A control system in communication with one of an aircraft navigational aid system and an aircraft surveillance system is described. The control system obtains measurement data associated with radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by the one of the aircraft navigational aid system and the aircraft surveillance system from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reporting the measurement data. The control system also determines whether the measurement data indicates the RF signals are within a range of values based on a location of the UAV in an airspace proximate to the one of the aircraft navigational aid system and the aircraft surveillance system. The control system further controls the RF signals transmitted by the one of the aircraft navigational aid system and the aircraft surveillance system based on the measurement data and the location of the UAV. Methods performed by the control system are also described.

Methods and systems are provided for assisting operation of a vehicle by automatically initiating activation of an automated functionality, such as autoland functionality of an aircraft, in the absence of user input within one or more monitoring periods. One method involves identifying a triggering event, identifying a monitoring period associated with the triggering event, monitoring one or more components for user input within the monitoring period associated with the triggering event, and automatically initiating activation of an automated functionality associated with the vehicle in the absence of user input within the monitoring period associated with the triggering event. In some implementations, the monitoring period adaptively and dynamically varies during operation.

Methods and system for alerting a Visual Decent Point (VDP) in an aircraft system. The methods and systems retrieve runway altitude data and Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) data from an avionics database for a target runway. Data in the avionics database for the target runway does not include a published VDP. The method includes calculating the VDP based on a difference between the runway altitude data and the MDA so as to achieve a target downward acceptable glidepath angle during final descent from the MDA to the target runway. The method includes outputting an alert of the VDP by an output device of the aircraft system.

A system for electric aircraft navigation includes a sensor configured to detect a navigation signal, a flight controller, wherein the flight controller is configured to receive the navigation signal, identify a navigation status as a function of the navigation signal, and determine an aircraft adjustment as a function of the navigation status, and a pilot display, wherein the pilot display is configured to display the aircraft adjustment to a user, and present an autonomous function configured to enact the aircraft adjustment automatically.

Methods and systems are provided for assisting operation of a vehicle using speech recognition and transcription. One method involves identifying an operational objective for an audio communication with respect to the vehicle, determining an expected clearance communication for the vehicle based at least in part on the operational objective, identifying a discrepancy between a transcription of the audio communication and the expected clearance communication, augmenting the transcription of the audio communication using a current operational context to reduce the discrepancy, and providing a graphical indication influenced by the augmented transcription.

A method for planning a vehicle trajectory is provided. The method comprises obtaining an edge map representation corresponding to one or more terrain images of a given area, and identifying a total number of edge pixels in each of a plurality of sub-regions of the edge map representation. The method further comprises determining a measurement probability density function (PDF) for each of the sub-regions based on the number of edge pixels with information content in each sub-region. The method then computes a trajectory cost for each of the sub-regions by dividing a user-selected scalar by a sum of: a user-selected value and the number of edge pixels with information content in each sub-region. Thereafter, the method selects a trajectory for navigation of a vehicle over the given area based on the trajectory cost for each of the sub-regions.

According to various aspects, a method of generating a collision free path of travel may include defining a global search area encompassing at least a global start position and a global target position; and determining a set of collision free trajectories by iteration, the set of collision free trajectories connecting the global start position to the global target position via one or more local target positions, each iteration including: determining a local search area within the global search area; determining, from the global obstacle map, a local obstacle map associated with the local search area; defining a local start position and one or more local target positions within the local search area; and calculating, in the local search area, a collision free trajectory from the local start position to the one or more local target positions considering the local obstacle map.

A method for policy-based traffic encounter assessment to detect and avoid traffic includes determining, by a processor, an ownship predicted trajectory of an aircraft. The aircraft is the ownship. The method also includes determining a traffic predicted trajectory of one or more other aircraft in the vicinity of the ownship. The one or more other aircraft includes traffic. The method also includes assessing an encounter between the ownship and the traffic, wherein assessing the encounter between the ownship and the traffic includes applying an encounter assessment policy to the traffic predicted trajectory and the ownship predicted trajectory. The method further includes generating encounter assessment data in response to assessing the encounter between the ownship and the traffic. The encounter assessment data is used to at least detect and avoid the traffic by the ownship.

Avionics systems, aircraft, and methods are provided. An avionics system for an aircraft includes a trajectory modeling system and a Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS). The trajectory modeling system is programmed to determine a current performance capability of the aircraft and to generate potential escape data based on the current performance capability of the aircraft. The TAWS is programmed to generate a terrain margin using a TAWS algorithm based on the potential escape data and to generate a warning based on the terrain margin.

An example system for flying to a target location is provided, comprising a parent aerial vehicle and at least one child vehicle releasably coupled to the parent vehicle. The parent vehicle is configured to transport the at least one child aerial vehicle to a region containing a target location, uncouple from the at least one child aerial vehicle, and transmit information to the at least one child aerial vehicle relevant to operation of the child aerial vehicle. The child aerial vehicle comprises at least one sensor for surveillance at the target location.