LONG RANGE FLIGHT TESTS OF THE OMEGA AIRCRAFT RECEIVER.

• Main Authors: Thornhill, A. F., Williams, M. F.
• Other Authors: NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1962
• Subjects: LOW FREQUENCY; ERRORS; RANGE(DISTANCE); AIRCRAFT; SOUTH AMERICA; DIURNAL VARIATIONS; PROPAGATION; OMEGA NAVIGATION SYSTEM; V-2 AIRCRAFT; Arctic; Long Island; Orleans
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0463062; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0463062

Omega is a very-low-frequency radio navigation system which is characterized by very long range capability and potentially high accuracy. Fixes with an accuracy of one mile or less can be obtained by ships, aircraft and submerged submarines. Flights were made by NRL personnel in a WV-2 aircraft to the Arctic and to South America for a twofold purpose: (1) to evaluate the performance of the Omega aircraft receiver on long range flights and (2) to obtain propagation data by monitoring the signals at each stop for several days. This report is an account of the performance of the aircraft receiver. During the trip, three flights (about 3000 miles total) were made in areas for which local Omega charts were available: (1) from New Orleans to Panama, (2) from Panama to Manta, Ecuador, and (3) from Long Island in the Bahamas to Washington, D. C. The Omega position fixes on these flights are plotted on Omega charts in this report. The results were excellent. The effect of diurnal shifts and the use of propagation data to correct for the diurnal shifts when plotting the flights are discussed. Maximum usable range of the Haiku, Hawaii Omega station (3 kw radiated) was more than 7000 miles, maximum usable range of the Summit, Panama station (3 kw radiated) was more than 5000 miles and maximum range of the Forestport, New York station (0.25 kw radiated) was more than 3000 miles. (Author)