Any instructors using PCAS daily?

[Ken Westcott]

Hi all

I'm looking to come back to instructing after a 7 year gap. Only planning on doing part-time 1-2 days per week. Attended my first AOPA seminar last week at Booker and found the speakers excellent and the information and knowledge very helpful! :ok:

Chatting to a couple of experienced instructors at the seminar about PCAS and whether they used it in their daily flying got me thinking whether I should invest in a unit as well. I've never used one before in a light aircraft and the one I've used in commercial jets is TCAS 2. I know we need to train students that there is no replacement for a thorough lookout but any helpful aids must surely be a bonus if used properly to focus the scan at any given time.

So my question is, are there any instructors using PCAS as a matter of routine and if so which one do you use?

Many thanks.

[Whopity]

The absence of any replies probably gives you the answer. I have not seen any FIs using these devices. When operating those aircraft fitted with proximity warning they can become a major distractor whilst instructing. The majority of the traffic it warns of will never be seen, your scan is interupted and becomes concentrated in the area of the reported traffic, usually to no avail.

[zondaracer]

I work at a school where we have PCAS in a couple of aircraft. I get a lot of false returns, especially the ghost return of the very aircraft I'm flying and it gets annoying hearing the alert nonstop. First time it happened I was maneuvering round and round trying to get away from myself until I realized there was no one at my altitude about to collide with me. I end up not even turning the PCAS on unless the sound isn't hooked up to the intercom system.

[clunckdriver]

I no longer instruct, {too bloody old and grumpy!} but I do fly corporate into a few places which are "puppy farms" for overseas students, after two near collisions we installed a PCAS, on the first flight after instalation we recieved a warning which prevented a collision with a student who decided to practice holds right on the standard STAR from the East, vis was about two miles in haze. As our aircraft is presurized it will not give true warnings at altitude, however by the time we are between 2,000 and 3000ft above ground we simply dump the cabin diff down to zero, thus getting acurate warnings, and no, its not wired into the intercom. . We also find it usefull to "look along" final approach before line up at these airports.

[S-Works]

I prefer to set a good example and teach see and avoid rather than reliance on gadgets.

[KyleRB]

Bose


I don't think KW was intending to rely on it he even mentions teaching a thorough lookout.


Interesting to see what one or two others have written as to why they do or don't use one, as opposed to taking the "high ground" and stating the bleeding obvious!!

[S-Works]

I don't see any high ground in my post. I merely point out my preference and why.

If you want the high ground then.... If we are teaching students to be reliant from day one on gadgetry, which we will be purely by the watch and learn principle of seeing the Instructor using it, how are we ever supposed to get the fundamentals across?

We teach good airmanship and lookout from the start, post PPL there is plenty of time to add the gadgets. In the years I have been an Instructor and Examiner I have never felt the need for a PCAS unit as I think they lull people into a false sense of security as they rely on all the traffic to all be transponding, something that we have no chance of happening.

So if the student sees the Instructor keeping a good lookout then hopefully they will learn from it.

[18greens]

This is very interesting.

How does it work? Does it only detect mode c transponders, or is there another technology?

[KyleRB]

Of course you are right Bose - I can't argue with that.

[fireflybob]

Bose-x, here here - with you all the way

[Ken Westcott]

Thanks for the input guys! It's been quite a while since I last instructed but I do agree with the philosophy of 'do as I do' to set a good example.