EXAM Mentor ATPL Radio Navigation: Technical literature for the theoretical training for air transport pilots and air transport helicopter pilots (Volume 32)

Navigation using visible landmarks is subject to very tight limits. Darkness, poor visibility and overflight of low-contrast areas complicate orientation up to the impossibility. To make flying more independent from the sighting of landmarks, and thus facilitate flights in poor visibility and open new regions, first techniques were developed relatively soon to determine one’s own position with the help of navigation transmitters. This subject is intended to give the student an idea of the basic principles of radio navigation and enable him to understand the operating principles and limitations of facilities commonly used today so that he can conciously and safely navigate by them in the future. First we will explore the physical nature of radio waves, examine their generation and propagation and get to know physical phenomena that are of importance in context with radio waves. The following chapter deals with different ground-based navigation aids that are still used today. Thereafter the operating principle of radar is explained, relevant terms are defined and different applications of the principle are described. Thereafter the so-called area navigation is addressed, which makes flight paths independent of the positions of navigation aids. Finally we examine different satellite navigation systems.