Patent ID: 8165735

Claim:
A method to assist in the landing of an airplane during an approach phase, maneuvering from a position, called current position P av , located at a height H av relative to a reference point, H av being greater than a start-of-leveling-off reference height H 1 , and with a speed V av along a current approach path toward a threshold of a runway, said runway having an end opposite the threshold on a runway axis (OX), originating at the threshold and positively oriented toward the end, said method comprising the determination of a landing delay margin, called MRA max , corresponding to the time taken by the airplane to travel a distance equal to a distance between an estimated stopping point M stop of abscissa X stop , corresponding to the possible stopping point of the airplane closest to the runway threshold, and the end of the runway, wherein a speed V touch equal to an estimated speed of the airplane at the time when the wheels of said airplane touch the runway is considered for the determination of the landing delay margin MRA max , and in that, at a given flight point, during the approach phase, the abscissa X stop of said stopping point M stop is determined by the estimation of an abscissa X 1 of a point P 1 , corresponding to the point of the current path at which the airplane would be located, with a start-of-leveling-off reference speed V 1 , when said airplane reaches said height H 1 , to which abscissa X 1 is added a landing distance L o , dependent on the landing conditions but independent of the current flight parameters H av and V av .