I have also experienced a situation described by christianxb1983 in the simulator during TCAS RA. The problem is not inhibiting the whole RA command by pressing the MASTER CAUTION pb - Actually the green & red bands on the VSI don't inhibit but the aural warnings do if you press the MASTER CAUTION during TCAS aural messages.
The situation where I have observed the TCAS aural warning cancellation was during the CLEAR OF CONFLICT-aural message. We were established on the correct ROD on a TCAS RA and the altitude alert started to sound. We pressed the MASTER CAUTION pb to silence the altitude alert but at the same time the TCAS generated CLEAR OF CONFLICT-message started to sound. We heard only the beginning of that message CL... and the rest was silenced because the MASTER CAUTION pb action.
I agree with rudderrudderrat that reacting to TCAS RA so fast that altitude alert starts to sound BEFORE the TCAS RA aural command has ceased to sound sounds impossible.
This experience is only from the simulator. Can't say how it works in the aircraft. I've heard opinions where others say that it is only a sim "feature" & others say it will work in the same way also in the aircraft.
Last edited by MD-80; 26th May 2011 at 10:36.