Patent ID: 8229604

Claim:
A method for managing a convoy of at least two aircraft which follow one another along a common taxi trajectory for taxiing on the ground, in which one aircraft is a leader aircraft, and at least one aircraft is a following aircraft that follows the leader aircraft, said method comprising the steps of: exchanging, by a first data transmission unit, information between the aircraft of the convoy concerning flight parameters of the aircraft within the convoy; exchanging, between the aircraft of the convoy and at least one control station that manages the convoy collectively, information relating to the collective convoy, wherein: the exchange is carried out by a second data transmission unit, and said at least one control station receives from each aircraft in the convoy information relating to convoy status, centralizes the received information, schedules the convoy, and transmits to each aircraft a convoy status table that indicates overall status of the convoy, and which is updated according to status information transmitted individually by each aircraft; and wherein the following steps are carried out by a control system mounted on the following aircraft: generating a yaw speed instruction enabling the following aircraft to laterally follow a taxi trajectory for taxiing on the ground, which is common to the aircraft of said convoy; receiving the convoy status table, which describes current status of the convoy and indicates a longitudinal separation between said following aircraft and at least one preceding aircraft in the convoy; generating, according to said current status table, a longitudinal speed instruction enabling the following aircraft to observe said longitudinal separation; and controlling the following aircraft, according to said yaw speed instruction and said longitudinal speed instruction, to taxi on the ground within the convoy of aircraft.