Implementation of a software for instrument flight procedures design
Tutor / Supervisor
Student
González Comella, Carlos
Montolio Llenas, Josep
Document type
Master thesis (pre-Bologna period)
Date
2007
rights
Restricted access - author's decision
Publisher
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
UPCommons
Abstract
This document presents the design and the development of a software called
RAPIT (RNAV and APV Procedures Integration Tool), with the objective of
making easy and to speed up the obstacle's assessment task involved when
designing instrumental navigation procedures. The program allows creating
surfaces to identify obstacles, by means of some basic CAD tools, and it has an
algorithm for the detection of the penetrating obstacles, taking into account
natural and artificial ones. Moreover, the program is able to manage a database
of obstacles, airports, waypoints, navaids, etc. The main goal of the program is
the definition of RNAV-APV procedures, even though its flexibility allows the
use into any type of conventional navigation procedure. RNAV procedures allow
flying approaches and instrumental arrivals for the different airport operators
when unfavourable meteorological conditions exist. Currently, instrumental
operations are only possible in big airports equipped with expensive
radionavigation systems. With the use of the GNSS system it could be defined
RNAV procedures into secondary aerodromes which nowadays are basically
operated in visual conditions.
RAPIT has been implemented starting from a basic and open source code
corresponding to a cartographical map visualizer. From this point, some tools
and specific modules to resolve the different needs that are required in the
design of a RNAV procedure, have been added. The cartographical Catalan
data has been provided by the Catalan Cartographic Institute (ICC). The
cartographical coordinates were in ED50 datum and using UTM projection. On
the other hand, for aeronautical operations is mandatory working and publish all
the coordinates in WGS84 reference system. For that reason, one of the most
important parts of this project is focused into the coordinate's transformation
between both datums.
For testing the program, in this project it has been drawn the limitation
obstacle's surfaces (defined in the ICAO's Annex 14) for Girona's airport and
the infringing obstacles have been identified. On the other hand, a whole
RNAV-APV approach procedure for Igualada-Odena's aerodrome (Anoia) is
designed by using RAPIT
