Ignorance Is Bliss

The vast, almost unconstrained airspace we enjoy in Canada is the envy of many European pilots. Unfortunately, one might assume that traffic here is minimal and that we are essentially alone in our little flying bubble. Not seeing nearby traffic does not mean peace and quiet. Out of sight, out of mind!

Recently, Canadian-licensed pilots received, through one organization or another, a survey from a working group led by Transport Canada, joined by several associations: the Electronic Conspicuity Working Group (ECWG).

It is indeed time, in 2025, to address the issue of near mid-air collisions.

The initiative is reasonable, although incomplete. With the best intentions, there is an attempt to create a regulatory framework for “protective” equipment in general aviation.

However, before anything else, we need to rethink the management of airborne traffic without this type of equipment. Electronic devices are helpful, but they must remain a complement to solid foundational flight training. Relying on onboard systems for traffic avoidance is nothing short of suicidal.

In Canada, our venerable Flight Training Manual (4th edition, circa 2004) mentions external scanning only once. Fortunately, the Flight Instructor Guide regularly addresses traffic monitoring during flight exercises.

Unfortunately, aside from articles published in the Aviation Safety Letter, there is no official publication providing pilots with vital information on visual traffic detection tailored to their actual needs in flight.

South of the border, the FAA is far less stingy with practical information on this topic. The 2021 edition of the Airplane Flying Handbook is filled with crucial content. Right from the first pages, the “See and avoid” concept is introduced, which differs significantly from the older “See and be seen.” Of course, we must scan and make ourselves visible (we’ll get to that). However, I strongly support the “Avoid”: never rely on others to avoid a collision.

A Survey to Move Forward

The survey asks how many times we have experienced a near mid-air collision—situations requiring evasive action in which you may well see the color of the other pilot’s eyes.

If one flies enough, for long enough, and in busy airspace, it’s inevitable that near misses accumulate despite good efforts. Personally, I can recall roughly a dozen. Eight of these involved detection by TCAS or ADS-B, and the remaining four were detected visually—those are usually the closest.

But some of these eight were detected by on-board systems used on transport aircraft going back some 35 years. I can’t help thinking about the amount of traffic I must have passed dangerously close to without ever realizing it. Ignorance is bliss!

Anyone flying with ADS-B will confirm: it is downright unnerving to see how much traffic is moving around your immediate vicinity.

There is hope that Transport Canada might update the Flight Training Manual with accepted and reinforced concepts grounded in science:

• During climb: lower the nose every 500 feet for a visual scan. As an instructor, I constantly remind students to do this. The procedure is often neglected.
• Communications: Radio calls reporting position on the “inactive side” of the runway when approaching a circuit are, sadly, hilarious. If there is one place everyone converges, it’s the upwind side. The word “inactive” creates a false sense of security by implying a place with no activity. It could not be further from the truth—period.
  Another favorite anecdote for happy hour: “I have you in sight at my 11 o’clock.” Good for you—but how does that help the other pilot desperately looking for you?
• Dynamic scanning: Under stress, for simplicity, we tend to assume collisions happen head-on. Most conflicts do not. Ask a fighter pilot—their scanning technique is “tail-to-tail.” Before any maneuver, start scanning from the left rear, sweep forward, then continue to the right rear. It doesn’t need to take forever: small 10–15° blocks with a 1-second pause to avoid “empty-field myopia.” If a target is closing in, you’ll see it!
• Landing lights: Turning on the landing light for takeoff and landing is excellent even during the day. A daytime landing light is far more effective than standard anti-collision lights.
• Electronic “bubble-protection”: This equipment should supplement—not replace—your efforts. Hopefully, a future version of the manual will mention this technology.

Constraints and Operational Context

We know the classic constraints: low-wings vs. high-wings, jets vs. pistons, and increasingly, aircraft vs. drones. These conditions require heightened vigilance.

All of us, VFR and IFR alike, must stay alert. Under IFR, one may imagine being protected by ATC. But under VMC in Class E airspace, not all VFR flights are reported or seen on radar. Why should we install a transponder or, “worse,” ADS-B? And what about the Wild West—sorry, Class G airspace? Nothing sharpens situational awareness quite like all those endless position calls on 126.7 or 122.57, right?

A Bit of Situational Awareness

Some key points to enhance situational awareness:

• Most mid-air collisions occur within 5 NM of an airport, in good daytime VMC.
• Conflicts frequently involve low-wing vs. high-wing aircraft.
• Perform the 500-foot climb scan.
• Use the “tail-to-tail” scanning method.
• Peripheral vision is excellent for detecting moving objects.

And What About the Eyes?

The eye is lazy: without a target, it naturally focuses at about two meters away—which happens to be roughly the distance from your eyes to your feet. When the sky contains no distant object to focus on, traffic detection becomes difficult. Find a cloud, a mountain—anything—to refocus your distance vision, which may take a few seconds. Good thing we keep our windshields clean; otherwise our vision would lock onto that open-air bug cemetery instead of the sky, confirm?

Scanning is essential. But fatigue, boredom (long flights), anxiety, or distractions degrade performance. Under such conditions, one must refresh his/hers situational awareness. To improve visual performance, use the scanning technique mentioned earlier and rely on peripheral vision to acquire moving targets—your “target lock.”

FAA Airplane Flying Hanbook 2021 version

Flight Training

Traffic scanning should be taught from the very first ab-initio flight. The instructor must reinforce disciplined scanning throughout training, and even during recurrent training by briefing risks and threats before takeoff. The venerable 2004 edition of the Flight Training Manual certainly doesn’t emphasize this. Thankfully, the Flight Instructor Guide does, offering practical guidance on avoiding mid-air conflicts.

The FAA’s 2021 Airplane Flying Handbook states that ADS-B is a powerful tool—and a real wake-up call the first time you use it. Let’s hope Transport Canada follows the same path.

The CARs at the Core

Following the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) for traffic management is the bare minimum—but only if everyone applies them. And if 90% of pilots follow the RAC diligently, how do we deal with the remaining 10% who don’t care or simply don’t know the rules well?

A Few Statistics From the U.S. NTSB

• Mid-air collisions generally occur in daylight: 56% in the afternoon, 32% in the morning, only 2% at night or twilight.
• Most collisions occur in good visibility.
• A mid-air collision is more likely between two aircraft flying in the same direction.
• Most pilots involved had not filed a flight plan.
• Nearly all collisions occur near or over uncontrolled aerodromes below 1 000 ft AGL.
• Pilots of all experience levels can be involved.

CONCLUSION

You must be able to mentally visualize surrounding traffic based on radio calls.
You must scan intelligently to acquire visual contact.
And, of course, you must react appropriately to alerts from detection systems.