TCASOPERATIONS

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................2 Before You Fly............................................................................................................................ 2 Warning - Disclaimer................................................................................................................. 2PRESENTATION....................................................................................................................2 Our goal....................................................................................................................................... 2 Limitations.................................................................................................................................. 2OPERATIONS........................................................................................................................3 System activation...................................................................................................................... 3 Audio alerts................................................................................................................................. 3 Skyview display.......................................................................................................................... 4 TCAS symbols............................................................................................................................. 4 PFD specifics............................................................................................................................... 5

INTRODUCTION

Before You Fly

We strongly recommend that you read this guide before attempting to use the TCAS inactual flying situation, especially on-line.

Warning - Disclaimer

Our implementation of TCAS in our virtual planes is designed to provide a plausible butnot necessarily realistic environment, for immersion purposes only.

As such, do not use this TCAS implementation for training yourself to real lifeoperations, but instead refer to official documentation of real equipment.

PRESENTATION

Our goal

When upgrading our virtual SkyViews to v2, we tried to bring features asked bycustomers, as well as fix usability where necessary. TCAS has been on the table a coupleof times despite we integrated X-Plane's default instrument into our Epic aircrafts. It wasbarely readable and we had to place it in a non-convenient place anyway.

Limitations

As usual we had to make numerous compromises, and here the most important is thatTraffic Advisory and Resolution Advisory conditions largely differ from reality. If TCASusage becomes more popular, especially among on-line simmers, we may improve thesystem in the future.

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OPERATIONS

System activation

TCAS will be inactive until switched on. It must be powered on using the switch on thelights/ice panel.

Activation of the TCAS system will NOT trigger display of data on the Skyviews, but isneeded before doing so. This will also activate audio alerts.

Audio alerts

Audio alerts will play whenever there’s traffic nearby, there’s a collision risk, or when allthreats have disappeared. They are as follow:

• TA - Traffic Advisory: you will hear “Traffic, traffic” whenever an aircraft is lessthan 1500ft lower or higher, and less than 45 seconds from you, based on yourown speed only. It is announced once, when the aircraft penetrates your TA zone.

• RA - Resolution Advisory: you will hear either “Climb, climb” or Descend, descend”,depending on the situation, whenever an aircraft is less than 600ft lower orhigher, and less than 25 seconds from you, based on your own speed only. It isannounced once, when the aircraft penetrates your RA zone.

• CC - Clear of Conflict: you will hear “Clear of conflict” when every aircraft has leftyour protection area (both TA and RA zones)

If you hear multiple alerts, it means multipleaircrafts have entered your protected volume.

Real systems have more sophisticated ways fordetermining the protection volumes andprovide more diverse RAs. Because of oursimplified alert model, you may have falsepositives and you can disable annoying alertsfrom the global option menu.

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Skyview display

TCAS information can be displayed independently on any PFD or MAP of each installedSkyview. Settings are saved for next flights.

For displaying TCAS information on a PFD, go to the PFD menu (click anywhere on thePFD aera which is not a clickable spot), and select the [TCAS] softkey:

It is similar for displaying TCAS information on a MAP, except it is located into sub-menu[MAP MENU] of main map menu:

When TCAS display is activated, a message will appear on each of the screen where it isset, above the sideslip indicator if on a PFD, or below the north arrow if on a MAP:

: you have asked to display TCAS information but it is powered off.

: TCAS information is displayed and no threat is active

: there are one or more aircrafts inside your TA protection zone

: there are one or more aircrafts inside your RA protection zone

TCAS symbols

Aircraft is more than 4 minutes away, based on your actual speed.

Aircraft is inside your monitored zone, but presents no threat.

Aircraft is less than 45 seconds from you and a TA has been issued.

Aircraft is less than 25 seconds from you and an RA has been issued.

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In addition to those symbols you can also have:• right to the aircraft symbol itself, an up or down arrow, indicating the aircraft is

climbing or descending at more than 400 feet per minute.

• Numbers indicating the altitude difference, in hundreds of feet. Positive numbersmean other aircraft is above you, negative is below you. On a PFD this isinformation is only displayed inside TA and RA symbols, and it is above anysymbols on a MAP.

• On MAPs only, a vector indicating the heading of other aircrafts is displayed. Itslength is fixed and does not reflect aircraft’s speed.

PFD specifics

• only aircrafts in front of you are displayed

• position of symbol above or below the horizon indicates relative vertical positionof other aircraft. Refer to a MAP display if you need more precise information.

• aircrafts more than 45° to your right or to your left are displayed on the far sidesof the PFD, otherwise position is proportional for values from 45° left to 45° right.

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This is revision 3 of this documentation. Please contact the author through theadvertised support channel for pointing any error, inaccuracy or omission you may noticein this documentation, so we can improve it.

Warranty and Limitation of Liability

The information and/or graphics contained herein are provided “as is“, without warranty of anykind, either express or implied. No representation, warranty or guarantee is made that theinformation is accurate, complete or current. We will not be liable to you in respect of any loss orcorruption of any data, database or software. We will not be liable to you in respect of any special,indirect or consequential loss or damage. We reserve the right to edit and modify this document andthe systems described in it, without prior notice and at any time.

Author: Lionel ZamouthCopyright ©2016 Aerobask

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