Development and test results of wide area differential GPS for precision approaches

Summary form only given. The FAA´s Satellite Program Office is developing a satellite approach testbed at the FAA´s Technical Center (FAATC) in order to determine the feasibility of precision approaches using only GPS (Global Positioning System) augmented with wide-area differential GPS corrections. The differential corrections will be broadcast from a single geostationary satellite and will be applicable for precision approaches by all users in the contiguous USA. The authors will describe the wide-area differential GPS concept, and report on the development and test results from the application of wide area differential GPS for precision approaches at the FAATC Satellite Approach Test Bed. The technical issues addressed are possible accuracies with wide-area differential GPS, accuracies versus number of required monitor locations, and techniques for real-time ionospheric and tropospheric corrections