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![]() From Chapter 7 of the current FAA Instrument Flying Handbook: INS Components INS is considered a stand-alone navigation system, especially when more than one independent unit is onboard. The airborne equipment consists of an accelerometer to measure acceleration—which, when integrated with time, gives velocity—and gyros to measure direction. Later versions of the INS, called IRS (inertial reference systems) utilize laser gyros and more powerful computers; therefore, the accelerometer mountings no longer need to be kept level and aligned with true north. The computer system can handle the added workload of dealing with the computations necessary to correct for gravitational and directional errors. Consequently, these newer systems are sometimes called strapdown systems, as the accelerometers and gyros are strapped down to the airframe, rather than being mounted on a structure that stays fixed with respect to the horizon and true north. INS Errors The principal error associated with INS is degradation of position with time. INS computes position by starting with an accurate position input which is changed continuously as accelerometers and gyros provide speed and direction inputs. Both the accelerometers and the gyros are subject to very small errors; as time passes, those errors likely will accumulate. While the best INS/IRS display errors of 0.1 to 0.4 NM after flights across the North Atlantic of 4 to 6 hours, smaller and less expensive systems are being built that show errors of 1 to 2 NM per hour. This accuracy is more than sufficient for a navigation system that can be combined with and updated by GPS. The synergy of a navigation system consisting of an INS/IRS unit in combination with a GPS resolves the errors and weaknesses of both systems. The GPS is accurate all the time it is working but may be subject to short and periodic outages. The INS is made more accurate because it is continually updated and will continue to function with good accuracy if the GPS has moments of lost signal. |
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