ACAS/GPWS

 COURSE OBJECTIVE AND DURATION

1. Present the ACAS/GPWS: 3 hrs

2. Exam and evaluation: 1 hrs
3. Reference
• Flight crew operating manual DSC-34-SURV
• OM part A: OMA 8.3.6
ACAS/TCAS

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 GENERAL

The Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) including:

1. Detects and displays surrounding aircraft that have a transponder

2. Calculates and display possible collision threats
3. Triggers vertical speed orders, in order to avoid collisions.

The TCAS detection capability is limited to intruders flying within a maximum range
of 30 NM on either sides and approximately 30 NM to 80 NM longitudinally
(depending on aircraft configuration and external conditions), and within a maximum
altitude range of 9 900 ft above and below the aircraft.
The TCAS obtains data transmitted by the transponders of nearby aircraft, and uses this
data to evaluate possible collision threats.
 GENERAL
The TCAS determines:
• The bearing of intruders, in relation to the bearing of the aircraft.
• The distance between the aircraft and intruders, and the rate of separation or closure.
• The relative altitude of intruders, if intruders report their altitude via a Mode-C or
Mode-S transponder.
If the TCAS detects that the trajectory of an intruder may be a collision threat, it triggers:
• Audio and visual indicators
• Vertical speed orders, to ensure a sufficient trajectory separation and a minimal
vertical speed
• Variation considering all intruders.

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 MAIN COMPONENTS
The system includes:
• A single channel TCAS computer
• Two TCAS antennas
• Two mode S ATC transponders, one active the other in standby
• These transponders allow:
• Interface between the ATC/TCAS control panel and the TCAS computer
• Communication between the aircraft and intruders equipped with a TCAS
system.
• An ATC/TCAS control panel.

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 MAIN COMPONENTS
The TCAS divides the space surrounding the aircraft into the following four
zones, in order to evaluate and categorize possible collision threats:
• Resolution Advisory (RA)
• Traffic Advisory (TA)
• Proximate intruders
• Other intruders.

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 TCAS MODES

The TCAS has three different modes of operations that can be selected on the ATC/ TCAS
control panel:
• The Traffic Advisory/Resolution Advisory (TA/RA) mode
• The Traffic Advisory Only (TA ONLY) mode
• The standby (STBY) mode.

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 ADVISORY INHIBITION

Some advisories are inhibited depending on the aircraft altitude:

• All intruders flying below 380 ft AGL when the own aircraft altitude is
below 1 700 ft AGL
• All RA below 1 100 ft in climb and 900 ft in descent. In this case, the RAs
are converted into TAs
• “Descend” RA below 1 100 ft AGL
• “Increase Descent” RA below 1 550 ft AGL
• All TA aural messages below 600 ft AGL in climb and below 400 ft AGL in
descent
• The AP/FD TCAS flight guidance mode is inhibited below 900 ft.

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 SEPARATION STANDARDS WITHIN RVSM AIRSAPCE
Within RVSM airspace (between FL290 and FL410 inclusive) the vertical separation
minimum is:
• 1000ft (300m) between RVSM-approved aircraft, and
• 2000ft (600m) between non-RVSM approved state aircraft and any other aircraft
operating within RVSM airspace.
• 2000ft (600m) between non-RVSM aircraft operating as general air traffic (GAT)
and any other aircraft within RVSM airspace.
 TCAS INTRUDER WITH NO REPORTED ALTITUDE

For intruders that do not report their altitude:

• The relative altitude does not appear on ND
• The TCAS never triggers any RA
• The TCAS inhibits the TA when own aircraft altitude is above 15500 ft.

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 TCAS - CONTROLS AND INDICATOR

(1) Mode sel

TA/RA : Normal position.
The RAs, TAs and proximate intruders are displayed if the ALT RPTG switch is ON and
the transponder is not on STBY.
TA : The TCAS does not generate any vertical orders. This mode should be used, in case
of degraded aircraft performance (engine failure, landing gear extended, or approach
on parallel runways).
All RAs are converted into TAs. TAs, proximate and intruders are displayed if the ALT
RPTG switch is ON and the transponder is not on STBY
The "TA ONLY" white memo is displayed on the NDs.
STBY : The TCAS is on standby.
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 TCAS - CONTROLS AND INDICATOR

(2) TRAFFIC sel

• THRT : Proximate and other intruders are displayed only if a TA or RA is present, and
they are within 2 700 ft above and 2 700 ft below the aircraft.
• ALL : Proximate and other intruders are displayed even if no TA or RA is present (full
time function). The altitude range is –2700 ft to +2 700 ft.
• ABV : The same as ALL, except that the other intruders are displayed if within 9 900
ft above the aircraft and 2 700 ft below.

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 ND INDICATIONS

• The traffic is displayed in all ROSE modes and ARC mode when 10, 20 or
40 NM range is selected.
• Only the 8 most threatening intruders are displayed.
(1) Proximate intruder:
• Indicated by a white filled diamond.
(2) TA intruder
• Indicated by an amber circle.
• Associated with the TRAFFIC-TRAFFIC aural message.
(3) RA intruder
• Indicated by a red square.
• Associated with vertical orders displayed on the PFD and aural messages.
(4) Other intruders
• Indicated by a white empty diamond.

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 ND INDICATIONS

• Note: If the range of an intruder is not available, the intruder is not

displayed. An intruder may be partially displayed when its range is out of
scale.
(5) Relative altitude
• Indicated in hundred of feet above or below the symbol depending on the
intruder position.
(6) Vertical speed arrow
• Displayed only if the intruder V/S > 500 ft/min. The relative altitude and
vertical speed arrow are displayed in the same color as the associated
intruder symbol.
• When an intruder does not report its altitude, the relative altitude and the
vertical movement are not displayed.

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 ND INDICATIONS

(7) No bearing intruder

• If the bearing of TA or RA intruder is not available the following data is
presented in digital form at the bottom of the ND:
• ‐ range
• ‐ relative altitude and vertical speed arrow if available.
• Displayed amber or red according to threat level.
(8) Range ring
• A 2.5 NM white range ring is displayed when a 10 NM or 20 NM range is
selected.

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 TCAS MESSAGES

(1) Mode and range messages

Following messages can be displayed to draw pilot’s attention:
TCAS : REDUCE RANGE : Displayed when a TA or RA is detected and ND range above 40
NM.
TCAS : CHANGE MODE : Displayed when a TA or RA is detected and ND mode is
PLAN. Displayed amber or red depending on the advisory level (TA or RA).
(2) TCAS operation messages
TCAS : Displayed in case of TCAS internal failure.
TA ONLY : Displayed white when the TA mode is selected automatically, or manually by the
flight crew.
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 PFD INDICATIONS
• In case of RA detection, the vertical speed scale becomes rectangular and the PFD
presents vertical orders on the vertical speed scale. The vertical speed scale
background is normally grey, but may be partially replaced by green and/or red
areas.

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 PFD INDICATIONS
(1) Red area
• Indicates the vertical speed range, when there is a high risk of conflict.
(2) Green area
• Indicates the recommended vertical speed range. It is wider than the red
area.
Note:
‐ The aircraft can also fly in the grey vertical speed range, without the risk of
conflict (preventive RA).
‐ The color of the digits corresponds to the appropriate area.
‐ In case of RA detection, the vertical speed needle that is normally green,
becomes white.
(3) TCAS message
• Appears in amber provided that the TCAS is not in standby, when the TCAS
cannot deliver RA data, or in case of an internal TCAS failure.

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 AURAL MESSAGES

• TA/RA detection is associated with the following messages:

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 AURAL MESSAGES

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 AURAL MESSAGES

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GROUND PROXIMITY WARNING SYSTEM
(GPWS)

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 GENERAL

• The purpose of the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) is to warn the flight
crew of potentially hazardous situations, such as a collision with terrain. It detects
terrain collision threats and triggers applicable aural and visual indications.
The GPWS includes:
• Five basic modes active up to radio height of 2 500 ft.
• Excessive rate of descent (Mode 1)
• Excessive terrain closure rate (Mode 2)
• Altitude loss after takeoff or go-around (Mode 3)
• Terrain clearance not sufficient, if not in landing configuration (Mode 4)
• Excessive descent below the glide slope (Mode 5).

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 GENERAL
A predictive GPWS function, based on a GPWS database, to display terrain
information. It can be provided:
• By Honeywell through Enhanced GPWS (EGPWS)
• By ACSS as Ground Collision Avoidance System (GCAS), through T2CAS or T3CAS.
The predictive GPWS is composed of:
• Mandatory functions such as the Forward Looking Terrain Alerting function
• Optional functions such as the obstacle database.

The GPWS computes the geometric altitude of the aircraft by using:

• Pressure altitude
• Radio altitude
• Temperature
• Barometric references
• GPS altitude for predictive GPWS
• Data from the GPWS database for predictive GPWS

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 GPWS - GPWS BASICS MODES

MODE 1 : EXCESSIVE RATE OF DESCENT

• Mode 1 triggers aural and visual alerts about excessive rates of descent,
based on the radio height, and the rate of descent of the aircraft.
• Mode 1 is active for all phases of the flight.

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 GPWS - GPWS BASICS MODES

MODE 2 : EXCESSIVE TERRAIN CLOSURE RATE

• Mode 2 triggers aural and visual alerts, based on the landing gear/flaps
configuration of the aircraft, the radio height, and the RA rate of change.
• There are two types of Mode 2 alerts, Mode 2A (active during climb, cruise,
and initial approach), and Mode 2B (active during approach and 60 s after
takeoff).

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 GPWS - GPWS BASICS MODES

MODE 3 : ALTITUDE LOSS AFTER TAKEOFF

• Mode 3 triggers aural and visual alerts when the altitude significantly decreases
after takeoff, and go-arounds with landing gear or flaps not in landing
configuration.
MODE 4 : UNSAFE TERRAIN CLEARANCE WHEN NOT IN LANDING
CONFIGURATION

There are two types of Mode 4 alerts, Mode 4A and Mode 4B (both active during cruise
and approach). Mode 4A and Mode 4B trigger aural and visual alerts when terrain
clearance is not sufficient based on the phase of flight, the configuration of the landing
gear and the flaps, and the speed.

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 GPWS - GPWS BASICS MODES

MODE 5 : DESCENT BELOW GLIDESLOPE

• Mode 5 triggers aural and visual alerts, when the aircraft descends below
the glide slope.

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 GPWS - PREDICTIVE GPWS FUNCTIONS

The GPWS system :

• Correlates the current aircraft position to terrain and airport database.
• Computes a caution and a warning envelope ahead of the aircraft. This includes
the determination of the climb prediction envelope for terrain avoidance, using
the modelized climb capability of the aircraft.
• Displays the terrain hazards along the projected flight path ahead of the aircraft.
• Generates alerts described below.
While the predictive GPWS functions are operative, the basic GPWS Mode 2 is
inhibited.
If the predictive GPWS functions fail or if there is significant difference between the
radio height and the altitude computed by the T2CAS, the basic GPWS Mode 2 is
reactivated.

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 TERRAIN AWARENESS AND DISPLAY
• The Terrain Awareness and Display (TAD) function computes a caution and a
warning envelope in front of the aircraft, depending on the aircraft altitude, the
nearest runway altitude, the distance to the nearest runway threshold, the ground
speed, and the turn rate. When the boundary of these envelopes conflicts with the
terrain, or with an obstacle memorized in the database, the system generates the
relevant alert:

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 TERRAIN CAUTION AND WARNING ENVELOPE

VERTICAL ENVELOPE

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 TERRAIN CAUTION AND WARNING ENVELOPE

HORIZONTAL ENVELOPE

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TERRAIN CLEARANCE FLOOR

A terrain clearance floor envelope is stored in the database for each

runway for which terrain data exist. The Terrain Clearance Floor (TCF)
function warns of a premature descent below this floor, regardless of
aircraft configuration.

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RUNWAY FIELD CLEARANCE FLOOR

• The Runway Field Clearance Floor (RFCF) provides an additional envelope

protection, for runways that are significantly higher than the surrounding
terrain. It is contained in a circle within the 5.5 NM of the runway threshold
and it is based on the geometric altitude and the runway elevation.

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ALERTS ENVELOPES

CAUTION ENVELOPE
• The caution envelope extends along the flight path, from a distance of 20 s
in front of the aircraft, to a constructed climb path, at a distance of 132 s in
front of the aircraft.
• If there is a conflict between the terrain caution envelope and the terrain
data stored in the database, one of the following cautions is triggered:
• A “TERRAIN AHEAD” caution, if the terrain conflict is ahead of the aircraft.
• A “TOO LOW TERRAIN” caution, if the terrain conflict is below the
aircraft, instead of ahead of the aircraft.

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ALERTS ENVELOPES

WARNING ENVELOPE
• The warning envelope extends along the flight path, from a distance of 8 s
in front of the aircraft, to a constructed climb path, at a distance of 120 s in
front of the aircraft.
• In a Mountainous Approach Area (MAA: Existence of terrain more than 2
000 ft above the runway and within 6 NM of this runway), this distance is
linearly reduced to 30 s, to prevent nuisance alerts during low altitude
maneuvers.
• If there is a conflict between the terrain warning envelope ahead of the
aircraft, and the terrain data stored in the database, one of the following
warnings is triggered:
• A “TERRAIN AHEAD-PULL UP” warning, if the aircraft can climb over the
terrain.
• An “AVOID TERRAIN” warning, if the aircraft cannot climb over the terrain
with sufficient safety margin.

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ALERTS ENVELOPES
• HORIZONTAL ENVELOPE

During turns, the sensor opens up into turns to determine if there are
possible terrain conflicts (up to 90 °).

• RUNWAY CONVERGENCE CRITERIA

When the aircraft enters the approach sector (approximately 2.7 NM or 5 km
from the runway threshold), the system computes runway convergence criteria in
order to inhibit the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) predictive
alerts. For more information on the inhibition logic of the T3CAS.

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INHIBITION LOGIC OF THE GPWS PREDICTIVE FUNCTIONS
IN APPROACH
• In approach, as the aircraft is flying towards the ground, the runway convergence
criteria will inhibit the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) predictive
functions. Therefore, depending on the convergence criterion, GPWS alert may not
be triggered in the landing tunnel described below, even close to terrain.
• The main runway convergence criteria are the following:
(1) Aircraft flaps/landing gear configuration,
(2) Aircraft horizontal and vertical position from the runway threshold (landing tunnel
criterion),
(3) Aircraft track (convergence criterion).
• The airports stored in the terrain database are split into two categories:
• Airport flagged as Terrain Challenging Airport Area (TCAA),
• Airport not TCAA flagged.
• For TCAA flagged airports, the shape and dimensions of the landing tunnel are
tailored to each TCAA airport while for non TCAA airports the landing tunnel shape
and dimensions are described below.

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LANDING TUNNEL - LATERAL VIEW (FOR NON TCAA AIRPORT)

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LANDING TUNNEL - VIEW FROM ABOVE (FOR NON TCAA
AIRPORT)

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