How ever did we survive under see and avoid?
Angling for RWY 28L In KSFO, ATC has long since pointed out traffic for the charted visual to 28R that I'm to pair up with. Long before it was ever a TA or RA the aircraft was in sight. No other TCAS targets around to be confused with, RA clearly based off the aircraft that corresponds visually to where the box is saying, tell ya what, I'm comfortable not blindly responding based simply because the SOP says I have to.
If there's any doubt, then there's no question, immediately comply, if it's an out of the blue unexpected RA, immediately comply, if after visually acquiring the target the situation isnt acceptable, comply. I imagine the blindly follow the command crowd and I would agree on 99% of TCAS protocal, there are however scenarios where I comfortable that I am visually looking at the TCAS target beyond doubt and to respond might introduce a greater threat (botched response at a low energy, high drag configuration) than to monitor the traffic you've seen for 20 miles.
As far as making sure it's the right aircraft I'm looking at, what before TCAS or when its deferred? In the above situation, the analogy would be for me to climb or descend away from an aircraft I visually acquired many miles out from the join up simply because there might be another aircraft out there. Wouldn't make sense to do that if you were minus TCAS, just as it doesn't make sense to do it with TCAS if by various means you're sure it's the threat aircraft. At an altitude where the RA is suppressed, the same aircraft represents the same threat, but now it's merely a TA, yet you don't respond to it. There are so many inconsistencies with the logic of blindly following the TCAS (or any other) protocal. I don't sign away my PIC authority to the TCAS, though chances are I am going to follow it's commands the vast majority of the time.
I know I'm not going to convince anyone, and chances are no one of the blindly follow the TCAS command mindset is going to sway me, just understand there are other interpretations out there.
Last edited by West Coast; 20th Jan 2013 at 08:09.