Patent ID: 8150565

Claim:
A method for aiding the piloting of an aircraft, while respecting a time of arrival constraint at a first waypoint during a phase of descent, comprising: calculating an instant of arrival of the aircraft at an intermediate waypoint according to the following steps: selecting the intermediate waypoint in a phase of cruising of the aircraft preceding the phase of descent; selecting an earliest time of arrival at the first waypoint, wherein the earliest time of arrival at the first waypoint occurs earlier by a predetermined first margin than the time of arrival constraint; estimating a minimum travel time corresponding to a maximum speed profile between the intermediate waypoint and the first waypoint; and determining the instant of arrival of the aircraft at the intermediate waypoint, the instant of arrival corresponding to a difference between the selected earliest time of arrival at the first waypoint and the estimated minimum travel time; determining a first speed profile between a current position of the aircraft and the intermediate waypoint, such that the intermediate waypoint is crossed at the calculated instant of arrival; determining a second speed profile, such that the first waypoint is crossed within the time of arrival constraint, starting from the intermediate waypoint at the calculated instant of arrival; and piloting the aircraft according to the first and then second speed profiles, wherein the first speed profile is expressed in terms of a constant ground speed Vgd of the aircraft between the said current position of the aircraft and the intermediate waypoint, said speed Vgd being determined by the relationship: Vgd = D Ti - T ⁢ ⁢ 0 , wherein D is a distance, along a scheduled trajectory, between a current position X of the aircraft and the intermediate waypoint; Ti is the calculated instant of arrival; and T 0 is the current instant corresponding to the current position X of the aircraft.