TCAS – System to avoid collisions with traffic

Today we will talk about the system TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) o Prevention systemón of collisions of tráwhat they do to the aviationón aún más safe. flyingmag.com's photo

The TCAS system is a system that is currently used by almost all commercial and executive aircraft to have additional security in their operations.. This system works in conjunction with the same system installed on other surrounding aircraft..

Post written by: Capturesán Rodolfo Estrella
FAA Commercial Pilot
Twitter: @rodo_estrella

Given what happened in the Guayaquil airport días atrás and that has generated a lot of noise on social networks and including misinformation.ón about the risks of what is known as TCAS RA, We have created this post to expand toún máwith la informationón about cómo the industry is the means of transport más safe. For you to have a context I share this thread on Twitter:

Before your orders, I am going to clarify several points regarding what happened.ó at the airport #Guayaquil last 13 from August to about 16:45 hours. 1. Avoid sensationalism. I open thread 🧵 https://t.co/dtkEeOKMYy

— Nicolás Larenas ✈️ (@n_larenas) August 20, 2022

The TCAS system

The system once activated, constantly monitors the señto the transponder of surrounding aircraft that isén under the aircraft, above or at the same flight level generating a three-dimensional situational map of the aircraft with respect to others in the space atéprisoner by means of a radio wave transmitted in the 1030 MHz. When an aircraft enters space atéprisoner in the scope of the system, TCAS interrogates the other aircraft's system to obtain positionórelative n of this.

Usually the system TCAS entrega informationón visual to pilots whether integrated into their navigation screensónot on a dedicated instrument. The constant monitoring of these tráficos delivers an image to the crews of aircraft that are not identifiable with the naked eye or confirm others that have been sighted.

Now, this adem systemámonitoring systems, provides warnings and resolutions, visual and auditory to pilots

TA alerts (traffic advisory) warn about trápotentially nearby area about which to be cautiousón faced with the possibility of having to maneuver the planeón to avoid collisionón. The System lights up on its screen indicating positionón relative and a señto the auditory “Traffic, Traffic”

If the tráfico goes from being an alert to a conditionócollision numberón, the system enters RESOLUTION ADVISORY mode, where he first coordinates with the other aircraft in whose cabin he alsoén your own alert systemá in the same way the collisionón imminent a solutionón to avoid collisionón, be issued to an aircraft an audible warning of “CLIMB, CLIMB” the ascend, and to the other “DESCEND, DESCEND” or descend. This resolution alertómust not be obeyed by the crewón of both aircraft in conflict immediately.

Once the aircraft have passed the conditionóNo threat to each other, The system issues an alert “CLEAR OF CONFLICT” Indicating having overcome the stage of conflict and possible collisionón.

Usually for a crewón have to act upon a collision alertón issued by the system ,some very special conditions must have happened to get to this point, either due to congestionón of tráfico, inadvertent deviations of crews, or control failures tráI'm theéreo that although they happen since they are systems whose operators are human subject to failures, Systems like TCAS are the úLast defense barrier to avoid catádisasters such as in-flight collisions.

As we can see, thanks to technologyía, the aviationóIt is very safe and although situations like these occur daily, without us knowing, we can be calm that pilots, Controllers and the entire industry constantly train for these and other emerging situations that couldíputting operational safety at risk.