Safety article in Aviation COnsumer

[kwmoore]

Interesting article in the July issue of Aviation Consumer on the 10 most important things one can do to enhance one's safety as a pilot/aircraft owner. Perhaps surprisingly, in-cockpit traffic systems didn't even make the list: "It’s not that we think collision avoidance gear isn’t a good thing or that it doesn’t perform. It is and it does. It’s just that it requires spending a pile of money to address a relatively small risk, probably at the expense of deferring investment in things that mitigate larger and well-documented risk, such as weather-related accidents or runway loss of control."

The top three items all related to additional training; in-cockpit real-time weather was 4th or 5th, a pro-active MX program was 6th or so, a fuel totalizer was right up there too.

Food for thought! As I've mentioned before, I think we often confuse "risk" with "consequences." Mid-airs are a low risk but high consequence event. Moreover, we tend to rationalize risks over which we believe we have control, or that fall under the category of, "I would never do that!" Examples of the latter are fuel exhaustion, flying into weather or in the vicinity of terrain that the plane and/or pilot are not equipped to handle. Yet each year these things are responsible for the large majority of accidents.

Originally Posted by kwmoore

Interesting article in the July issue of Aviation Consumer on the 10 most important things one can do to enhance one's safety as a pilot/aircraft owner. Perhaps surprisingly, in-cockpit traffic systems didn't even make the list.

I completely buy off on the statistical premise of the article, but of all the safety gear in my 260se (4pt seat belts, satellite weather, stormscope, quasi-taws, rosens, parachute and canard), the Ryan TCAS system gives me the greatest comfort.

Since installation there have been 3 "close calls" (approx 500-1000ft separation) and dozens of "whites of their eyes" passes. Odds are very good that NONE would have resulted in an actual collision.

Still, it sure felt good to know where to look!

Irrational perhaps, but there it is....

[kwmoore]

Originally Posted by nworth

I completely buy off on the statistical premise of the article, but of all the safety gear in my 260se (4pt seat belts, satellite weather, stormscope, quasi-taws, rosens, parachute and canard), the Ryan TCAS system gives me the greatest comfort.
...Irrational perhaps, but there it is....

I'm not one to call the kettle black, I spent several kilobucks on a TIS system too. I like it, and it also makes Senior Management more comfortable by providing help to spot other planes.

I think the weirdest one I like is the 'Both' position fuel selector on Cessna's, set it and forget it, don't have to worry about running out of fuel at an inopportune time.

As for Traffic, I don't even own a plane yet, but I'm buying the next iteration of the 496(supposed to be annouced at OSH) plus an Zaon XRX to tide me over in rentals until I get my own plane with a panel mount.

I fly around Toronto, way too many airplanes not talking on the radio.

Irrational as it may be, collision is what worries my wife and me most around the pattern with all of the blind spots as well as general flight in marginal vis; we have one nut who flies around our nontowered airport with no comms. Am putting in the avidyne tcas 600 system next week(don't know if the "nut' even has a transponder). Figured that I could just upgrade my mx20 to the traffic model and be OK; it won't work unless I don't want to display my stormscope on the mx20 but only on the gns430. So, gulp, in goes the GMX200(tradeup) which will handle everything as well as display weather, strikes,etc. on the custom page. The split page function is what I use most. While they had the interior ripped apart, figured decided that might as well upgrade to the gns430w. Ditto for weather with the GDL69. Thought about handheld weather, but it wasn't a whole lot cheaper than the gdl unit, not to mention the extra cockpit wires and one more computer gizmo to remember which button/sequence to push.

Gotta give these computer makers credit for marketing their products on the basis of "if ya want this, then ya gotta have that, and oh by the way, you'll need three of those, and only if the baro pressure is below standard".
I figured I'd pay for all this by not feeding the dog for a few months and putting the wife back to work.

safe flying everyone.

bill

just got my plane back with avidyne tcas 600, gmx 200 upgrade, gns430 waas upgrade, and GDL 69. What a difference with the TCAS. It is hot and humid here(90's and bad haze). Metars...7 mi vis(way optimistic). Took off early am from KBRD east into the sun toward my homebase of KSUW. Plenty of Vfr traffic at departure;others were flying before it got too hot. Downward vis OK but forward vis poor with blinding light equivalent; between flight following and TCAS I felt a little less nervous and jerky about bumping into something. Flight following ended close to KSUW with nary a squawk from either Center or TCAS. The fun began 5 miles close to home. TCAS began showing up all sorts of transponder activity, some stuff I could see, others not even though looking intently. Planes taking off/ short final, downwind, exiting pattern, previous plane cleared for IFR by Duluth Approach at a nearby airport,,,all displayed. It was initially a bit distracting and it takes a little practice to tune into the voice annunciator(I'm glad they use a friendly female voice and not some gruff drill sergeant type). I think I'm gonna like it.
The gmx 200 upgrade is visibly better, bigger screen and has a much faster processor, few diff knobs but otherwise functions much like the mx20 does.
Weather availability in the cockpit amazes me.
Not much user knobology diff with the gns430w yet that I can tell.
Lots of manuals to read.

bw