EFFECT OF THE VERTICAL PROFILE OF THE REFRACTIVE INDEX IN THE ATMOSPHERIC SURFACE LAYER ON VISUAL IDENTIFICATION OF THE RUNWAY FROM LANDING AIRCRAFT

摘要

Influence of the vertical profile of the refractive index in the atmospheric surface layer on the visual observation of a runway from a landing aircraft is analyzed. Formulas are obtained for calculating errors of visual estimation of the runway range in a horizontal direction. It is shown that neglect of the Earth's surface curvature leads to a significant underestimation of the indicated errors increasing with the observation level height.