Patent ID: 7602314

Claim:
A method of assisting in piloting of an aircraft in free flight, wherein there is presented, on at least one display window of at least one display screen of said aircraft, an information presentation which illustrates a vertical plane and which comprises: a system of axes, of which a y-axis is graduated altitude-wise, and an x-axis is graduated distance-wise from a position of the aircraft; a characteristic symbol representing the aircraft, which is positioned on said y-axis in a position representative of an altitude of said aircraft; and a trace representing a profile of the ground being flown over and revealing a vertical section, wherein, during a flight of the aircraft, the following series of steps is carried out automatically and successively: a) determining a current flight phase of the aircraft; b) determining a current altitude of the aircraft; c) determining a current value of a particular parameter of the aircraft, which illustrates a vertical characteristic of the latter; d) determining, based on said current flight phase, said current altitude and said current value of said particular parameter: a reference height Zac corresponding to a height of said characteristic symbol in said display window; and a reference altitude ALTref corresponding to an altitude of a lowest point of the vertical section displayed; and e) positioning: said display window, altitude-wise such that the lowest point of the vertical section displayed in said display window is located at said reference altitude ALTref on said y-axis graduated altitude-wise; and said characteristic symbol, vertically in said display window at a height corresponding to said reference height Zac, wherein the free flight of the aircraft comprises a flight path which is not predetermined.