Avoiding collisions

In the last few months CASA has issued two brochures. The first was to alert pilots to preventing mid-air collisions. The second was to cover the GAAP changes and while it said that the changes were to enhance safety it mentioned the collisions word only once.

Over the years the path of aviation in Australian has had a good sprinkling of mid-air collisions, both civil and military. There have been fixed wing and fixed wing, fixed wing and helicopter, helicopter and helicopter, aircraft and power cable, sailplane and sailplane, sailplane and other aircraft as well as ag aircraft and ag aircraft.

There have also have been a few non-airborne aircraft collisions and there have been a trickle of aircraft bumping into fixed objects on the ground.

In all fairness one can say that cars bump into each other every day but do not get anything like the kind of attention that aircraft accidents do. Perhaps vehicle accidents are more socially acceptable.

If we look at a lot of the mid air collisions a number, but not all, have involved training aircraft and have been at or close to GAAP airports. From an instructors point of view it can be very hard at times to be instructing a student, particularly a low time student, and keep an eye out of the cockpit at the same time as well as listening on the radio for traffic information.

One has to become the master of the scan and keep an eye out of the cockpit as well as doing those cockpit duties.

Busy traffic patterns are not the only place that can be a danger. This writer can recall an event many years ago in a very remote part of central Australia. The pilot of the aircraft I was back seating in was about to taxi onto the airstrip for take-off. Just as we were about to move forward a Cessna 172 came puttering across our nose to touch down a scant distance from our machine. As they say … But for grace of God! That taught me to always pay attention outside the cockpit.

Avoiding a collision is not always related to an airborne aircraft. In recent times I was taxying out for a flight when I noted a taxying aircraft closing from the left as I came up to a T intersection. The other machine did not give way or even slow down. An urgency radio call was the only thing that brought him to a stop and give way, as dictated by CAR 161 ‘Give way to the right – in the air and on the ground’.

There was no apology from the other pilot nor did he make contact by phone later in the day. It was almost as if he had ignored all the CASA efforts to prevent collisions. Perhaps he had an excess dose of TV, (tunnel vision), or maybe that could have come from viewing a PC. Perhaps he was determined he was going to ride roughshod over any other taxying traffic. As he was a flying instructor one presumes he passed the eyesight test at the last medical.

All that makes me wonder about eyesight and seeing things. The academics and eye specialists can and do write volumes on the limitations of the human eye but in a VFR situation the one thing that is going to save you is to have an active situational awareness and keep the head moving and the eyes scanning for traffic. In the air ATC and monitoring the radio can help but your eyes are going to be the main defence that you can have. Passengers can help. Before departure or inbound in a small GA aircraft ask the passengers to alert you to other traffic. A sterile cockpit, i.e. one with no unnecessary conversation, no distractions, can also help. If in a GAAP CTR and unsure about the location of other traffic do ask the tower. A clean windscreen will help. In the air strobes and a taxi or landing light will help.

Good reason to check them in the pre-flight inspection.

When teaching students to become aviators we as instructors have to be critical in case they get a case of panel fixation. We have to actively make them develop the scan technique and look around. Temporarily covering the panel instruments can help

At the end of the day, in a VFR situation, the main anti-collision defence that a pilot can have is good situational awareness plus scan, scan, scan using the Mk.1 eyeball. Your well being could depend on it.

Contact Dave by email at: [email protected]