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Airborne Conflict Safety Forum

Harry Nelson

AP/FD TCAS and TCAP

A reminder and update
 1 AP / FD TCAS Refresher

2 TCAP Review

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First commercial aircraft mid-air collision

7th April 1922 over Picardie

Height 492 ft !!

Farman F-60 “Goliath” DH -18

Out of Le Bourget Out of Croyden

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GSI 420.1193/13 September 2013

Introduction

•  In 1990’s, introduction of TCAS (Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System)

to prevent mid-air collision

•  Today, that safety goal has been largely achieved (However, the risks remain)
•  Future risk, §  Increases in traffic
§  Widespread RVSM airspace
§  Flight Tracks with Next Gen and Sesar

One TCAS side effect: undesired RAs during

1000 ft separation level-off maneuvers

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 TCAS 7.0 and TCAS 7.1 - Mandate

TCAS II change 7.0 • TCAS II change 7.1

Mandatory since 2000 ICAO Recommendation
as per ICAO annex 10, From Jan-2014 on new A/C
EASA EU OPS 1.668 and Before Dec-2017 for all others A/C
FAA FAR 121.356

European Mandate
From Mar-2012 on new A/C
Before Dec-2015 for all others A/C

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 1 AP / FD TCAS Refresher

2 TCAP Review

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 Auto Pilot / Flight Director TCAS - Refresher
TCAS provides a V/S target to follow on
the PFD Vertical Speed Indicator
and
The Auto Flight System (AFS) provides a
V/S guidance through AP/FD orders

The AP/FD TCAS combines AFS

guidance with TCAS orders to provide
an automatic V/S guidance in
accordance with TCAS target.
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 TCAS 7.0 Vs TCAS 7.1 – “LEVEL OFF, LEVEL OFF” RA

TCAS II change 7.0 • TCAS II change 7.1

Replaced by
“ADJUST VERTICAL SPEED, “LEVEL OFF, LEVEL OFF”
ADJUST”

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GSI 420.1193/13 September 2013

Alerts on TCAS system

•  Traffic Advisories (TA)

! Audio warning

“Traffic, traffic” +06

! Traffic displayed in amber on ND

! Triggers TCAS “arming” at this stage ALT
TCAS

•  Operational procedure (TA)

!  No immediate action required (awareness only)
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
GSI 420.1193/13 September 2013

Alerts on TCAS system

Red area indicating
•  Resolution Advisories (RA) the forbidden vertical
speed domain

! Different audio warnings, depending on

the avoidance maneuver to be
performed
“ Level Off”

Red and green areas on the vertical speed scale

! AP/FD Guidance

•  Operational procedure (RA)

! Avoidance maneuver required
! Notify ATC
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
 1 AP / FD TCAS Refresher

2 TCAP Review

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GSI 420.1193/13 September 2013

Airbus solution: TCAP

•  Objective
•  To reduce the number of operationally undesired TCAS RAs occurring during 1000ft level-off
manoeuvres

•  Principle
•  Introduction of a new altitude capture law, which decreases convergence rate towards
selected altitude when traffic confirmed in vicinity
•  Not a systematic substitute for the conventional altitude capture
•  Activates only when relevant

•  Design constraints
•  Retrofitable , Minimum fleet impact, No new threat to HMI levels, Minimum training impact

© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.

GSI 420.1193/13 September 2013

Airbus solution: TCAP

•  Activation conditions
! TA alert triggered by TCAS (i.e. Traffic converging confirmed)

! Plus necessary pre-conditions:

!  AP and/or FDs engaged

!  A/C converging towards its selected altitude

!  Distance to selected altitude factor

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GSI 420.1193/13 September 2013

Undesired RAs during level-off maneuvers

•  More than 50% of RAs generated during level-off manoeuvres

Traffic ! Traffic !

Level Off ! Level Off !!

Climb ! Climb !

FL110

FL100 FL110
FL100

Level off ! Level Off !

Level Off ! Level Off !

Traffic ! Traffic !

Traffic ! Traffic !

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U.S. & European airspace differences (1/2)

IFR/IFR  -­‐   IFR/IFR  -­‐  

  below   over   European  airspace   IFR/VFR  -­‐  
10,000*   10,000*   below  
IFR/VFR  -­‐   10,000*  
11%   5%  
over   23%  
10,000*  
7%  
IFR/VFR  -­‐   IFR/IFR  -­‐  
below   over   IFR/VFR  -­‐    
10,000*   over  
10,000*  
77%   10,000*  
49%   IFR/IFR  -­‐  
13%  
below  
10,000*  
15%  
U.S.  airspace  

500ft separation encounters 1,000ft separation encounters

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TCAP impact on RAs (4/4)

•  Airspace  perspec*ve    –  Type  of  RAs     Positive RAs: Climb/Descend

MVS: Monitor Vertical Speed
•  U.S.     •  Europe   AVSA: Adjust Vertical Speed
•  Without  TCAP   •  Without  TCAP  

m o v e d
s r e
l y AV SA RA
  Main
•  With  TCAP   •  With  TCAP  
 

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