Selected Aspects of the Low Level Automatic Taxi Control System Concept

Taxiing of manned and remotely piloted aircraft is still performed by pilots without using a system of automatic control of direction and speed. Several reasons have emerged in recent years that make the automation of taxiing an important design challenge. The reasons are: decreased airport capacity due to the growing number of aircraft, poor ground operation conditions during poor visibility conditions, an increase in workload of pilots and air traffic controllers and the integration of simultaneous ground operations of manned and remotely piloted air vehicles. This paper presents selected aspects of the concept of a Low Level Automatic Taxi Control System. In particular, it emphasizes the means of controlling an aircraft during taxiing, accuracy requirements of the system and proposes control techniques. The resulting controller of the system is adaptable for different aircrafts. The actuators and their mechanical connections to available controls are the aircraft specific part and are designed for the particular type – in this case – a general aviation light airplane.