Improved Ground Collision Avoidance System for General Aviation Aircraft and UAVs

Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) causes almost 100 deaths each year in the United States. Although warning systems have virtually eliminated CFIT for large commercial air carriers, the problem still remains for general aviation aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Existing systems are forced to rely on digital maps with low resolution/fidelity. They also require expensive equipment, limit the maneuvers to avoid collision, and frequently issue false alarms, causing pilots to ignore the safety system.