to approach, landing, take-off guidance and holding. The interface is currently served by a variety of radio and radar aids, all ground based at the present time. Aircraft are monitored by primary radar on the ground while they fly along airways some 10 n.m. wide with the aid of VOR/DME, Decca/Harco or A.D.F. The aids used depend upon the traffic density experienced in the area, the geographical environment and many other factors. At this time when consideration must be given to the development of an accepted navigation system for the interface, it is important that close attention should be given to the employment wherever possible of a rational navigation system compatible with all en-route systems and terminal area aids. The system used in the interface should use as much of die en-route and terminal equipment as possible, perhaps eventually removing the airways interface, as we know it, altogedier. Several techniques should be considered, diey include die use of ground radar for die precise up-dating of doppler and inertia navigation aids, die use of differential Omega for up-dating widi conventional Omega and ground radar for gross-error monitoring, and die use of ILS localizer beams used in conjunction with a downwind localizer aerial for the provision of a service presendy supplied by VOR and ADF.

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