Collision Avoidance UPL Safety Seminar 2012

Transcription

1 Collision Avoidance UPL Safety Seminar 2012

2 Contents Definition Causes of MAC See and avoid Methods to reduce the risk Technologies

3 Definition MID AIR COLLISION A Mid-Air Collision (MAC) is an accident where two aircraft come into contact with each other while both are in flight

4 Definition AIRPROX An AIRPROX is a situation in which, in the opinion of a pilot or air traffic services personnel, the distance between aircraft as well as their relative positions and speed have been such that the safety of the aircraft involved may have been compromised. (ICAO Doc 4444: PANS-ATM).

5 Definition NEAR MID AIR COLLISION According to the TCAS MOPS, Near Mid Air Collision (NMAC) occurs when two aircraft come within 100 feet vertically and 500 feet horizontally.

6 MAC data MAC occurs in all phases of flight Mostly in daylight and excellent visual meteorological conditions MAC is more likely when one or more aircraft are descending, climbing or turning MAC is more likely where aircraft are concentrated

7 Causes of MAC Traffic congestion Aircraft speeds These are contributong factors the BUT main reason often is: Failure of the pilot to see the other aircraft in time!!!

8 See and avoid Is recognised as the main method used to minimize the risks of midair collisions in VMC Directly linked to pilot s situational awareness and skill of looking outside the cockpit

9 Situational awareness Includes the skill of: effective visual scanning the ability to gather information from radio transmissions from ground stations and other aircraft creating a mental picture of the traffic situation the development of good airmanship.

10 Limitations of the eye Our eye is vulnerable to: Dust Fatigue Emotion Age Optical illusions Effect of certain medications.

11 Limitations of the vision Vision is influenced by: Atmospheric conditions Windshield deterioration Aircraft design Cabin temperature Oxygen supply (particularly at night) Acceleration forces

12 Limitation of the eye Time required for accommodation or refocusing. Our eyes automatically accommodate for near and far objects, but the change from something up close, like a dark instrument panel, to a bright landmark or aircraft several miles away, takes one to two seconds.

13 Limitations of the eye Narrow field of vision Although our eyes accept light rays from an arc of nearly 200, they are limited to a relatively narrow area (approximately ) in which they can actually focus on and classify an object Anything perceived on the periphery must be brought into that narrow field to be identified

14 Limitation of the eye Motion or contrast is needed to attract the eyes attention at a distance an aircraft on a steady collision course will appear to be motionless A large insect smear or dirty spot on the windshield can hide a converging aircraft until it is too close to be avoided

15 Let s take an example You are flying at 120 knots and are approaching an F-16 headon traveling at 400 knots (a typical fighter speed) you will close at about 800 feet per second

16 Example If your initial separation was 6000 feet, you would have about 8 seconds to react prior to impact. That is if you were able to recognize the dot on the horizon as a conflict. NOT MUCH TIME!!!

17 Example 6000ft 3000ft 2000ft 1000ft Source: USAF

18 Methods to reduce the risk Visual scanning To avoid collisions you must scan effectively from the moment the aircraft moves until it comes to a stop at the end of the flight Collision threats are present on the ground, at low altitudes in the vicinity of aerodromes, and at cruising levels

19 Methods to reduce the risk Visual scanning Before take-off, check the runway visually to ensure that there are no aircraft or other objects in the takeoff area Check the approach and circuit to be sure of the position of other aircraft. Assess the traffic situation from radio reports After take-off, continue to scan to ensure that there will be no obstacles to your safe departure

20 Methods to reduce the risk Visual scanning During the climb and descent beware of the blind spot under the nose manoeuvre the aircraft so that you can check Also look behind, if you can, while climbing, you may be in a faster aircraft s blind spot

21 Methods to reduce the risk Visual scanning Listen to radio exchanges and form a mental image of the traffic situation. Scan with particular care in the area of intersections between airways or commonly used routes, and when near radio beacons, visual reporting points (VRP s), or where traffic is funnelled between hills and airspace restrictions.

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23 Methods to reduce the risk CHECK YOURSELF Your eyesight, and your safety, depends on your mental and physical condition If you are preoccupied you should not fly distraction is the main enemy of concentrated attention If you need glasses to correct your vision, wear them and ensure that you have the required spare pair with you

24 Methods to reduce the risk CLEAN WINDOWS Make sure your windshield is clean and in good condition Keep all windows clear of obstructions such as opaque sun visors and curtains

25 Methods to reduce the risk ADHERE TO PROCEDURES Follow established operating procedures and regulations, such as correct cruising flight levels and proper circuit practices Beware of pilots flying large circuits with long final approaches. In many in-flight collisions at least one of the pilots involved was not where he was supposed to be.

26 Remember

27 Methods to reduce the risk TALK AND LISTEN Take advantage of all the information that you receive over the radio (but beware, non-radio aircraft may be in the same airspace) Pilots reporting their position to an air traffic unit are also reporting to you

28 Methods to reduce the risk USE ALL AVAILABLE EYES If you normally fly with another pilot, establish crew procedures which ensure that an effective scan is maintained at all times Otherwise, brief your passengers to help you in looking for all traffic

29 Methods to reduce the risk PLAN AHEAD Plan your flight, have charts folded in proper sequence and within reach Be familiar with and have notes of your headings, frequencies, distances, etc. so that you spend minimum time with your head down in your charts Check your maps, NOTAM, etc. in advance for potential hazards such as military low-level routes and other high-density areas

30 Methods to reduce the risk AVOID CROWDED AIRSPACE Aircraft train over navigation beacons, even in good weather Apart from the hazard of colliding with a launch cable, many gliders congregate in their local area Aeroplanes towing gliders are less manoeuvrable than individual aircraft

31 Source CNN

32 Methods to reduce the risk EQUIP TO BE SEEN Your aircraft lights can help avoid collisions. Consider the use of landing lights, especially in the traffic pattern and on hazy days Transponders, especially with altitude encoding (Mode C) allow radar controllers to identify your aircraft in relation to other traffic and provide you with traffic information

33 Collision Avoidance In the old days there were not too many aircraft in the sky Collision avoidance was based on visual avoidance only

34 Collision Avoidance Things have changed Nowadays there are many barriers which help prevent mid air collisions

35 PCAS XPDR ATC TCAS RADAR FLARM

36 FLARM Small-size, low-cost, low-power device FLARM broadcasts its own position and speed vector At the same time it listens to other devices Intelligent motion prediction algorithms predict short-term conflicts and warn the pilot accordingly by acoustical and visual means.

37 FLARM

38 POWER FLARM The warning technology in PowerFLARM continuously calculates the risk potential of the surrounding air traffic The pilot is continually informed of the surrounding traffic and is warned early both visually and acoustically in cases of potential collisions PowerFLARM has recognition technology for ADS-B, FLARM and Mode C and Mode S transponders

39 POWERFLARM

40 PCAS

41 TCAS TCAS: Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System TCAS is the only commercially available implementation of the ICAO standard for ACAS II

42 TCAS Designed for collision avoidance only Independent of ground-based systems, the auto-pilot and of NAV systems

43 TCAS history

44 TCAS history

45 TCAS protected volumes

46 TA - Traffic Advisory (or Traffic Alert)

47 RA - Resolution Advisory

48 RA - Resolution Advisory

49 Sequence of alerts Proximate traffic

50 Sequence of alerts TCAS TA

51 Sequence of alerts TCAS RA

52 Sequence of alerts Clear of conflict

53 Levels of protection

54 Levels of protection

55 Some examples

56 Some examples

57 Conclusions Understand the limitations of see and avoid Use all available means to reduce the risk of MAC Report near misses Have safe flights

58 Questions????

59 References Eurocontrol ACAS UK CAA safety leaflet EGAST Collision avoidance leaflet