Radio navigation emulating GPS system

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• an address/data bus coupled to said processor;
• a satellite based position determining system coupled to communicate with said processor;
• a computer readable memory coupled to communicate with said processor, said processor for performing steps of:
• receiving at a conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus an identifier associated with a conventional navaid;
• retrieving latitude and longitude information corresponding to said received conventional navaid, said latitude and longitude information retrieved from a data storage unit of said conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus;
• generating satellite based position information for an aircraft coupled to said conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus;
• generating navigation information for said aircraft using said retrieved latitude and longitude information and said satellite based position information for said aircraft;
• and
• presenting said navigation information in a manner which emulates the presentation of navigation information generated by a conventional radio navigation device such that said navigation information is of use to a user familiar with a conventional radio navigation system.

In a computer system, a method of emulating a conventional radio navigation system while using satellite based position information, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

• receiving at a conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus an identifier associated with a conventional navaid;
• retrieving latitude and longitude information corresponding to said received conventional navaid, said latitude and longitude information retrieved from a data storage unit of said conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus;
• generating satellite based position information for an aircraft coupled to said conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus;
• generating navigation information for said aircraft using said retrieved latitude and longitude information and said satellite based position information for said aircraft;
• and
• presenting said navigation information in a manner which emulates the presentation of navigation information generated by a conventional radio navigation device such that said navigation information is of use to a user familiar with a conventional radio navigation system.

A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

• receiving at a conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus an identifier associated with a conventional navaid;
• retrieving latitude and longitude information corresponding to said received conventional navaid, said latitude and longitude information retrieved from a data storage unit of said conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus;
• generating satellite based position information for an aircraft coupled to said conventional radio navigation emulating apparatus;
• generating navigation information for said aircraft using said retrieved latitude and longitude information and said satellite based position information for said aircraft;
• and
• presenting said navigation information in a manner which emulates the presentation of navigation information generated by a conventional radio navigation device such that said navigation information is of use to a user familiar with a conventional radio navigation system.