Abstract: Disclosed are methods of navigation by satellite positioning system without the aid of any ground-based facilities or supplemental data. An aircraft can autonomously define an approach path for navigation to a landing location by surveying a desired landing area prior to flight, and spatially and mathematically defining a vertical and inclined horizontal plane of interest, along with the target landing point. Also disclosed is a system for using satellite-derived position and velocity information to navigate an aircraft without ground-based facilities or data. Methods defining the approach path through alternate vertical geometries of interest are also disclosed.

Abstract: A self-contained satellite-navigation-based (SatNav-based) method and micro system is disclosed, wherein SatNav-derived (e.g., GPS-derived) position and velocity measurements are obtained and processed to achieve a low cost, micro size, real-time solution for the position and velocity of the carrier relative to a vertical and/or horizontal plane of previously measured location and heading, and for the slant range from a fixed position located on said vertical or horizontal plane. The method includes two parts: 1) a method for defining both the spatial orientation of the vertical and/or horizontal plane of interest, along with a selected fixed position of interest on one of those planes, and 2) a method for obtaining the real-time relative position and velocity of the carrier relative to the plane(s) of interest, and its position relative to the fixed position of interest.