Instrument landing system

In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows a pilot, through a cockpit mounted instrument in the aircraft that displays lateral and vertical guidance indications (needles),, to approach until the aircraft is 200 feet (61 m) over the ground, within 1⁄2 mile (800 m) of the runway. At that point the runway should be visible to the pilot; if it is not, they perform a missed approach.

Bringing the aircraft this close to the runway dramatically increases the range of weather conditions in which a safe landing can be made.
Other versions of the system, or "categories", have further reduced the minimum altitudes, runway visual ranges (RVRs), and transmitter and monitoring configurations designed depending on the normal expected weather patterns and airport safety requirements.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain