Abstract: A smart probe assembly for an aircraft includes pressure sensing ports for sensing pressures indicating angle of attack, static pressure and pitot pressure, a circuit housing mounted on said probe includes cards for a central processing unit, and also includes a global positioning satellite receiver. An antennae for the global positioning satellite receiver is mounted adjacent to the probe, on a mounting plate so that the antennae is protruding from the aircraft without cutting an additional hole in the aircraft skin, the inputs from the global positioning satellite are used for providing various flight performance information.

Abstract: A smart probe assembly for an aircraft includes pressure sensing ports for sensing pressures indicating angle of attack, static pressure and pitot pressure, a circuit housing mounted on said probe includes cards for a central processing unit, and also includes a global positioning satellite receiver. An antennae for the global positioning satellite receiver is mounted adjacent to the probe, on a mounting plate so that the antennae is protruding from the aircraft without cutting an additional hole in the aircraft skin, the inputs from the global positioning satellite are used for providing various flight performance information.

Abstract: A system for determining an altitude of an aircraft using barometric pressure measurements is disclosed comprising: a transmitter disposed at a ground station for transmitting a signal to the aircraft, which signal including first data representative of barometric pressure at the ground station; a receiver disposed at the aircraft for receiving the transmitted signal; sensing apparatus disposed at the aircraft for measuring barometric pressure at the altitude of the aircraft and generating second data representative thereof; and processing circuitry for determining the altitude of the aircraft based on the first and second data and data representative of the elevation of the ground station. The ground station includes sensing apparatus for measuring barometric pressure at the ground station and generating pressure data representative thereof which is superimposed onto a carrier signal of the transmitter for transmission to the aircraft.