TCAS traffic display redesign

Abstract

The Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is designed to reduce the number of mid-air collisions. TCAS monitors the nearby airspace for other aircraft which are shown to the pilot on a traffic situation display (TSD). In addition, TCAS alerts the pilot to the presence of nearby aircraft with a precautionary Traffic Advisory (TA). If separation continues to degrade, TCAS then provides a Resolution Advisory (RA) which will audibly and visually instruct the pilot to make a vertical avoidance maneuver. However, pilots do not always comply with the RA. Changing the TSD could help improve pilot compliance. During an RA, the pilot is asked to maneuver vertically, but the TSD provides a top-down horizontal view which does not project the flight-path of other traffic and does not show if the other traffic is also receiving an RA. This project performed a literature review, a work domain analysis, and pilot interviews to inform design changes. The design methods echoed a need to provide pilots with better altitude information during traffic events along with a better picture of traffic heading and velocity. From these results, a new display was designed and is described using an animation. Future work includes evaluation of the new display as part of an iterative design process.