bweiss said:I am investigating collision avoidance systems. Does anyone have experience with them, pros and cons. Specifically I am looking at the Traffic Scope and the Proximity Alert R5.
Mel said:Therefore an airliner with a lot of power output will show up as closer than it actually is.
I have TIS from a GTX 330 and find it really useful. I don't recommend it though because the FAA is going to eventually phase it out. They already have closed some sites. There is a long discussion on this. Here is the link to the AOPA info: http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2005/051101tis.html
NTSB Identification: LAX04FA095B
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, January 16, 2004 in Tehachapi, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/30/2006
Aircraft: Beech 95-B55, registration: N555RD
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Minor.
A Cessna 180K and a Beech 95-B55 collided head-on during cruise flight over a valley, between 1,500 and 2,000 feet above ground level. The Cessna's right wing separated, and the airplane descended to ground impact. The Beech, which had been in a cruise climb, experienced a punctured windscreen and fuselage. The pilot made a precautionary landing without further mishap. The collision occurred on a clear day about 6 miles west of the Tehachapi Airport, from where the Beech pilot had departed. Neither pilot was receiving services from the Federal Aviation Administration. Radar track data indicated that the Cessna had flown in a southeasterly direction after departing the Bakersfield area. Minutes prior to the collision, the pilot changed to a northerly course. Seconds prior to the collision the pilot initiated a northeasterly turn. The Beech pilot had just configured his airplane for a cruise climb, and was flying in a westerly direction toward Bakersfield. The Cessna was flying about 135 knots, and the Beech was flying about 140 knots. The closing speed was about 275 knots, or just over 4 miles per minute. The Cessna was equipped with a Mode S transponder, and its signal was detected by Traffic Collision Alerting Device (TCAD) installed in the Beech. Seconds prior to the collision, the Beech pilot heard the audible "traffic" alert warning in his headset, and he observed an illuminated target in close proximity on the annunicator. The target was within 200 feet of his airplane's altitude, and in his 1 to 2 o'clock position. The Beech pilot reported that although he looked for the target, none was seen. The collision angle between the airplanes was documented. The impact was ascertained by fitting the Cessna's right main landing gear wheel in the punctured right side front windscreen of the Beech. As the Cessna's landing gear passed through the upper portion of the Beech's fuselage, the right wing's lift strut was lacerated upon impacting the leading edge of the Beech's vertical stabilizer. Thereafter, the Cessna's right wing separated. An evaluation of the pilots' visual angles revealed the airplanes were within each pilot's field of vision.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout during climb, and the pilot of the other airplane's inadequate visual lookout during cruise.
Just remember, these things only point out airplanes with operating transponders and there is a LOT of aircraft flying without such things, flying with them turned off, or broken.
You still need to look outside.
Remember, these are "passive" units. They have to wait until the transponders are "pinged" by either ATC or a TCAS. If there are no TCAS in the area, you may have to wait til the radar sweep comes around.Yes, definitely.
I've been flying with the Zaon XRX and like it. However, there seems to be quite a lag when alerting for fast moving aircraft like regional jets and military jets. The faster the aircraft, the more significant the lag. Don't expect the unit to warn you in a timely manner regarding military aircraft closing at high speed.
See and avoid.
More than once have I wanted to have one of the active TCAS units and wondered if I'm willing to pay $10k for it. Lots of people will naysay it, just look out the window, etc. However, that may not always be enough, and there are plenty of tombstones to prove it, GA, military and commercial alike.When I redo my panel next winter, I'm going to add traffic.
Yes, I know what you mean. I'll never forget my first view of an RV-8 from the air. I was transiting the area under the DFW Class B south of GPM/GKY over Joe Pool lake, at about 2500 ft on my second solo cross country. Never saw him until he pulled up an turned away from me. It would have been a near-head-on impact. He probably only saw me because I was in a totally yellow airplane. Scared the snot out of me, but the flight went fine.I don't know what the probabilities are but I do know what I've experienced. I've had three instances in the past two years where I missed another airplane by less than a few hundred feet. All were during cruise and the traffic was oncoming or crossing at the wrong cardinal altitude. In each case, I just caught sight of the other airplane as it was closing, with only seconds to react. If I didn't see them, I would have missed them but it would have been closer.
And that's when I'll order one.And yes, XRXi (the installed version of XRX) is coming soon...
And that's when I'll order one.