L-3 Communications Corp.
this week announced that the Western Michigan University (WMU) College
of Aviation selected its SkyWatch collision avoidance system for its
entire aircraft fleet. The WMU has the third-largest collegiate fleet
and the largest Cirrus collegiate fleet in the nation. Current aircraft
include Cirrus SR20 and SR22s, Piper Arrows, and Piper Seneca IV and Vs,
all either already equipped or soon to be equipped with SkyWatch
systems.
SkyWatch is an active
surveillance traffic advisory system that operates as an air-to-air or
ground-to-air interrogation device. After receiving replies to its Mode
C interrogations, the SkyWatch system computes the responding aircraft’s
range, bearing, relative altitude, and closure rate, predicting
potential traffic conflicts. Aural traffic alerts are annunciated
through the aircraft’s existing audio system, and visual targets are
displayed using TCAS-like symbols on almost any cockpit display.
