RC Airplane Instrument Landing System Glide Slope Joseph F. DiDonna ECE Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chamberlin Courses Involved: ECE 603, ECE 704, ECE 714, ECE 757, ECE 758 October 25th, 2013 Project Completion Date: April, 2014

How is an ILS Useful?

Problem To design an instrument landing system for a radio control airplane that would assist the pilot with an approach glide path.

Design Objectives: Design a glide slope instrument landing system that indicates by a sound tone if the airplane is too high, on the glide path, or too low.

Receiver: Develop a 2.45 GHz AM receiver to be on board the airplane that can detect a transmitted tone from the glide slope array.

Receiver Block Diagram

Transmitter Array: Develop a system implementing one 2.45 GHz AM transmitter to form the glide slope array. The transmitter array is formed by two antennas. Successfully calibrate the antennae transmitter array.

Transmitter Block Diagram

Implementation

Transmitter Array Lobes in Space

Implementation: If the airplane is too low on approach the pilot would hear more of the 150 Hz tone from the upper antenna array. If the airplane is on the glide path the pilot would hear the 90 Hz tone added with the 150 Hz tone from the lower antenna array. If the airplane is too high on approach the pilot would hear more of the 90 Hz tone from the upper antenna.

Implementation: By hearing the difference of space modulation, the pilot would know how to stay on the glide slope by varying the descent rate based on the tones heard. The receiver communicates what tone is being received from the transmitter array and amplifies the tone for the pilot to hear.

Implementation: The receiver would be mounted on a RC airplane and powered by a battery. The antennae array can be made portable and set up at the end of the chosen model airplane runway. The tones heard on the airplane can be transmitted to the ground where the pilot can hear them with head phones.

Testing Procedure: The receiver can be tested by implementation with a transmitter at 2.45 GHz AM in the laboratory. This component of the project must work successfully. The transmitter antennae array would be calibrated to match a 3 degree glide slope. When complete the system will be tested on a RC airplane and model runway outdoors. The flight test area is available at any time.

Budget Estimate: This project requires many fabricated parts to work at high frequencies. The parts for the receiver and transmitter array should be no less than $155.

Project Schedule:

Image Citation Airliners.net, Lo Samuel, http://www.airliners.net/photo/United-Airlines/Boeing-747-422/0076911/