Patent ID: 7715955

Claim:
An aircraft piloting system, at least for piloting an aircraft during a non-precision approach with a view to a landing, said piloting system comprising: information sources that provide at least one indication of position relating to the actual position of the aircraft; a data base containing information for forming a virtual approach axis; an information processing unit that processes information emanating from said information sources, wherein said information processing unit comprises a landing aid multimode receiver, which includes a satellite-based positioning function, that implements a precision approach providing horizontal and vertical guidance before and during landing by presenting the pilot with lateral deviation of the aircraft with respect to an approach axis and vertical deviation of the aircraft with respect to a descent plane, wherein said information processing unit moreover comprises an assisted approach mode function, which is integrated into said receiver and implements a non-precision approach, by determining the lateral and vertical deviations between the actual position of the aircraft and the position that the aircraft would have if the aircraft were on said virtual approach axis; and a user device that uses the information provided by said landing aid multimode receiver to support the guidance of the aircraft up to its landing, so as to cancel the lateral and vertical deviations, wherein: the same guidance laws are used both for the precision mode and the non-precision mode, a plurality of assisted approach modes are possible for the non-precision approach, the pilot may select one of the assisted approach modes, and the virtual approach axis is representative of the assisted approach mode selected by the pilot.