ILS Landing

by Pedro L Gili

Title

ILS Landing

Artist

Pedro L Gili

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

ILS stands for Instrument Landing System and simply stated is what pilots use to safely guide their aircraft to the runway when the weather conditions do not allow for a visual approach and landing. Such conditions make it very difficult or even impossible to see ahead, so using radio signals (sometimes coupled with high-intensity lights) the pilot can safely navigate the aircraft through low ceilings, rain, dense fog, snow, and safely land.

The radio signals are ground-based and are sent continuously. Containing two separate parts, the signals guide the pilot (or autopilot) both to the centerline of the runway and down a safe rate of descent, or glideslope.

To use the ILS, the pilot must tune the navigation radio receiver in the cockpit to the appropriate frequency for the runway to be used. Once tuned to the proper frequency the pilot can then guide the aircraft along the path set by the radio frequency by either hand-flying or by using the autopilot. When hand-flying the aircraft, the pilot uses the horizontal situation indicator, or HSI, to follow both the glideslope and localizer. When tuned to the proper frequency, the navigation radio, or NAV, sends a signal to the HSI and two indicators will appear.

The indicators are oriented perpendicular to each other - one oriented horizontally and the other vertically. The pilot maneuvers the aircraft so that the indicators form a "+" in the center of the HSI. When this occurs, the pilot knows that the aircraft is both on the proper glide path and is lined up with the runway. When the pilot decides to use autopilot, the autopilot performs the same task.

As the aircraft approaches the runway, it passes over ground-based radio beacons (typically three) set along the localizer which send signals to the navigation radio telling the pilot approximately how far the aircraft is from the runway. This is accomplished by the navigation radio taking the signals and interpreting them, and producing an audible tone for the pilot.

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Selected by Photography Corner Forum as the Sixth Best Photography of June 2012
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WINNER in "YOUR MOST VISITED ARTWORK" FAA Contest. (1st Place), February 2013
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WINNERin "YOUR BEST FOG PHOTOGRAPH" FAA contest, (1st place), February 2013.
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Second Place in "FLYING MACHINES" FAA contest,July 2013.
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Note: The "Fine Art America" watermark does not appear in the final print.
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Uploaded

October 17th, 2012

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