FAA Private Pilot Helicopter (PRH)Human FactorsMedium
During cruise flight in Class G airspace on a clear day, a pilot is scanning for traffic. According to FAA guidance on effective collision avoidance scanning, which technique is most effective?
- AUse a series of short, regularly spaced eye movements scanning 10-degree segments
- BFocus primarily on the center of the windshield where most traffic appears
- CContinuously sweep the eyes smoothly across the entire windshield
- DScan only the direction of intended turns to conserve attention
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Use a series of short, regularly spaced eye movements scanning 10-degree segments
FAA guidance recommends scanning the sky in a series of short, regularly-spaced eye movements that bring successive areas of the sky into the central visual field, focusing on about 10-degree segments for roughly one second each, since the eyes cannot effectively detect objects while in continuous motion.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Traffic can appear anywhere in the visual field, not just the center.
- C. A smooth continuous sweep prevents the eyes from stopping long enough to detect small, distant traffic.
- D. Traffic can approach from any direction, not just the direction of an intended turn.
Effective Visual Scanning
A technique using short, regularly spaced eye movements across 10-degree segments to detect traffic, since the human eye cannot focus effectively while moving continuously.
- Each segment scanned for about 1 second
- Peripheral vision detects motion but needs central vision to identify objects
- Continuous sweeping motion reduces detection effectiveness
Memory trick: 'Stop, look, ten degrees, repeat' — like flipping through photo frames.