Where’s The Traffic?

A recent discussion with a friend who happens to be an aviation attorney got me thinking about how pilots put too much faith in cockpit traffic alert systems. Without spilling the beans on privileged client/attorney speak, he spoke of a lawsuit he was working that arose from an ugly mid-air collision involving an aircraft well-equipped with high-end traffic alerting gear. It’s the type of accident provoking lots of emotion since it sadly took some lives. From what I could gather, there were some fingers wrongly pointed at the traffic system manufacturer, as if the traffic system failed at its intended job.

Key Takeaways:

• Cockpit traffic alert systems (TCAS, TAS, TIS-B) are not foolproof substitutes for visual lookout and pilots must understand their specific technical differences and limitations.
• System performance is heavily influenced by factors such as proper installation, antenna placement to avoid "shadowing," and interference from other avionics operating on shared frequencies.
• Each system has unique capabilities and drawbacks; for example, TAS doesn't offer resolution advisories like TCAS II, and TIS-B can experience data lag and line-of-sight coverage issues.

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