What is the Inertial Reference System in an Aircraft?
When a GPS system’s service is interrupted, an aircraft’s Inertial Navigation System (INS) is there to save the day. This self-contained flight management system provides aircraft locale without the need for input radio signals from ground navigation facilities or transmitters. The location of an aircraft is continuously updated through calculations based on the forces experienced (altitude, velocity, direction, accelerations) by INS accelerometers. An interface control head is used to input a starting location and from there any movement force data recorded by an accelerometer is then used to calculate an aircraft’s location based on that starting point. A minimum of two accelerometers are used, one referenced to the north and one referenced to the east. In older units (due to gravity), accelerometers are mounted onto a gyro-stabilized platform that averts the introduction of error. An accumulated error of less than one mile after one hour of flight is possible.
New, more advanced INSs are now referred to as Inertial Reference Systems (IRS) and utilize three-ring laser gyros that eliminate precession and other mechanical gyro shortcomings. These advancements make the older moveable accelerometer gyros a solid-state unit increasing accuracy and decreasing an accelerometer’s margin for error. The use of three solid-state accelerometers, one for each plane of movement, also dramatically increases location accuracy. The most modern IRS integrate is the satellite GPS. With the extreme accuracy of the Global Positioning Navigation (GPS) System combined with the independent onboard IRS, pilots now possess one of the most accurate navigation systems to date. An INS can be found integrated into an airliner's flight management system and automatic flight control system. INSs, IRSs and GPSs can all be purchased through manufacturers like Textron Inc., Gulfstream and Airbus.
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