It has been worrying me that some people don't appear to understand the decision problem I have posed or why certain solutions are unsatisfactory. It occurred to me this morning while looking for reasons not to get out of bed at 06.00 that there is another way to present the dilemma.
[Begin Exercise Statement]
Scenario 1: You are flying along, level at FL 360. ATC says descend immediately to FL 350 due to conflict with traffic at 2 o'clock.
What do you do? Why?
Scenario 2: You are flying along, level at FL 360. You have another aircraft in sight at your 10 o'clock. It's night, so you have little range information, just direction. ATC says descend immediately to FL 350 due to conflict with traffic at 2 o'clock.
What do you do? Why?
Scenario 3: You are flying along, level at FL 360. You have another aircraft in sight at your 10 o'clock. It's night, so you have little range information, just direction. ATC says descend immediately to FL 350 due to conflict with traffic at 2 o'clock. At the same time, you get a climb RA for your visual target at 10 o'clock.
What do you do? Why?
[End Exercise Statement]
As far as I understand, for example, FullWings's answers, they would be:
1. Descend. Reason: conflict avoidance with unseen traffic.
2. Descend. Reason: conflict avoidance with unseen traffic.
3. Climb. Reason: RA advises to do so.
The difference between scenarios 2 and 3 is, however, minimal. Yet the avoidance manoeuvre is exactly opposite.
And the unseen conflicting traffic does not go away.
PBL