Study and Evaluation of the omega Navigation System for Transoceanic Navigation by Civil Aviation

摘要

The purposes of the study were to evaluate the accuracy of the Omega Navigation System operating in an airborne environment and the potential operational utility of the system for civil aviation. The error sources of Omega are identified, and their effect on the ability of an aircraft to maintain the desired flight track is evaluated. Characteristics of Omega which are pertinent to operation by civil aviation but which cannot be fully evaluated with available information are identified and recommendations for further investigations are given. The use of omega as a navigational aid with Omega signals continuously available at the input of the receiver, with compensation for lane loss, and with an appropriate phase-propagation model would allow air-craft operation at conventional aircraft speeds with rms cross-track deviations of 3 nmi if the 10.2 kHz carrier is used for position fixing. The most serious errors would result from failure of lane identification. Several methods of improving resolution reliability in airborne applications are given. Omega could be employed as a useful and valuable navigational aid if several potential problems can be resolved satisfactorily. While solutions to these problems can reasonably by expected with present technology, they have not been conclusively demonstrated. (Author)