Patent Document ID: 10024686
Application ID: 14294397
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of facilitating the approach of an aircraft to a platform on a liquid surface, the method comprising: a preparation stage during which the following steps are performed by a navigation computer of the aircraft: receiving a theoretical position of the platform from either a human operator or a database of the aircraft having position coordinates of the platform, the theoretical position of the platform being an expected position of the platform; and preparing an approach path to the theoretical position of the platform using the theoretical position of the platform; a consolidation stage of consolidating the approach path during which the following steps are performed after the approach path has been prepared and while the aircraft is in flight along the approach path to the theoretical position of the aircraft prior to the aircraft reaching a final approach fix (FAF) of the approach path by a mapping computer of the aircraft in communication with the navigation computer: measuring a current position of the platform based on information from at least one of an automatic identification system and a radar system of the aircraft, the current position of the platform being an actual position of the platform; determining a distance between the theoretical position of the platform, which was used to prepare the approach path, and the current position of the platform, which was measured after the approach path was prepared; determining that the distance is greater than a first threshold and is less than a second threshold, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold; and triggering an alert as the distance is greater than the first threshold; a stage during which the following steps are performed by the navigation computer of the aircraft as the distance is greater than the first threshold and is less than the second threshold: determining a vector connecting the theoretical position of the platform to the current position of the platform; and offsetting the approach path by applying the vector thereto to reach the current position of the platform.