A vision-based method for supporting autonomous aircraft landing

Purpose This paper aims to present a vision-based method for determination of the position of a fixed-wing aircraft that is approaching a runway. Design methodology/approach The method determines the location of an aircraft based on positions of precision approach path indicator lights and approach light system with sequenced flashing lights in the image captured by an on-board camera. Findings As the relation of the lighting systems to the touchdown area on the considered runway is known in advance, the detected lights, seen as glowing lines or highlighted areas, in the image can be mapped onto the real-world coordinates and then used to estimate the position of the aircraft. Furthermore, the colours of lights are detected and can be used as auxiliary information. Practical implications The presented method can be considered as a potential source of flight data for autonomous approach and for augmentation of manual approach. Originality/value In this paper, a feasibility study of this concept is presented and primarily validated.