uAvionix Corporation, the leading Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) ADS-B avionics solution provider, announced FAA TSO C-199 approval of its FYXNAV GPS position source.  Weighing only 27 grams, the $500 combination GPS receiver and antenna provides high integrity GPS inputs to drone autopilot navigation systems and ADS-B equipment.

In the GPS world, “integrity” is the level of trust that can be placed in the data supplied to the navigation system or being broadcast over ADS-B.  Integrity is a key part of aviation GPS systems, such as those used in Performance Based Navigation (PBN) principals – whereby aircraft systems are required to achieve certain specifications in order to perform specific functions, such as be used in a GPS approach to a runway.  In order to meet the requirements of TSO C-199, FYXNAV implements integrity algorithms which monitor the health of each of the GPS satellites and excludes any from position calculations that exhibit anomalous behavior.  Non-aviation grade GPS receivers typically do not include an integrity processor.

“While there currently are no certification requirements for UAS GPS sensors, uAvionix is anticipating the need for high integrity GPS solutions for riskier operations, such as flights over people or beyond line of sight” said Paul Beard, CEO of uAvionix. “You don’t want to trust your operation to the same GPS that’s in your cell phone.”

A Technical Standard Order (TSO) authorization by the FAA is the result of a rigorous process by which the FAA ensures the device meets the specified performance, quality, and manufacturing standards required for installation on a certified aircraft.