Coaching Corner… Importance of lookout

In the second part on the subject of lookout, Head of PCS David Cockburn

Pilots

The basic scan pattern can be modified for any situation. Before we deliberately change our flight path we need to check that it is clear. We need to look below us before we descend, which will of course involve manoeuvring to get the airframe out of the way while we scan below the horizon. We need to scan above the horizon, and also backwards, before climbing. While climbing we need to check there is nothing coming towards us from below the nose, so I make about a 20° heading change every 500ft or so. If, before we turn, we work out what visual feature we should end up pointing towards, our scan before the turn can originate from, and return to, that point, and we can avoid looking at the compass while we are turning.

However, experience has demonstrated that a quick look over the shoulder immediately after the turn can prevent a collision with something previously hidden to us under the wing.

Apart from the scan pattern there are several other things to consider. A dirty, dusty, smeared or damaged windscreen will reduce our ability to spot threats, so part of the pre-flight checks should involve cleaning it inside and out (water only, unless you’ve checked the aircraft manuals).

It’s usually easier to remove flies etc. when they are fresh, so ideally cleaning should also be part of the shutdown checks.

And what about our eyes? As we get older, we become more long-sighted. Even though we might be able to pass a medical examination without them, if we find it difficult to read the detail on a map, a set of half moon or bifocal reading glasses can considerably reduce the time we spend looking inside. And despite what we may think about British weather, good sunglasses are a must.

Let’s be honest, concentrating on a lookout scan is pretty tiring. However, lookout becomes even more important when approaching hazardous areas, and if we know we’re close to one of these that can and should encourage us to reinvigorate our scan pattern. Airspace ‘choke points’ such as the Trent valley in Lincolnshire, or the gap between Stansted and Luton, are well known, but at least we have a good idea of the directions where most of the traffic is coming from. We can concentrate our scan in those directions to give a better chance of seeing the threats.

Above Unless other procedures are specified by our destination airfield, we should try to follow the standard overhead join.

Airprox reports and AAIB collision accident investigations should remind us that airspace is particularly dangerous close to aerodromes. That’s why, when in the vicinity of an aerodrome, we are required to conform to, or avoid, the pattern of traffic formed by other aircraft and make all turns to the left unless the circuit direction dictates otherwise.

However, the primary requirement is to ‘observe other aerodrome traffic for the purpose of avoiding collision’, so we need to be especially cautious when entering the circuit pattern. We must make a conscious effort to identify where everyone else is, and unless other procedures are specified by our destination we should try to follow the standard overhead join procedure and subsequent pattern as detailed in CAP 413 and in the CAA’s safety poster ‘Standard Overhead Join’ (tinyurl.com/mr38ypwz).

If we and others make appropriate radio transmissions in the circuit, these can assist considerably in that observation of other traffic, and if we know what the other aircraft is doing we can allow a sensible amount of space behind it. Other ways to help include flying at the published circuit height – it’s so much easier to see other aircraft at the same height as ourselves.

Radio calls can assist in collision avoidance even outside the circuit pattern. If we can detect that an aircraft at a similar level is coming towards us from a specific direction, we can concentrate our scan there, and consequently have a good chance of spotting it before it becomes a real threat. The initial call to a Flight Information Service, or when passing an aerodrome, can provide listeners with that information, so it is always worth making these.

One disadvantage of the ‘listening squawk’ system is that we cannot hear what others are doing outside the controlled airspace, but we should be able to concentrate our scan away from it.

But we can do better than that – and modern technology is wonderful. Radar sets can spot most things which move in the sky. If we can obtain a ‘Traffic Service’ from someone with a radar set, and LARS (low altitude radar service) is free, they can direct our eyes towards anything which appears on that radar seat and might hit us. That tells us where to concentrate our scan.

Unfortunately, the service is not always available (the RAF cannot provide it 24/7 any more), although other radar controllers, perhaps from nearby controlled airspace, may be able to provide the same service.

Sadly, especially in poor weather, the controller has to use ‘secondary’ radar which relies on transponders, which are ideally telling him or her the aircraft’s altitude.

Unfortunately, many of our possible collision risks do not carry transponders, and some pilots (and I seriously hope that does not apply to LA readers) have been known to leave perfectly serviceable ones switched off! Another problem with a radar set is that to prevent ‘clutter’ the ‘target’ needs to be moving at more than a certain groundspeed, which means a slow aircraft heading into wind becomes invisible. And radar services may be difficult to find at weekends.

An electronic collision avoidance system, as fitted to most commercial aircraft, also relies on transponders to provide warnings of possible collisions. Such equipment is expensive and seldom found in aircraft such as ours. We can, however, take advantage of the DfT’s kind offer to contribute to the costs of fitting a simpler form of electronic conspicuity device which can receive signals from aircraft that announce their presence. Sadly, although these may not necessarily rely on a transponder, they do still rely on the other aircraft transmitting its position on a frequency which the device can receive – and not all devices can receive all transmissions.

Being simple devices, even after careful fitting, their receiver (and attendant transmitter) antennas are still likely to suffer from blind spots, so they are not a guarantee of safety. Indeed, as I have experienced myself, they may present their own hazard, in that, pilots can be drawn to look at their screen instead of outside, where aircraft, which do not appear on the screen, are approaching.

Alerting noises are useful, but human factors tell us that, especially in times of high workload, they are not always noticed or correctly interpreted, and again the noise may draw the pilot to look at the screen instead of outside. Although these are useful devices and we should fit one if we can, a good lookout scan must still be our primary method of avoiding a close encounter of the solid kind, and we need to learn to include any EC screen as merely one of the instruments to be glanced at.

Above A dirty, dusty, smeared or damaged windscreen will reduce our ability to spot threats – can you spot the traffic? Clue, it’s toward the centre of the picture.

Below Our passengers should always feel part of the crew, and their eyes can help considerably.

Even with electronic assistance, it goes without saying that the more eyes looking out the better. Our passengers should always feel part of the crew, and their eyes can help considerably. However, we should be specific about where and how we want them to look, and how to identify threats and report them. Apart from the assistance it gives us, I have found that having something to look at outside reduces the risk of them contracting airsickness.

And of course we want others to see us – if possible, switch on a transponder with the appropriate code and ALT selected, and any other collision alerting transmitter we may have. Think about lights, especially in dull conditions and when approaching hazardous areas. If there’s no LARS available, give position reports to FIS, and to aerodromes you’re passing, and make accurate calls in the circuit. Let’s all try to enjoy our flying for as long as possible!. ■