Patent ID: 7991516

Claim:
A system for supervising the landing of a plurality of aircraft at a given airfield by a human supervisor in a control station, each of said aircraft being capable of landing without control by any human personnel on board, said system comprising, in combination: (a) a control station comprising: (1) at least one input device, responsive to said supervisor, for producing at least one air traffic control signal for controlling the order of landing of said plurality of aircraft; and (2) a transmitting device, coupled to said at least one input device, for electronic communication with each of a plurality of aircraft; and (b) aircraft control apparatus disposed on each of a plurality of aircraft, each said apparatus including: (1) a receiving device for electronic communication with said transmitting device of said control station; (2) at least one logic device, coupled to said receiving device, for controlling said aircraft by controlling at least one of the movable aerodynamic control surfaces of the aircraft, throttles, landing gear, and brakes, said logic device being programmed to pilot said aircraft to the vicinity of said airfield and thereafter to automatically land said aircraft at said airfield; wherein (1) said at least one control signal is selected by means of said input device by said supervisor, based on said supervisor's observations of said plurality of aircraft; (2) said control signal is transmitted from said control station to the respective logic device on at least one of said plurality of aircraft; and (3) in response thereto, said logic device controls the respective aircraft, thereby to control its flight in the vicinity of an airfield.