A portable collision avoidance system (PCAS) is an aircraft collision avoidance system similar in function to traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS). TCAS is the industry standard for commercial collision avoidance systems but PCAS is gaining recognition as an effective means of collision avoidance for general aviation and is in use the world over by independent pilots in personally owned or rented light aircraft as well as by flight schools and flying clubs. Its main competitor is FLARM.
PCAS allows pilots, particularly in single pilot VFR aircraft, an additional instrument to increase their situational awareness of other aircraft operating nearby. A basic system will notify pilots of the nearest transponder equipped aircraft, its relative height and distance, and importantly if the distance is decreasing or increasing. More advanced systems can integrate with EFIS, overlaying nearby aircraft on the GPS map with relative height information. This information reduces pilot work loads in busy airspace. It may also help pilots to hone their ability to spot nearby aircraft by alerting them when an aircraft is near.
The original PCAS technology was developed in 1999 by Zane Hovey, a pilot and flight instructor, who also patented a portable ADS-b version as well.[1] Through this technology, transponder-equipped aircraft are detected and ranged, and the altitude is decoded. PCAS G4 technology has advanced to the point that highly accurate range, relative altitude, and 45 degree direction can be accurately detected in a portable cockpit device. PCAS gained notoriety with the growing popular TV series The Aviators (TV series) as a sponsor, and specifically in episode 6 airing on both PBS and the Discovery Channel Network.
^US 8072374, Zane Hovey, "Automatic dependent surveillance systems and methods", published 2011-12-06, issued 2011-12-06, assigned to Zane Hovey
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