One sunny clear afternoon a couple of days after Memorial Day, while receiving RV-12 transition training, the instructor and I were climbing out upwind of runway 29 at Petaluma, CA (O69) and beginning a right turn to crosswind when we heard a pilot say he was entering the downwind for 29 on the 45. We couldn?t spot him after finishing the turn to crosswind, nor could we see him after turning downwind ? but the ABS-B box feeding the Garmin G3X sure could. We called out to the pilot to find out what speed the aircraft was flying in the pattern, fortunately it was 15 knots faster than our speed ? we could relax a little.
Both the instructor and myself were looking HARD to spot the aircraft, but we just couldn?t locate it ? and we both KNEW it was less than a mile directly in front of us. The ADS-B showed we were not gaining on it, but the aircraft was lost to our vision in ground clutter and we simply could not spot it. Guess we were nearing mid-field on downwind when the pilot called his turn to base and as the aircraft?s left wing lifted for the turn, we both instantly spotted it directly in front of us and a little lower.
We commented to the pilot that although we couldn?t spot him visually until his turn to base, the ADS-B box sure knew where he was ? amazing technology. His reply was that he too had ADS-B and was watching us as well.
This real-time experience with ADS-B just reaffirmed my decision to install ADS-B in my RV-12 during the build is indeed, a good one. There are times when keeping eyeballs outside the cockpit is just not good enough to spot traffic ? even when you know traffic is right in front of you. Without a doubt, ADS-B is a safety enhancement and a useful tool to improve situational awareness.
Both the instructor and myself were looking HARD to spot the aircraft, but we just couldn?t locate it ? and we both KNEW it was less than a mile directly in front of us. The ADS-B showed we were not gaining on it, but the aircraft was lost to our vision in ground clutter and we simply could not spot it. Guess we were nearing mid-field on downwind when the pilot called his turn to base and as the aircraft?s left wing lifted for the turn, we both instantly spotted it directly in front of us and a little lower.
We commented to the pilot that although we couldn?t spot him visually until his turn to base, the ADS-B box sure knew where he was ? amazing technology. His reply was that he too had ADS-B and was watching us as well.
This real-time experience with ADS-B just reaffirmed my decision to install ADS-B in my RV-12 during the build is indeed, a good one. There are times when keeping eyeballs outside the cockpit is just not good enough to spot traffic ? even when you know traffic is right in front of you. Without a doubt, ADS-B is a safety enhancement and a useful tool to improve situational awareness.