PCAS collision avoidance
"It's a bit like having the early GPS's that gives you lat and long only. Not very practical."
Adam - you are deluding yourself.
A PCAS that had only a light bulb that came on to warn that an aircraft is within 1 nm would be an improvement over unaided see-and avoid!
Knowing WHEN to look (i.e. STOP whatever else you are doing and lookout in earnest) is valuable.
Sometimes see-and-avoid is all we have and I encourage everyone to develop a thorough and efficient lookout scan - it is difficult to maintain a good lookout and it takes training, practice and discipline.
Be under no illusion though...
- We cannot see through solid objects.
- We can only look in one direction at once.
- We have to attend to in-cockpit tasks and, occassionally at least, look at the instruments!
- The human visual system was designed for sneaking up on antelopes (and it is very good at this) and not for detecting a target on a constant bearing closing at 200 kts (it is rubbish at this)!
For those that think that their lookout is infallible... the aircraft you see most of the time were never going to hit you anyway and you remain oblivious to how many you never see.
I am reasonably confident that my lookout is as good as anyone else's on this forum, if not better, and I have a PCAS (MRX, with lithium ion batteries - works great).
I say again - if you are serious about your flying, and about safety, buy a PCAS!
Adam - you are deluding yourself.
A PCAS that had only a light bulb that came on to warn that an aircraft is within 1 nm would be an improvement over unaided see-and avoid!
Knowing WHEN to look (i.e. STOP whatever else you are doing and lookout in earnest) is valuable.
Sometimes see-and-avoid is all we have and I encourage everyone to develop a thorough and efficient lookout scan - it is difficult to maintain a good lookout and it takes training, practice and discipline.
Be under no illusion though...
- We cannot see through solid objects.
- We can only look in one direction at once.
- We have to attend to in-cockpit tasks and, occassionally at least, look at the instruments!
- The human visual system was designed for sneaking up on antelopes (and it is very good at this) and not for detecting a target on a constant bearing closing at 200 kts (it is rubbish at this)!
For those that think that their lookout is infallible... the aircraft you see most of the time were never going to hit you anyway and you remain oblivious to how many you never see.
I am reasonably confident that my lookout is as good as anyone else's on this forum, if not better, and I have a PCAS (MRX, with lithium ion batteries - works great).
I say again - if you are serious about your flying, and about safety, buy a PCAS!
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Originally Posted by Captain Kirk
I say again - if you are serious about your flying, and about safety, buy a PCAS!
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I say again - if you are serious about your flying, and about safety, buy a PCAS!
I don't have statistics to hand, but I don't think mid-air collisions are very high on the scale of hazards in light GA. Loss of control (usually in IMC, plus departure stalls and stall/spin accidents on final), or controlled flight into terrain (usually in IMC as well) seem to be killing more pilots than midairs.
But gliders would have difficulty in powering a tx for a 4 hour flight, microlights, similar.
What is a bigger problem, is installing the transponder antenna in a modern carbon-fiber glider. Since it has to be outside the hull, and causes drag.
BP - I concede that money is, of course, an issue for many - and I certainly do not mean to imply that it is irresponsible for those who cannot afford a PCAS to fly without one. However, that is a very different consideration from those who can easily afford one and yet consider that they either do not need it - or else do not understand the contribution it can make to their safety - and the safety of others of course!
And neither GPS nor PLBs will not stop you from hitting someone else. GPS is great, but old-fashioned map and stop-watch navigation will teach more valuable basic skills and I would personally recommend investing in a PCAS before a GPS - subject to each individual's specific needs and circumstances of course. Certainly, acquiring a GPS too soon will provide little incentive to master the basics, and leaves one poorly placed when the GPS fails!
Peter - actually, I would recommend flying at 1900 ft, or 1800 ft - anything other than the nice even numbers that everyone else invariably flies at!!
And neither GPS nor PLBs will not stop you from hitting someone else. GPS is great, but old-fashioned map and stop-watch navigation will teach more valuable basic skills and I would personally recommend investing in a PCAS before a GPS - subject to each individual's specific needs and circumstances of course. Certainly, acquiring a GPS too soon will provide little incentive to master the basics, and leaves one poorly placed when the GPS fails!
Peter - actually, I would recommend flying at 1900 ft, or 1800 ft - anything other than the nice even numbers that everyone else invariably flies at!!
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I meant above 2000. At say 3000 there is very little traffic.
But yet, always fly at funny numbers like 2300, 2700, 3300, 3700.
That however is turning aviation safety on its head. You are extremely unlikely to hit somebody anywhere/anytime, but you are extremely likely to get disastrously lost if you make a nav error.
But yet, always fly at funny numbers like 2300, 2700, 3300, 3700.
I would personally recommend investing in a PCAS before a GPS
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The GPS/PLB/PCAS all cost a fair amount of money but now I have them the investment is over.
Following on from Peters comments it was a breeze flying up to Scotland recently between 4 and 6 thousand feet, the only two aircraft I was told about by ATC were a Airbus A319 and a Fokker going into Newcastle.
The rest of the aircraft I saw all looked lke they were skimming the fields below.
I realise it is not always possible to fly at such levels due to airspace but I always try and get as high as poss.
Following on from Peters comments it was a breeze flying up to Scotland recently between 4 and 6 thousand feet, the only two aircraft I was told about by ATC were a Airbus A319 and a Fokker going into Newcastle.
The rest of the aircraft I saw all looked lke they were skimming the fields below.
I realise it is not always possible to fly at such levels due to airspace but I always try and get as high as poss.
A PCAS that had only a light bulb that came on to warn that an aircraft is within 1 nm would be an improvement over unaided see-and avoid!
Knowing WHEN to look (i.e. STOP whatever else you are doing and lookout in earnest) is valuable.
Knowing WHEN to look (i.e. STOP whatever else you are doing and lookout in earnest) is valuable.
Andrews's experiments at the Lincoln Labs that showed an 8-fold increase in visual detection efficacy with traffic alerting were based on TCAS, with azimuthal information on the threats. My experience, albeit a long time ago, with a detector that had no azimuthal information was that the distraction wasn't worth the information.
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The rest of the aircraft I saw all looked lke they were skimming the fields below.
That is indeed what one finds. Almost every plane you spot is way way down below. That is also why you won't spot the majority of "level unknown" contacts given to you by a traffic service.
Jeepers...
Bookworm - do you really lookout ALL of the time? Of course not - it is not possible.
Yes, PCAS only alerts you to cooperative threats but having an alert against, say, half the threats is a 50% greater chance that you will not hit someone. I have already said that PCAS is not an infallible aid - it is about stacking the odds in one's favour.
And I certainly did not say that you ONLY lookout when PCAS alerts - in fact I specifically highlighted the importance of a good, disciplined scan - but the PCAS gives you an added cue to STOP any in-cockpit task and lookout like a demon.
Too many of the responses regarding PCAS resemble the 'Ostrich' approach to threats - if I can't see it then it can't hurt me!
Yes, PCAS only alerts you to cooperative threats but having an alert against, say, half the threats is a 50% greater chance that you will not hit someone. I have already said that PCAS is not an infallible aid - it is about stacking the odds in one's favour.
And I certainly did not say that you ONLY lookout when PCAS alerts - in fact I specifically highlighted the importance of a good, disciplined scan - but the PCAS gives you an added cue to STOP any in-cockpit task and lookout like a demon.
Too many of the responses regarding PCAS resemble the 'Ostrich' approach to threats - if I can't see it then it can't hurt me!
