TCAS In The 1990s

Joseph WaIsh and John Wojciech

Abstract:	The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is the culmination of over thirty years of work by the aviation community to develop an airborne collision avoidance system to complement the Federal Aviation Administration’s ground-based Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Use of the existing ATC radar transponders provides the basis for TCAS. A transponder based collision avoidance system has the advantage that it can provide immediate protection against the large population of aircraft already transponder equipped. The airborne TCAS utilizes transponder information to track nearby aircraft. This data is used to develop and display advisory information in the cockpit, to assist the pilot in maneuvering to avoid threat aircraft. This paper describes the design, operation and application of the three versions of TCAS (TCAS I, II and III), and its continuing development and implementation during the 1990s. TCAS II is stressed since it is already in use by U.S. airlimes.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1991 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 22 - 24, 1991 Sheraton San Marcos Hotel Phoenix, AZ
Pages:	411 - 420
Cite this article:	Updated citation: Published in NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation
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