Self Navigation

An Inertial Navigation System (INS) provides pilots with a wide range of navigational information including current aircraft position.  An INS is a self-contained system that does not rely on any external radio signals. A large proportion of modern civilian aircraft are fitted with inertial systems and INS is a vital element for military aircraft.  For some Performance Based Navigation specifications it is possible to operate only on an inertial solution and with RNAV 10 that can be in excess of 6 hours; however, fitting an inertial to an aircraft is an operator’s choice.  There is only one navigation specification that requires the aircraft to be fitted with an inertial capability and that is the RNP (AR) APCH.