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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0036.PDF
34 FLIGHT International, 3 January 1963 INDUSTRY International Flight Systems Products Company News Flight Systems Caravelle Automatic Landing Following a successful series of 200 automatic land ings at Toulouse and Paris Orly, Sud-Avia- tion and the Astronics Division of Lear Siegler Inc jointly announce that they can offer production automatic landing equip ment for the Caravelle during the second half of 1963. As at present developed, the system is single-channel, uses a single radio altimeter for secondary reference and has auto-throttle and additional autopilot circuitry contained in a £ATR case, but otherwise uses the standard L-102 auto pilot and flight director instruments. Both autopilot- and manually-controlled blind landings have been made, basic outputs being adequate for operation of director and PVD-type instrumentation. Required longitudinal and lateral dis persion of touchdown points were respec tively ±83m (272ft) and ±7.5m (24.6ft), but actual dispersion proved to be half these figures. No mention is made of kick-off drift facilities, although the normal drift compensation is provided during the ap proach. The auto-throttle system uses indicated airspeed as a reference signal, although angle of attack or lift detector signals could be incorporated if required. A single throttle servo has multiple output shafts operating an electric capstan and override clutch on each throttle lever. Initial approach is set up with normal coupling techniques, except that the main control element is an Instantaneous Vertical Velocity Sensor (IVVS) which is engaged at the beginning of the glide-slope and continues to control the aircraft right down to touchdown. The single radio altimeter is used only to establish approach phases and not for direct control, so that a wide variety of existing types can be used. At 200ft radio altitude, glide-slope monitoring is progressively relinquished, until at 50ft a programmed reduction of rate of descent is applied to produce an exponential flare- out. IWS guidance is said to be much more precise than conventional coupling and to eliminate the need for recomputed flare-out paths or other more complex methods of terminal control. A major advantage claimed for the Lear-Sud system is the complete absence of switching opera tions from one guidance system to another or from one control mode to another. The sequence is said to be very smooth, so that the pilot can only perceive initiation of the flare-out by the gradual decrease in rate of descent. Course guidance is achieved by com bining deviation and rate of deviation from the ILS localizer beam, giving very precise results. Any of the existing directional localizers are said to be capable of providing adequate accuracy. At present the landing system has no redundancy, but the next test phase will be aimed at establishing the degree of relia- ability and duplication required to achieve acceptable safety. Sud do not believe that complete duplication will in fact prove necessary so long as certain performance limitations are established. For the present the system is suggested as a means of lower ing current European landing minima from 200ft and £ mile to 100ft and ± mile (US jet landing minima have been 300ft and | mile). Sud are even now offering the new- equipment to Caravelle operators as a means of extending the capabilities of the Caravelle—and they point out that the Caravelle will be the first civil airliner in service with an automatic landing system. The Lear-Sud programme has now lasted 18 months and has had the patronage of the US Federal Aviation Agency and the French Secretariat General for Civil Aviation (SGAC). Sud are confident that the small size, relative simplicity and low cost of the system will ensure its installa tion in all existing Caravelles. Products Keeping Runways free from Snow The Rolba-Streicher runway sweeper is de scribed by Rolba Ltd, 88/92 Rochester Row, Victoria, London SW1, as a dual- purpose machine which can be used either for cleaning runways or for clearing them of snow. The cleaning function is carried out by a combination of air agitation and suc tion, and snow can be either swept or blown clear. The snow sweeper attach ment is integrally mounted in front of the sweeper vehicle, and the total air output of the suction/blower engine on the pro pelling vehicle is used for snow-blowing, a separate engine not being required for the snow sweeper. Rolba Ltd are sole concessionaires for Streicher runway-sweeping equipment. j Joining the Smiths a.s.i. already ordered for the Hoeing 727 is their Series 4 miniature rate gyro, specified for the 727's Sperry SP-50 autopilot and to be produced under licence by Sperry Phoenix. The Series 4 (seen here), whose overhaul life is being increased from 3,000hr to 4,000hr, is already used in the SEP.S automatic landing autopilot Marconi Mechanical Engineering It is not widely known that diverse capabilities in many fields of precision engineering are to be found at the Marconi Mechanical Pro ducts Division at Felling Works, Bill Quay, Gateshead 10—Tel Felling (dial ONE2) 692501. The Division is working in the following fields: light and heavy mechanical structures; hydraulic and elec tro-hydraulic systems for precise movement control; "clean assembly" of hydraulic components; digital and optical devices for precise measurement of position; servo- control systems; aluminium/steel alloys and plastic/metal composition construction techniques; electrical/electronic mechanical devices; heat-transfer techniques; environ mental techniques; engineering analysis; and fluid dynamics. The division can handle research, design, development, manufac ture, testing and installation, and also offers a consultancy service.
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