Electronic Flight Bag- Traffic Features

Electronic Flight Bag applications are designed to enhance our Situational Awareness during the briefing, planning, and in-flight phases of an operation. In this article we’ll be focussing on an important “in-flight” feature- The ability to see other traffic on your EFB display. This feature is designed to provide us with additional information we might not otherwise have, however it is not a Traffic alert & Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), nor is it meant to take the place of standard “see and avoid” principles of visual flight. Let’s take a look at the technology behind this potentially helpful feature.

Variables determining displayed traffic

First of all, devices such as the Apple iPad transmit data every five- seconds over the 3G/4G network with a tiny data footprint of only a few kb per hour. A fairly recent OzRunways update now allows the user to access traffic settings from the top of the map page. Access from the “Settings” page has not changed. If a user has elected to “Broadcast OzRunways traffic”, this data is transmitted to other OzRunways users. Provided Traffic is enabled, positions are logged against your account to the OzRunways server. An additional benefit of this kind of functionality allows the user to access flight logs and details from within the App to review post-flight. Users or operations departments alike can also access previous flight details in GPX or KML format from the flight following and flight records website, https://tx.ozrunways.com. It is important to note that the only time this information would ever be distributed is to AMSA for SARTIME purposes, or the ATSB under the provision of "Section 32" requirement to submit evidence for accidents.

When used in flight, tapping on a “traffic bubble” enlarges the icon and also displays the planned track (if any) for a few seconds, although this track may not match their actual intentions. Aircraft will be displayed to others as the Callsign from the OzRunways Flight Plan aircraft (if any), otherwise falls back to the callsign in Settings- Traffic, or if none are noted, “unknown”. A traffic callsign may therefore be set incorrectly by other aircraft, although this is clearly not a good idea and is lacking contribution to the SA of other aircraft in the vicinity. The GPS Altitude relative to our position is displayed in the traffic bubble; we need to therefore avoid the assumption that actual traffic altitude is displayed, as this is not the case. Traffic on the ground or not flying will not be displayed, which is a feature specifically designed to prevent cars from being represented as airborne traffic if the occupant of a road-based vehicle has OzRunways open.

Limitations

Over reliance on this traffic information is a form of “Confirmation Bias” where a user assumes all (or at least the majority) of traffic is displayed on their EFB. We know this is not the case and the following examples highlight when traffic will NOT be displayed:

-       Aircrew are using a different EFB Application

-       Aircrew have the traffic feature turned OFF on their EFB.

-       There is a lack of Mobile Data coverage for either user 

-       Aeroplane mode is selected

-       EFB Application is closed during flight

While the traffic feature can be used very successfully by aviation personnel we also need keep our other non-technical skills sharp. Examples include a quality lookout (see & avoid), situational awareness, task prioritisation, decision-making, and of course communication both internally & externally. In the next article we will look at ADS-B technology and how a receiver can be linked to your EFB to provide a greater volume of traffic information. As a matter of interest, ADS-B traffic bubbles appear dark blue within OzRunways when sourced by a linked ADS-B receiver, as opposed to the standard light-blue icon. 

The team Airspace Flight Solutions can provide guidance right across the board with any of the above information. Until next time, you can review products and services at www.airspaceflightsolutions.com or contact me direct on andrew@airspaceflightsolutions.com.au with any questions. 

Safe Flying!