Analysis of a navigation antenna installed on a civil airplane

Kurzfassung

Accurate navigation systems are important for aeronautical and safety-of-life applications. In the civil aviation, for instance, the determination of the accurate position of the airplane is crucial, especially during the final approach and landing. In order to receive the signals from the satellites, a suitable position to install the antenna is on the top of the fuselage, in a location “as free as possible” from reflections. This assumption, however, must be validated with the assessment of the installed performance of the antenna. This paper presents some of the activities performed in the frame of the IPAS (Installed Performance of Antennas on Aerostructures) project on the assessment of the installed performance of a navigation antenna placed on a civil aircraft.