Chapter 10

ILS
Instrument Landing System
http://part66school.blogspot.com/2012/
08/how-ils-system-work.html

How ILS System works website.

 ILS Overview
The ILS system uses VHF radio (at the airport) to transmit signals that
are received by the VOR receiver (in the airplane) and display guidance
information on the flight director or send information to the autopilot.

The radio signal that lines up the airplane with the runway is called the
Localizer.

The radio signal that keeps the aircraft descending at a safe angle is
called the Glideslope.

The Marker Beacon is 3 radio beacons positioned along the extended

centerline of the runway that alert the pilot for glideslope intercept,
decision height and when to go around.
ILS System Diagram
Localizer Antenna

Horizontally focused Textbook page 67 and 70

Localizer Antenna

Horizontally focused
Glideslope Antenna

Vertically focused Textbook page 67 and 70

 ILS Categories
There are several categories of ILS, each pertaining to how low the
visibility can be in order for the aircraft to land safely.

The categories are based on ceiling and visibility at the airport when
the airplane arrives.
Decision Height (DH) Runway Visual Range (RVR).
Category I is a DH of 200 feet and an RVR of 2400 feet.
Category II is a DH of 100 feet and an RVR of 1200 feet
Category IIIa is a DH of 100 feet and an RVR of 700 feet.
Category IIIb is a DH of 100 feet and an RVR of 150 feet.
Category IIIc is “0/0”, no visibility, and currently there are no Cat IIIc
airports in the US.

The airplane must be equipped and maintained for the various

categories and the pilots must also be trained and qualified to land in
low visibility conditions.
Runway Lighting

Textbook page 69
 ILS Components
The ILS components consist of a Localizer,
Glideslope and Marker Beacon System.

These systems have airborne and ground

systems.

The compass locator is a low power station picked

up by an ADF receiver to guide the airplane
arriving from any direction to the outer marker.
Localizer

Left of On course Right of

course course
Textbook page 71
 From the ground, a localizer transmitter
Localizer projects radio beams aligned with the
centerline of the runway.

It operates in the VHF band from

108.1-111.95 MHZ.

The localizer transmits 2 tones: 150Hz and

90Hz, and one tone is on one side of the
runway, the other on the other side

The ILS receiver measures the difference

of strength of the 2 tones to compute
whether or not the aircraft is centered or off
course.

Localizer is displayed where VOR is

displayed but it is 4x more sensitive.

Textbook page 71
 Glideslope

Above On Below
glidepath glidepath glidepath

Textbook page 72
 Glideslope
The glideslope signal provides
vertical guidance.

There are no controls for the pilot

to tune the glideslope, it is
automatically tuned when he
tunes the localizer.

The glideslope operates on the

UHF band from 329.15 MHz to
335 MHz.

Just like with the localizer, it

transmits 2 tones: 150 or 90Hz to
indicate whether the airplane is
above or below the glide path.

Textbook page 72
Marker Beacon

Textbook page 75
Marker Beacon
The Marker Beacon receiver is
fixed-tuned to 75MHz.

There is a 3-light indicator in the

flight deck which will light up the
respective light for each marker
as the aircraft passes over the
marker.

There is also an audio tone

which sounds, and the pitch
increases and sounds faster as
the beacon is approached.

Textbook page 74
Review Q & A Chapter 10 ILS
10.1 Name 3 markers along an ILS.
Answer: Outer, Middle and Inner
10.2 How is RVR (Runway Visual Range) measured on an ILS runway?
Answer: In miles.
10.3 Name the Categories of ILS.
Answer: I,II, IIIa, b, c
10.4 What component of ILS provides an extended centerline of the runway?
Answer: Localizer
10.5 Name the ILS component that provides vertical guidance to the runway.
Answer: Glideslope
10.6 How many channels are allocated to localizers?
Answer: 40
10.7 The localizer frequency is selected on the ______ receiver.
Answer: VOR (General Aviation) or VHF Nav (Commercial)
10.8 The frequencies of the 2 audio tones that provide left-right guidance on a localizer are ____ and
____.
Answer: 90Hz and 150Hz
10.9 when a localizer frequency is selected on the VOR receiver, the indicator needle becomes
____times more sensitive than for VOR navigation.
Answer: 4
10.10 The frequencies of the 2 audio tones that provide up-and-down guidance on a glideslope are
____and___.
Answer: 90Hz and 150Hz
10.11 The compass locator of an ILS is received on the _______.
Answer: ADF
10.12 How are the glideslope receiver frequencies selected?
Answer: Through the VOR or VHF Nav control panel.
10.13. What is the frequency for all marker beacon receivers?
Answer: 75MHz