ABSTRACT
Inertial navigation systems (INS) were introduced into commercial aircraft service during the early 1970s. The system does not receive or transmit radio frequencies. Being self-contained, the system is ideally suited for long distance navigation over oceans and undeveloped areas. As with many avionic systems, significant developments have occurred with inertial navigation systems in recent decades; INS is often integrated with other avionic units, and there are a variety of system configurations being operated. This chapter provides an introduction to the principles of inertial navigation together with some examples of typical hardware. The primary sensors used in the system are accelerometers and gyroscopes to determine the motion of the aircraft. The key principles of inertial navigation are based on accelerometer and gyro references together with a navigation processing function. Many inertial systems are also integrated with global positioning systems and air data computers.
