Plain English Meaning

The parts of the ILS that live in the airplane. They pick up the signals beamed from the ground and turn them into needles, lights, and tones in the cockpit so the pilot can line up with the runway and descend at the right angle.

Full Definition

The equipment installed in the aircraft that receives and displays Instrument Landing System (ILS) signals. These components include the localizer receiver (which interprets horizontal guidance to the runway centerline), the glide slope receiver (which interprets vertical guidance to the touchdown point), and the marker beacon receiver (which signals the aircraft's along the ). Together they translate the ground-transmitted ILS signals into cockpit indications the pilot uses to fly a .