TRAFFIC COLLISION and AVOIDANCE SYSTEM (TCAS)

The system is designed to provide an additional margin of safety and keep commercial aircraft clear
of conflict, independently of Air Traffic Control.

TCAS I

TCAS I is a first generation collision avoidance system and simply warns the crew of other traffic in
the vicinity of their aircraft.

It will detect and display range and approximate relative bearing.

It encourages flight crew to look for the conflicting traffic by generating visual and aural warnings -
TRAFFIC ADVISORIES (TAs):

TCAS II

TCAS II detects intruders in the TCAS aircraft’s vicinity, assesses the collision risk and presents
warnings to the crew in the form of TAs and Resolution Advisories (RAs)

e.g.: “Climb” “Increase Climb” Descend” “Increase Descent” Monitor Vertical Speed”

Thus, RAs offer manoeuvring advice in the vertical plane to resolve conflict

TCAS Components

1. Upper and Lower Antenna

2. TCAS receiver-transmitter-computer unit
3. Combined ATC/SSR/TCAS control panel
4. TCAS displays
5. A synthetic voice issues TCAS commands over the intercom system.

PRINCIPLE

TCAS operates on the secondary radar principle using the normal SSR frequencies of 1030MHz and
1090MHz, but in an air to air role.

Using this principle the TCAS system creates two protective three dimensional bubbles around the
TCAS equipped aircraft.
AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT

For aircraft to be visible to a TCAS equipped aircraft they must have a minimum of A Mode “A”
Transponder

Mode A transponders transmit no height information and therefore the information available to the
TCAS equipment is two dimensional only and therefore can only give TAs.

Mode “C” Transponder equipped intruders broadcast height information to the TCAS equipment
and the system becomes three dimensional and can now give both TAs and RAs.

Mode “S” Transponder TCAS equipped intruders as well as broadcasting height information allow a
discrete data link to be established between them. This data link will allow avoidance manoeuvres
to be mutually resolved. – (Cordinated Vertical RA )

TCAS never offers collision avoidance commands in the horizontal plane; only in the form of climb or
descend

Target A/C Equipment Own A/c equipment Own A/c equipment

(TCAS- I) (TCAS- II)
Mode A xpndr TA TA

Mode C or Mode S Xpndr TA TA and Vertical RA

TCAS I TA TA and Vertical RA
TCAS II TA TA and Cordinated Vertical RA

TRAFFIC ADVISORIES (TAs) RESOLUTION ADVISORIES (RAs).

Depending upon the setting of the TCAS function switch on the control panel, the equipment

level of intruder aircraft and the phase of flight of the TCAS aircraft, TCAS will generate the

following.

Traffic Advisories (TAs) exist when an intruder penetrates the outer bubble caution
area and is between 45 and 35 seconds from the collision area.

TA’s appear as solid amber circles on the TCAS display and are accompanied by the synthetic voice
saying “Traffic, Traffic”. This is a potential collision threat.

Resolution Advisories (RAs) exist when an intruder penetrates the inner bubble

warning area and is between 30 and 20 seconds from the collision area.

RA’s appear as solid red rectangles on the TCAS display accompanied by various synthetic voice

warnings. RA’s indicate a serious collision threat

Resolution Advisories come in two forms:

Preventative Advisories are situations where no collision risk exists unless a change

of level is initiated by either aircraft. The synthetic voice advisory is “Monitor Vertical Speed”

Corrective Advisories are situations where a collision risk exists and a manoeuvre is

necessary to avert it. The synthetic voice produces the appropriate command.

“Climb” “Increase Climb” Descend” “Increase Descent” Reduce Climb Reduce Descent

Proximate Traffic appears as a solid cyan diamond and represents transponder equipped aircraft
within range of the display and within +/- 1200 feet relative height.

Other Traffic appears as hollow cyan diamonds which represent transponder equipped aircraft
within range of the dis play and within +/- 2700 feet relative height

A + sign and number above the symbol means an intruder is above the aircraft and – for below.

Number indicate the relative height indexed by 100

A trend arrow or appears alongside the symbol when the intruder’s vertical rate is 500 feet per
minute or greater.
If pilots receive simultaneously an instruction to manoeuvre from ATC and an

RA, and both conflict, the advice given by TCAS should be followed.

There are no instructions given at all when the aircraft is below 400ft agl,

No descent RAs are given below 1000 ft agl and no increase rate of descent commands below 1400
ft agl.

The system will also take aircraft configuration / performance into consideration when deciding an
avoiding action.

When the aircraft has gear and / or flap deployed its climb performance will be poor so TCAS will
avoid giving climbing demands for a RA.