Inside Out or Outside In? What Kind of Pilot Should You Be?

Use all of your tools to spot nearby traffic.

Amy Laboda

Wednesday, February 02, 2022 at 11:48 AM ET

Verified

[Photo: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A poll indicates that a majority of pilots (65%) do not use onboard traffic equipment like ADS-B for collision avoidance in airport traffic patterns, despite these being high-risk areas for midair collisions.
The author advocates for pilots to leverage all available resources, combining traditional visual scanning with modern cockpit displays and technology, to maximize safety and prevent close encounters.
Effective piloting demands a balanced approach, integrating both "inside-the-cockpit" instrument data and "outside-the-cockpit" visual cues throughout all phases of flight, a principle that should be emphasized in pilot training.

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Perusing the internet, as I often do with my first—OK, maybe second—cup of coffee in the morning, I came across a Q&A poll on a website that stopped me cold. It asked: When flying in the airport traffic pattern, do you use onboard equipment to locate other aircraft?

The poll showed that of pilots who answered the question, 34 percent (more than 2,100 individuals) answered yes. This was in contrast to the 65 percent (more than 4,000) who said no, they only scan visually in the pattern.