Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
User avatar
By MattL
#1838525
After reading the other thread, it occurs to me that people may well be utilising their EC information in very different ways. Interested in peoples thoughts - Do you:

[device agnostic!]

Fly as planned but respond to aural alerts?
Look at the overall traffic picture and modify your routing?
Look at the overall traffic picture and modify your altitude?
Concentrate on scanning the ‘radar picture’?
Not have any aural alert capability and just look at the picture?
Always try to manoeuvre to avoid an alert?
Happy to let things develop and react to when an alert occurs?
Flyin'Dutch' liked this
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838526
Same way I use a traffic service, consider whether there might be a conflict and then adjust heading or altitude or both if required, which at the altitudes I fly is quite rare
James Chan liked this
User avatar
By Rob P
#1838557
Listen to the SkyDemon intelligent warnings and devote more of my scan, but not all, to that sector

Occasionally check the display on the tablet on my leg and if there's any traffic that's not been called and make an attempt to spot it.

Rob P

SkyDemon, Huawei 8.5", PAw rehoused in a neat enclosure and powered by the aircraft. ADS-B Out from a certified GPS and Transponder.
User avatar
By James Chan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838564
There are similarities between use of EC and how ATC interacts with me:

With ATC:
- When ATC considers the other traffic near enough to affect me they ask me to look out for it.
- If I don't see it then they may ask or advise a change of heading or altitude to avoid a conflict.
- If I do see it then they may reduce separation whilst I keep the other in sight and adjust if still needed.

With EC outside CAS:
- When I consider the other traffic near enough to affect me, I look out for it.
- If I don't see it then I may change my heading or altitude to avoid a conflict.
- If I do see it then I may reduce separation while keeping the other in sight and adjust if still needed.
johnm liked this
#1838587
I use pilot aware with Skydemon so am getting a fairly wide range of alerts both in the headset and on screen. As Skydemon is my primary navigation device then it’s easy to use the screen as part of the scan. I have an iPhone mounted to the left of the coming meaning that it is in my peripheral eyeline at all times.
So how do I use it:
1. I’m not interested in airliners at FL350 so I have the parameters set at 4000’ above and below.
2. I have the range set to the maximum because I want to see a wide picture every now and again to see glider stacks around the major gliding sites and look ahead to see what’s going on at destination.
3. If an identified contact appears within a mile of my position which I haven’t acquired visually I consider it high priority to find it and avoid so I will either do that by getting visual or steer away from it in screen.
4. For bearingless contacts, I generally don’t take avoiding action other than to put them on a different level. If they become a red circle I would usually expect to be visual but if not I usually put 500’ between us.
5. For multilaterated contacts I treat them exactly like directly identified contacts. Experience has taught me that despite the negative comments from some quarters, the multilaterated contacts are usually found in the position they appear on Skydemon so if I’m not visual I avoid them on screen laterally or vertically.
User avatar
By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838610
MattL wrote:Fly as planned but respond to aural alerts?


Pretty much. Or to a visual picture.

MattL wrote:Look at the overall traffic picture and modify your routing?


I like to see the overall traffic picture, but I'll generally only modify my routing for gaggles of gliders.

MattL wrote:Look at the overall traffic picture and modify your altitude?


Generally not.

MattL wrote:Concentrate on scanning the ‘radar picture’?


Not sure what that means, but I will glance at the screen and have a look where the traffic is.

MattL wrote:Not have any aural alert capability and just look at the picture?


Mostly I have Sky Demon audio into my headset, but if I can't do that then my tablet is pretty much in my eyeline so I can see the traffic on it.

MattL wrote:Always try to manoeuvre to avoid an alert?


No, I use the audio or visuals on the tablet to aid me becoming visual with the traffic. Especially, as TLR says, with bearingless traffic. If it's near my level I'll have my head on a swivel looking for it, and I may, if I don't become visual, think about changing altitude, but generally not. I might swing the aeroplane around a bit to become more visual to the other aircraft, especially to gliders.

MattL wrote:Happy to let things develop and react to when an alert occurs?


I like to have a good advance visual picture of where traffic is to help me see it. This may help me avoid it, or also let me either call the other traffic on the radio or intercept them if we've previously arranged to meet in the air and form up.
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838636
I fly in uncongested areas with gorgeous scenery, with relatively simple controlled airspace around - so I rarely need to look at my tablet for navigation purposes and as I rarely see other aircraft it's hard to stay dilligent looking out for others rather than looking at the scenery.
So the audio alerts via intercom (wired in PAW) or tablet beeping over sound of engine will prompt additional and more directed lookout or a glance at the tablet for a better idea of where to look.
Miscellaneous liked this
User avatar
By Full Metal Jackass
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838760
I'll typically take note of any potential intruders. If I need to take any action, it will always be in altitude, never in direction because sod's law says that no matter which way you turn, the conflicting traffic will turn the same way. If I see traffic approaching but below, I just keep an eye whether the altitude changes. If so, I will react to keep that difference. If it's climbing through my altitude, I'll descend to ensure it is above me before it reaches my location and vice versa. After all, the only time two aircraft can collide at any given location is if they're at the same altitude.

It's a strategy I've adopted since the days of the Zaon MRX which gave distance and relative altitude. Works fine for me.
johnm, Shoestring Flyer liked this
User avatar
By Smaragd
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1838958
A combination of methods, but mainly:

Fly as planned but respond to aural alerts? eg
On climbout to 4000' last week, at 2000' I got a warning of converging traffic from L about 600' above so delayed my climb as we looked likely to arrive at the same point; resumed climb as soon as I had visual contact.

with occasional glances at overall scene to see whether threats are likely to develop, plus

Look at the overall traffic picture and modify your routing/altitude?
Often fly with co-owner, so one of us has opportunity to suggest modification, eg we varied our course to avoid concentration of gliders in particular area, still beyond warning distance.
#1839354
Aural alert, mostly, and if it is some distance away I will take a glance at SkyDemon, if not, I keep looking until I acquire it whilst changing height difference. If I am looking at the nav display of SkyDemon and see something that may conflict, I will probably change heading/track or altitude if required before the aural alert. :thumleft:
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1839396
Full Metal Jackass wrote:
riverrock wrote:So same as what TCAS tells you to do?


If I had TCAS, I wouldn't have needed to buy an MRX, would I? :roll:

Indeed - no - I'm with you - I was favourably comparing your decision to amend height rather than heading when recieving an alert which is what TCAS instructs pilots to do also.
User avatar
By gaznav
#1839445
I agree, that adjusting vertical separation is the way ahead (as long as you have the height to do so!), but I guess the problem with devices like PCAS MRX that really only show height, and rely on the transponder emitting a reply from a 3rd party interrogation to be visible, is that they don’t show nearby aircraft’s position. The position relative to your aircraft is key. I tend to worry less about aircraft behind me than I do for the ones in front - unless I have something really fast bearing down on my from behind!
#1839468
Slight thread creep! I was on the radio at Popham yesterday afternoon, and as we have an ATOM display and a base station, the info was very useful for my SA, particularly when Farnborough phoned to say they had a Mayday that could well be coming to us. I could see the aircraft and watched it divert to Lasham, I would have had a much better chance of clearing the circuit etc. if they were inbound, with a bit of warning.
Incidentally it was a very nasty birdstrike and the pilot did a great job getting on the ground at Lasham.