Joint Low Level Deconfliction Tool
The most effective deconfliction tool of all is the budget; we don't have anything like the quantity of low level traffic that we used to and as a result I don't see nearly as many low level aircraft when I'm out and about in the LFAs.
Makes you wonder why we "need" all these tools now when more aircraft weren't bumping into each other left, right and centre in the past?!
Makes you wonder why we "need" all these tools now when more aircraft weren't bumping into each other left, right and centre in the past?!
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Makes you wonder why we "need" all these tools now when more aircraft weren't bumping into each other left, right and centre in the past?!
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
It would also be interesting to see how many collisions/airproxs were between military and civil types (about 50:50?). If the system is handling exclusively military traffic, that must by default exclude a large population of potential threats. Not everyone has a notifiable flight plan (especially GA), but some high risk sorties do (pipeline and photo sorties). Still, I'm sure this has all been carefully thought through.
Wensly,
If we were all perfect at looking out 360 and through our airframes we wouldn't need any tools or devices. Experience shows that the human lookout is far from perfect and the "big sky" is not "big enough". The situation, to a degree, is made worse by TCAS/ACAS as there is a tendency to look out less - lethal in Class G airspace below 3000ft and within 10-15miles of an airfield or Nav facility (look at the Light Aircraft Association website for a link to some research they carried out). Likewise, a study issued by GAPAN (as was) analysed 3.4m flt hrs in the UK between 98-08 and found of 38 MACs, CAT (Commercial Air Traffic) had zero, the military a handful but a whopping 85% included at least one, if not two, GA/Gliders/Microlights - the very group least likely to have a Xpdr to trigger a RA alert. The same issue is bugging the RPAS/UAV community at the moment as they seek to develop Sense to Avoid technologies to permit ops in desegregated airspace - Cap 722 mandates "equivalent" look out to a manned platfrom; this could be quite a low bar given that we seem to be able to collide with each other 3-4 times per year, onaverage, in the UKFIR....
If we were all perfect at looking out 360 and through our airframes we wouldn't need any tools or devices. Experience shows that the human lookout is far from perfect and the "big sky" is not "big enough". The situation, to a degree, is made worse by TCAS/ACAS as there is a tendency to look out less - lethal in Class G airspace below 3000ft and within 10-15miles of an airfield or Nav facility (look at the Light Aircraft Association website for a link to some research they carried out). Likewise, a study issued by GAPAN (as was) analysed 3.4m flt hrs in the UK between 98-08 and found of 38 MACs, CAT (Commercial Air Traffic) had zero, the military a handful but a whopping 85% included at least one, if not two, GA/Gliders/Microlights - the very group least likely to have a Xpdr to trigger a RA alert. The same issue is bugging the RPAS/UAV community at the moment as they seek to develop Sense to Avoid technologies to permit ops in desegregated airspace - Cap 722 mandates "equivalent" look out to a manned platfrom; this could be quite a low bar given that we seem to be able to collide with each other 3-4 times per year, onaverage, in the UKFIR....
Hope the French have something similar - we seem to get Alpha Jets and Rafales over here low level from every direction - I gather the French do not have LL routes as in UK- apparently it is a free-for-all.
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Just out of interest, I watched a pair of Tucanos being overtaken by a pair of Tornados over Windermere last week. Is this routine or the sort of potential conflict fielded by the Deconfliction tool?
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Chinook TCAS?
Do the RAF Chinooks have TCAS ? I had a TCAS TA from one yesterday during what could have been described as an unusual situation ( but not hazardous ) and I was wondering if the guys had any other aids to deconfliction other than the Mk 1 eyeball, due to the shape on the aircraft I lost sight of the Chinook but my FO aided by the TCAS very quickly acquired visual contact.
A&C,
Chinooks do not have TCAS yet but they are Xpdr equipped so they will generate an alert for other TCAS users.
What was it we were taught Courtney? "Look out and fly accurately"...in that order for a reason! Mind you, the UKLFS is so quiet these days it's almost a rarity to find someone else using it.....
Chinooks do not have TCAS yet but they are Xpdr equipped so they will generate an alert for other TCAS users.
What was it we were taught Courtney? "Look out and fly accurately"...in that order for a reason! Mind you, the UKLFS is so quiet these days it's almost a rarity to find someone else using it.....
