Patent ID: 7702428

Claim:
A method to assist in the piloting of an aircraft, said method comprising: assisting in the independent piloting of the aircraft at least in a descent phase between a safe altitude and a decision height that are predetermined, by determining, using exclusively information available on board the aircraft, a descent axis making it possible to fly from the safe altitude to the decision height; and guiding the aircraft, in said descent phase, along said descent axis to said decision height, wherein: the determining of the descent axis comprises securing the descent axis relative to the ground being flown over; and if, at said decision height, visual meteorological conditions are not verified, the aircraft is guided to said safe altitude, wherein: the method further comprises: determining a reascent axis to enable the aircraft to fly from said decision height to said safe altitude, said reascent axis being secured relative to the ground being flown over, and the guiding of the aircraft to said safe altitude comprises guiding the aircraft along said reascent axis to said safe altitude, wherein: the determining of the reascent axis is based on determining an anchoring point located on the ground, a magnetic orientation, and a gradient value; the securing of the descent axis and the reascent axis comprises forming the descent axis and the reascent axis such that a probability of a collision between the aircraft and the ground when the descent axis and the reascent axis are used to guide the aircraft is no greater than 1×10 −9 ; said descent phase is an approach phase of a parachute drop trajectory, from which a parachute drop must be carried out; in the descent phase, there is presented to a pilot of the aircraft, on at least one display screen, at least one indication unit indicating a moment at which a crew must open doors and a parachute ramp of the aircraft for the purpose of the parachute drop; the determining of the descent axis further comprises determining a set-point speed at which the aircraft should fly at least along said descent axis; the guiding of the aircraft to said safe altitude comprises guiding the aircraft by making the aircraft fly at said set-point speed; said set-point speed is adapted to a speed required for the parachute drop that must be carried out from the parachute drop trajectory; said decision height corresponds to a sum of a height of said parachute drop trajectory which is at constant altitude and a predetermined height margin; and a data processing unit determines the descent axis and the reascent axis based on a set of information sources.