You think you had it tough learning about Variation and Deviation? This
is one of those ‘things that arrive on your fax from time to time’ things.
It came from a mate of mine, Milton Cain, who got it from a radio amateur
(Lester Harris, ZL1APY), but there the trail ends. Enjoy, anyway. - Steve
Punter.
INERTIAL
GUIDANCE SYSTEM - A SIMPLIFIED EXPLANATION:
The
aircraft knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it
isn’t. By subtracting where it is
from where it isn’t, or where it isn’t
from where it is (whichever is the greater), it obtains a difference, or deviation.
The
Inertial Guidance System (IGS) uses deviations to generate error signal commands
which instruct the aircraft to move from a position where it is
to a position where it isn’t,
arriving at a position where it wasn’t,
but now is. Consequently, the position
where it is, is now the position where
it wasn’t, thus it logically follows
that the position where it was is the position where it isn’t.
In
the event that the position where the aircraft now is,
is not the position where it wasn’t,
then the IGS has acquired a variation.
Variations
are caused by external factors, the full explanations of which are beyond the
scope of this report. A variation is the difference between where the aircraft is
and where it wasn’t. If the variation is considered to be a factor of
significant magnitude, a correction may be applied by the use of the autopilot
system. However use of this correction requires that the aircraft now knows
where it was because the variation has
modified some of the information which the aircraft has, ensuring it knows where
it isn’t.
Nevertheless,
the aircraft is sure where it isn’t
(within reason), and it knows where it was.
The IGS now subtracts where it should be
from where it isn’t, where it ought
to be from where it wasn’t (or
vice versa) and integrates the difference with the product of where it
shouldn’t be and where it was,
thus obtaining the difference between its deviation and its variation, which is
a variable constant called error.
Note: If you have one of these little gems, email it to me steve@sta.co.nz
or fax it to me on (09) 444 3704. Do your best to let us know where you got it
so we can give credit to the authors.
Steve Punter ANZIM,
Dip Bus (PMER), FHRINZ
Staff Training Associates Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
© Steve Punter 2001 All rights reserved by the author.