Portable Collision Avoidance Systems

[rotorspin]

Has anybody got any views on these? Good? Bad? Ugly?

In particluar I am looking at the PCAS XRX Portable Collision Avoidance System. Are these any good? Anybody used one?

I know this will probably spark a debate on how little we should rely on internal systems versus use of our eyes, but I will get every bit of help I can to avoid a collision!!

[rotorspin]

so nobody uses a portable collision avoidance system? :hmm:

sorry for putting this back to the top of this thread - but I am amazed that nobody has bitten?

On a trip yesterday from London to Leicester we had glorious flying weather and every pilot appeared to be in the sky at once!

Low winter sun and slight haze, aircraft were popping out of the sky from everywhere!!!

Surely a pre-warning system showing the nearest 3 aircraft and their relative bearing, height and distance from you is the way forward? Or am I completely barking up the wrong tree?!!! :ooh:

[Fuji Abound]

I suspect there have been no replies because they have been discussed before (many times). Try a search. :)

I suspect you will also find that most of the cheaper portable systems and really not of much help. Moreover some of the traffic will not be transponding anyway so will not been seen by these systems.

[rotorspin]

thanks - I have done a search and nothing...... maybe you can point me in the right direction?

appreciate that some traffic may not be transponding, but many will.

"I suspect you will also find that most of the cheaper portable systems and really not of much help" - have you used one?

[Fuji Abound]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=207486&highlight=collision

Try a search on "collision" and "TCAS" plenty of useful information there as well tha discusses how these systems work and there shortcomings.

Never used the portable units myself but the incarnations on G1000 and Avidyne are really quite useful.

[LH2]

This will probably not help much, but FWIW... a pilot who often comes up flying with me likes to take his portable transponder bug thingy (one wouldn't call it a CAS, would we?) As you pointed out, it gives you squawk, flight level, and distance.

IMVHO, anything that gives you extra situational awareness helps. What I can't make is a determination as to whether the cost matches the benefit, that is your call. All I can say is, yes, I find it useful to have those extra bits of info about other traffic in the area.

They're also nice to look at when you're #1 in front of a 737. Boy do they close in fast :}

[rotorspin]

Thanks LH2 an FA

Well I have gone and bought one today...parted with 1000 green ones.. (or are they now blue? oh I dunno!)

Its a Zaon XRX will let you know if its any good...seems to do everything I need - other than spot non-transponding traffic.....

There is no substitute for keeping a look out but if this thing saves my bacon once, I am a happy pilot.;)

[windsports]

I have given up on using my systems in my general aviation flying.
I have purchased 2 PCAS portable (battery op) systems and am extremely unhappy with both of them. The first was the Trafficscope Micro, purchased before the company was restructured. Despite manufacturer guarantees and rhetoric, they were never able to get the product to function as advertised. Battery life was 1/5th of claimed, even after 2 returns to the factory for evaluation and upgrades. Response time was slow and inaccurate often.

It was with some reluctance that I gave the restructured company another chance, but in my research I couldn't find any other negative criticism of the product so I too a chance and ordered the current version.

The second unit I purchased 6 months ago was the Zaon portable battery operated unit and it too falls very short of the battery life claims by the manufacturer. This can be remedied with a simple cigarette lighter attachment, but it is the units failure to report traffic until after the traffic has passed that disappoints me most.

I have read posts of pilots who are pleased with this product and I'm curious if they are confident that the system is reporting traffic distances reasonably accurately.

Joe Greblo

[Bandit650]

I just bought a Zaon MRX yesterday. Haven't tried it in flight yet (will post follow up when I do) but it was alerting me to jets passing overhead on the SIDs out of LHR quite nicely last night (my wife swears that they fly lower at night - so am hoping to end that particular disagreement shortly!)

[drambuster]

I bought a Zaon MRX from Transair and used it on a few trips around the London zone. It wasn't a success: the LEDs were flashing away at high speed due to the multiple contacts but the main problem was that without any 'bearing' information there was no steer on where to look. All it really told you was that there were lots of aircraft in the vicinity. It also kept your attention too much inside the cockpit when I believe you're much safer just looking out. .... so I took it back for a credit (which Transair were very good about!).
In practice I think these systems are only of value if you go for a more expensive panel mount version such as an Avidyne TAS600 (see www.leesavionics.co.uk ). This is able to grade the threats as well as provide bearing. The principle advantage is that it then calls out over the intercom warnings such as "traffic 12 o'clock level and closing" etc, and so you can keep your scan outside the cockpit at all times which is the critical bit.
This of course requires everyone to have a transponder ... and to turn it on :=

[Il Duce]

.....and, of course, where available, you could always get a LARS service from ATC and get them to point out conflicting traffic to you.

[IO540]

Yes, the key is "where available" and "where usable". LARS coverage is sporadic and often unavailable on busy weekends, and so many people are non-transponding that most of the contact reports are basically useless ("level unknown").

The latter issue should improve if/when C/S transponders are mandatory for VFR and then I might consider the expenditure of the proper azimuth-indicating system. One can do it for about £5k if one finds an avionics shop that will install a customer-supplied (directly imported from the USA) item.

Also, note that LARS doesn't really outside the UK; one does occassionally get traffic info passed but other countries don't have the equivalent of the UK's Radar Information Service. A lot of UK pilots ask for an RIS over France and the ATCO wonders what the hell it's about.

No matter what, there will always be lots of non-transponding aircraft (I believe the CAA will back down on certain categories) and the only partial defence there will be to fly as high as possible.

[drambuster]

I agree with IO540 ..... in my experience when you really need LARS on a busy summer weekend with haze then they quickly get overloaded and you don't always get the traffic calls. In fact I have had a couple of close encounters in the Farnborough area with no radar information received whatsoever on conflicts even though I was on the service (which i believe is normally very good and so this is only a 'capacity' issue ... not a complaint!). There is a problem though in that being on an RIS you may be lulled into a false sense of security - I used to regard it as a chance to play with the GPS and check around the panel in a relaxed mode....... until that Commander 114 streaked across my nose at what seemed like 200' :eek: (probably more, but I could see he was staring down inside his cockpit as well!). Another time on Bristol radar we had a vic of Hercules pass under us at less than 500' .... again with no word from the radar service ! Beware ! Out of interest I have flown to and from Hungary a few times (VFR) and have always found the German air traffic system to be very impressive - all of their regional flight information services seem to have radar with 100% cover across the country. It was absolutely brilliant ... you received radar info whether requested or not as well as offers of weather and all other manner of helpful info (fuel availability ect). And it was quite amusing if any hapless German PPL tried to speak in his own language as he was immediately reprimanded in public for this terrible transgression .... "Ve only speak English on zis frequency" - I thoroughly recommend that you put Germany on your list of tour options. (and by the way .... Belgium was bloody awful - they seem to have a thorough dislike of VFR traffic transiting their country .... best avoided !)

[Chavey0201]

I bought the Zaon MRX a few days ago and used it on a flight yesterday from EGLM-EGBP and return. The unit worked well..it warned me of traffic before Brize LARS (who were well on top of the general traffic situ)..but on departure from Kemble it gave me an ALERT (i.e closer than ADVISORY) which immediately led to mental images of me in a mangled heap of alumunium alloy 800ft below! hence a little panic set in and I dropped my immediate task in hand. As it turns out the traffic was in the overhead join.

So, like lots of technology, they have to be used appropriately and interpreted with sensible judgement; and ultimately they must not replace any degree of situational awareness. As one of the other posters has indicated, they it can definately take over the flight resulting in your lookout becoming nothing more than a hasty reaction to its output.