Collision Avoidance System (TCAS / PCAS) in Heavy Traffic 

I have been following you since the 4th of July, 2015. Wow. The time has passed so quickly. Thank you for entertaining me all these years, and reigniting my passion of flying. I had nothing to do with aviation for years, then found your videos and completed my ppl. And after all this time, I don't think I have properly thanked you. Thank you, very much. You inspired me to continue my ppl, and I am sure you have inspired many others.

Great job of placing the camera on the underbelly of the aircraft. Nice effect which is not often done. First class video.

Awesome!

Great flying and maneuvering :)

Season 1, Episode 1 is online!

Hey great videos! Minute man is in Stow, MA. Also Stow has a second airfield call Crowes Island. Maybe i will see you around boston one day. RU-vid recommend your videos!

Nice landing.

Wow, this is a fantastic demonstration of the much higher traffic density possible when flights are uncontrolled. Traffic control gives at least 3 NM of horizontal separation and 8 hundred feet of vertical (nominally one thousand, but you're each allowed 2 hundred feet of error). But this particular technology doesn't seem to be selective enough to be particularly useful. It can't detect relative bearing at all and it doesn't seem to be processing the vertical data very well. In fact I looked at the PCAS XRX owner's manual and it's... well it's pretty sad. If I were designing the system, I'd apply the "constant bearing, decreasing range" principle to vertical separation. The PCAS system measures my altitude, target's altitude (by snooping Mode C or Mode S), and has at least some estimate of range. The first things I'd compute are relative altitude and rate of change to relative altitude. That tells me if we're going to cross altitudes and how soon that will happen - a very useful statistic for filtering and prioritization. XRX doesn't do that. It computes and displays *absolute* vertical speed of the target, which isn't helpful. Next is range. Range is difficult to measure from a passive device. (Unless the target has ADS-B and is broadcasting GPS coordinates.) The XRX manual says that it uses signal strength and that transponders on small aircraft broadcast between 100 and 250 watts. That results in about a 30% uncertainty in range. A precise measurement could be made between the ATC radar's interrogation and the target's reply pulse. But that's only a good measurement of range when ATC and target are in opposite directions - when the target is between you and ATC the measured delay drops very low even when the aircraft are nowhere near each other. (If you are exactly between radar and target, the delay measures 100% of the true distance. At a 90 degree angle the delay is only 50% of range, and an acute angle makes the delay tiny and a source of false positives.) This uncertainty makes it difficult to predict when the target will arrive close to you, which in turn makes it difficult to estimate which will happen first: near approach or altitude crossing. If they could both be measured perfectly, near approach and altitude crossing at the same time would be dangerous and other scenarios could be avoided. Nearest approach is particularly difficult to measure - it's much easier to compute a "no sooner than" estimate than an unbiased estimate. The best thing you can get out of signal strength (and possibly response delay) is whether the range is increasing or decreasing. If the system is confident that a target will make a near approach *after* the altitude crossing, the alert can be filtered out. These problems can be overcome by pinging for range directly (ACAS) listening to GPS coordinates (ADS-B) or good automated direction finding that monitors bearing (not typically done by passive TCAS systems; there might be a military technology that does this). The first and second derivatives of bearing give some very useful information even when the range is hard to measure.

eyyy Wistah! Nice!

Enjoy your flights, excellent video quality and editing. I was wondering what type of traffic alert system you are using? I see a Garmin and a Stratus on the sunscreen. However, I am not familiar with the readout display on the sunscreen.

Thanks for the reply. I think I read they went out of business.. I'm a renter so some of my FBO's aircraft has Traffic some don't. Would be nice to have. Have a great holiday!

Another nice video! I know the pucker factor when you are letting someone setup to land for you. There are so many little adjustments you may be making and are trusting your trainee is as well. BTW - what little handheld camera did you use to record the up close of the Garmin and Zaon?

Great video always very informative, I am student pilot with about 40 hrs flight time, I think this is a great tool, from 1 to 10 what is the accuracy of this collision avoidance system. Thank you

Hi, great videos! I really enjoy them. What is the mount called that you are using for the camera on the dash?

Another great video. I do like the Zaon but I recall you mentioned in one of your videos that you had a Stratus. Can't you get traffic in Foreflight from the Stratus?

Hello there, I really have to say those videos are really amazing and ur work is highly appreciate it well done. I have a question concerning that A/C avoidence system. Where can i get it from? Thank u very much indeed in advance. :)

Im thinking of getting my PPL soon and that looks like it would be a life saver for me. You mind posting the link to a store page or whatever where you purchased that TCAS device?

In your outside shot, why is there a pitot tube facing downward? I thought they always face forward.

Great video , does the Zaon detect ADSB or just regular mode S Transponders ?

Wish you would mark where you are seeing the traffic. Would be helpful because I am certain what you are seeing something, but aren't seeing "what" .

Hi. which PCAS is this?

That TA box looks worse than useless. By the time you figure out where they are, they are no factor or up your behind. With the 430, adding a TIS box and seeing the traffic is the way to go.

PCAS is quite useless in light aircraft flying VFR. Its ok if every GA aircraft has a transponder fitted and working but without it you are watching your PCAS and the one aircraft that gets way too close is the one without transponder.

So I noticed during your landing checklist you said "carb heat" and put your hand on the lever but didn't change the position. Was carb heat already on? Or did you deem it not necessary? I love your videos by the way!

I wonder... why doesn't military aircraft use ADSB transponders and thus be useful for the TCAS? Isn't it mandatory, when they fly among ordinary traffic to use it?

what is cost will come if u wanted to make this system for all flights in india

You really need to get flight instructor cert so paetreon viewers can learn from you directly.

The collision advoidance sensor system can help air craft carrier landing for even girls

looking behind for traffic is kind of... well... dumb.