On Tuesday, May 28, 2013 11:15:12 AM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:

I know that many airline/military pilots also fly gliders. On a clear day, how does airline/military pilots use of "see and avoid" compare to glider pilots?

From personal experience, "it depends". Fighter/attack/bomber pilots tend to have a disciplined visual lookout because they are trained that way - the threat you don't see is the one that kills you. And a lot of their flying is in a VFR "see and avoid" environment, without ATC or TCAS to help. And not all have radars; A-10s for example.

Transport/airline pilots fly in a different environment. Always IFR, even when in VMC conditions, ATC/TCAS warnings of traffic, reduced visibility from their cockpits, set flight paths. All would tend to reduce the pressure to emphasize "see and avoid". I've had airliners fly through my thermal on approach, had to move out of the way as it cruised by at my altitude, oblivious of my presence. I've also had fighters maneuver aggressively to avoid me, obviously having seen me in their flight path.

As far as the doctor and his lawyer friend in their glass-cockpit Cirrus with a couple of hotties in the back seat - yeah, right, they are looking out the window...

Flying without at least a PCAS, but better yet a PowerFlarm, is foolish, if you ask me.

Kirk
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