Device for aiding the piloting of an aircraft during an approach phase for the purpose of landing

1. A device to assist with flying an aircraft during an approach phase with a view to landing, said approach phase exhibiting:

an initial phase defined between a first transition point and at least one second transition point, during which phase the aircraft is guided according to a predetermined flight plan observing a required navigation performance; and

a terminal phase defined between this second transition point and the landing, during which phase the aircraft is guided along a line of approach,

said device comprising:

a collection of information sources capable of supplying information relating to the aircraft and particularly relating to its current position;

a navigation database;

a calculation system capable of determining:

a flight path relative to said flight plan;

first lateral and vertical deviations between the current position of the aircraft and said flight path;

said line of approach; and

second lateral and vertical deviations between the current position of the aircraft and said line of approach;

a guidance system capable of assisting with guiding the aircraft; and

a display system,

wherein:

said device additionally comprises a control system comprising at least one actuatable control means allowing a pilot of the aircraft to instigate a hybrid approach mode comprising a first guidance mode for guiding the aircraft during said initial phase and a second guidance mode for guiding the aircraft during said terminal phase;

said calculation system is formed in such a way as to determine, as soon as said control means is actuated, both said first and second deviations relative to said instigated hybrid approach mode and to do so as soon as all the information needed to do so becomes available onboard the aircraft;

said guidance system is formed in such a way as to assist with guiding the aircraft, if said control means is actuated, both during said initial phase between said first and second transition points in accordance with said first guidance mode, and during said terminal phase from said second transition point onwards, according to said second guidance mode, the transition between said first and second guidance modes being performed automatically by said guidance system; and

said display system is formed in such a way as to display, on at least one display screen, as soon as said control means is actuated, at least:

an indication means indicating said hybrid approach mode instigated;

an indication means indicating, as appropriate, at least the current guidance mode of said instigated hybrid approach mode; and

indication means respectively representative of said first and second deviations, this being as soon as these become available.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein said control system comprises a plurality of control means each of which can be used to instigate one of a plurality of different hybrid approach modes.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 ,

wherein said control system comprises control means for respectively instigating hybrid approach modes which consist simultaneously:

of a first guidance mode allowing said required navigational performance to be observed; and

of respectively one of the following second guidance modes: a precision approach mode from a plurality of different precision approach modes, or a non-precision approach mode.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein it is formed in such a way as to perform the operations relating to said initial phase also during a go-around phase that interrupts the approach phase in progress.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein said display system comprises a navigation display and a primary flight display.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein said display system is formed in such a way as to differentiate between the displaying of information relating to the current guidance mode of said hybrid approach mode, and the displaying of information relating to the other guidance mode of said hybrid approach mode.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein said display system is formed in such a way as to be able to display:

first auxiliary indication means relating to information regarding said first guidance mode; and

second auxiliary indication means relating to information regarding said second guidance mode.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7 ,

wherein said display system is formed in such a way as to be able also to display the position of lateral and vertical transition points.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein said calculation system comprises:

a flight management system for determining said first deviations; and

a landing assistance multimode receiver for determining said second deviations.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein said terminal phase begins:

as far as lateral guidance is concerned, when the aircraft reaches the at least one second transition point, wherein the second transition point is defined as a second lateral transition point at the earliest; and

as far as vertical guidance is concerned, when the aircraft reaches the at least one second transition point, wherein the second transition point is defined as a second vertical transition point at the earliest.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10 ,

wherein said navigation database comprises predetermined references of said second lateral and vertical transition points for a second guidance mode corresponding to a precision approach mode.

12. The device as claimed in claim 10 ,

wherein said calculation system directly calculates the references of said second lateral and vertical transition points for a second guidance mode corresponding to a non-precision approach mode.

13. An aircraft,

wherein it comprises the flight assistance device of claim 1 .