caravanman
Engineer
Just wondering if aircraft have any radar that allows them to be aware of other planes nearby, or do they all rely on visuals and information and instructions to be sent from the ground station ATC?
Ed.
Ed.
Just wondering if aircraft have any radar that allows them to be aware of other planes nearby, or do they all rely on visuals and information and instructions to be sent from the ground station ATC? Ed.
However, small airlanes, such as the floatplanes that collided in Alaska, probably do not have TCAS. For them, it's see and be seen or hope that an observent air traffic controller on the groind paints you on his radar scope and provides verbal alerts of conflicting traffic.
However, small airlanes, such as the floatplanes that collided in Alaska, probably do not have TCAS. For them, it's see and be seen or hope that an observent air traffic controller on the groind paints you on his radar scope and provides verbal alerts of conflicting traffic.
The Alaskan private pilots also do "broadcasts" on the standard Unicom frequencies so that those local to each other know where they are, both in relation to each other and to geographic landmarks. Or, they used to.... maybe they have newer technology now but, that's what they were doing in 1999 when I last visited there and took some "tour" rides around Denali etc.
I suspect that the floatplans do not fly these missions in controlled air space, so I suspect no ATC is involved. I also suspect that they probably do not have TCAS since they are probably not "commercial turbine-powered transport aircraft with more than 30 passenger seats (or MTOM above 33,000 lb or 15,000 kg)", so they are not required to. But they could choose to have them regardless, since they are not prohibited from having them either.
Thanks for all the replies, good to know that the TCAS system exists.
I was wondering how "it decides" to advise one plane to climb, and the other to descend, or one to turn right or left in a potential collision situation. Hope there is no electronic roulette wheel in the decision making process?
Ed.
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