TCAS/ACAS

Collision Avoidance System User’s Manual

 Copyright: Royal Hawk Aviation Activities 2013 . All Rights Reserved.

Published in the Rafsanjan royal hawk (RRH)

www. Royalhawk.blogfa.com
Email:royalhawkweb@yahoo.com

This textbook is to be used for the purposes of teaching activities & students self
study.

Our sources for collecting this pamphlet are:

JEPPESEN TRAINING BOOKS , OXFORD AVIATION BOOKS , Honywell Texts.
Production Manager
M.Alihajmohammad
 ACAS & TCAS difference ?
•The concept for an airborne collision avoidance system,
independent from ATS emerged in 1955;
•In the early 1980s, ICAO started work on the development
of standards for an “Airborne Collision Avoidance System”
(ACAS);
•In 1981 FAA decided to develop and introduce a collision
avoidance system capable of recommending evasive
manoeuvres in the vertical plane to cockpit crew;
•This system is called “Traffic alert & Collision Avoidance
System” (TCAS).
 Introduction:
TCAS Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System.
TCAS Traffic Collision Avoidance System.
ACAS Airborne Collision Avoidance System.
•On-board equipment designed to reduce the
incidence of midair collisions between aircrafts;
•Based on secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR);
•Works independently of air traffic control;
•Manoeuvre in the vertical plane when a risk of
collision is detected.
 Versions of TCAS:
•TCAS I (first generation of CAS) gives traffic
advisories (TAs) but does not recommend any
manoeuvres (designed primarily for General
Aviation use);

•TCAS II (second and current generation of CAS)

gives traffic advisories (TAs) and resolution
advisories (RAs) in the vertical plane;
•Only version 7.0 of TCAS II meets ACAS II standards
set by ICAO.
 Version 7.0 of TCAS II
MOPS 7.0 : Minimum Operational Performance Standard.
This version of TCAS II is known as TCAS II with MOPS 7.0
software.
In North America most uses TCAS II with MOPS 6.04 but if
they want travel to Europe , they should use TCAS II version
7.0 that is meets ACAS II standards.
 TCAS II compute the following information about
the intruder:

1) Range between your aircraft and the

intruder.
2) Relative bearing to the intruder.
3) Altitude and vertical speed of the intruder,
if reporting altitude.
4) Closing rate between the intruder and your
aircraft. Using this data TCAS II predicts the time
to,and the separation at,the intruders
closest point of approach
(CPA).
Should TCAS II predict that certain safe
boundaries may be violated,it will issue a Traffic
Advisory (TA) to alert the crew that closing traffic is
in the vicinity.
If the intruder continues to close,TCAS II will issue a
Resolution Advisory (RA) to obtain or maintain safe
vertical separation between your aircraft and the
intruder.TCAS II bases the alarms on a five second
crew reaction time to begin the separation maneuver.
Increase or reversal of an RA requires a reaction in
two and one half seconds.
TCAS II can track as many as 45 aircraft ,display up
to 30 of them and can coordinate a resolution advisory for up to three
intruders at once.

Two TCAS II equipped aircraft will coordinate

their resolution advisories using a Mode S
transponder air to air data link.

The crew should promptly but smoothly follow

the advisory.
Since maneuvers are coordinated, the crew
should never maneuver in the opposite direction
of the advisory.
 Non-Threat Traffic
An open white diamond indicates that an
intruder’s relative altitude is greater than plus or
minus 1200 feet vertically or its distance is
beyond 6 nm range. It is not yet considered a
threat.
This one is 1800 feet Above your own altitude,
+18
 Proximity Intruder Traffic
A filled white diamond indicates that the
intruding aircraft is within plus or minus 1200
feet vertically and within 6 nm range, but is still
not considered a threat.
This intruder is now 1000 feet Above your
aircraft and climbing.

+10
 Traffic Advisory (TA)
A symbol change to a filled yellow circle indicates that the intruding aircraft is
considered to be potentially hazardous. Depending on your altitude TCAS II
will display a TA when the time to CPA is between 20 and 48 seconds.
Here the intruder is 900 feet below your aircraft, climbing at 500 feet per
minute or greater. A voice announcement is heard in the cockpit, advising,

“Traffic, Traffic”
Under normal conditions a TA will precede an RA by 10 to 15 seconds. The
crew should attempt to gain visual contact with the intruder and be
prepared to
maneuver should an RA be sounded 10 to 15 seconds later. The crew
should take no evasive actions based solely on the TCAS II display.
-9
 Resolution Advisory (RA)
A solid red square indicates that the intruding aircraft is projected to be a collision threat.
TCAS II calculates that the intruder has reached the point where a Resolution Advisory is
necessary. The time to closest approach with the intruder is now between 15 and 35
seconds depending on your altitude. the symbol appears together with an appropriate
audio warning and a vertical maneuver indication on the RA/VSI. Voice announcements are
listed later in this section.
This aircraft is now 600 feet below your altitude and still climbing. A synthesized voice
announces a vertical maneuver command, such as,

“Climb, Climb, Climb.”

(Change 6.04a)
or

“Climb, Climb.”
(Change 7.0)
The pilot should smoothly but firmly initiate any
required vertical maneuver within 5 seconds from the
time the RA is posted, using pitch cues or the Vertical
Speed Indicator as appropriate.

-6
 Proximate
Region TA
Intruder region TCAS
RA
region

2.1 NM – 30 s

3.3 NM – 45 s

6 NM
 TA region

850 FT
600 FT RA region

Aircraft of
600 FT reference
850 FT

Altitude criterioan

16
Interaction ATC and Pilots during an ACAS event :

Traffic Advisory (TA)

Pilots ATC

No manoeuvre on Remains responsible

the sole basis of a TA for ATC separation

17
Interaction ATC and Pilots during an ACAS event :
Resolution Advisory (RA)

Pilots ATC

Follow the RA Acknowledge the report

Notify ATC about the RA Do not attempt to modify

the flight path
Fly the RA
Ceases to be responsible
Scan visually the airspace for separation
Interaction ATC and Pilots during an ACAS event :

Clear of conflict

Pilots ATC

Resume responsibility for

Return promptly to the
providing separation for
current ATC clearance
all affected aircraft
 ICAO annex 6 standards
ACAS Date of
Classification of aircraft
mode mandate

All turbine-engined aeroplane with:

MTOW > 15000kg or ACAS II 1st Jan 2003
MAPSC > 30

All turbine-engined aeroplane with:

MTOW > 5700kg or ACAS II 1st Jan 2005
MAPSC > 19

Recommendation.— All aeroplanes should be equipped

with an airborne collision avoidance system (ACAS II)
 Regulatory situation around the world

Jurisdiction Date of
Classification of aircraft TCAS mode
(Agency) mandate
MTOW > 15000kg or
USA (FAA) TCAS II Jan 1993
MAPSC > 30
Europe
(EASA) MTOW > 15000kg or
TCAS II Jan 2000
Australia MAPSC > 30
(CASA)

Europe MTOW > 5700kg or TCAS II

Jan 2005
(EASA) MAPSC > 19 Version 7.0
Published in the Rafsanjan royal hawk
(RRH)

Good Luck