Long-Tailed Distributions for Position Errors in Navigation

Abstract

SUMMARY In this article, a distribution theory is developed to explain a fairly well-established characteristic of the position errors observed in large navigation systems. Empirical adequacy of the suggested model is compared with other existing models using newly collected data. An application of all these distribution models to the evaluation of aircraft mid-air collision risk is illustrated, and potential implications of the computed results are sketched. Insights gained from this study may be useful for other areas of statistical application in which long-tailed distributions have been observed.