With many airplanes in the air at the same time, how do the planes avoid colliding with each other?

Answer 1

en-route aircraft whether VFR (visual flight)or IFR (instrument flight) utilize cruising altitudes that give them vertical separation based on magnetic course compass heading. In addition most aircraft today are equipped with transponders that identify the aircraft to ground based radar and air-traffic control whom offer information to the pilots of aircraft who's flight paths may bring them in close proximity of one another. In addition a collision avoidance system called TCAS is an airborne device that is available and in use on many aircraft both commercial and private that detects the presence of any other transponder equipped aircraft and gives the pilot information to alter course where necessary.

Most conflicting flight paths occur during the climb out or descent phase of the flights where you are vertically navigating airspace shared by many planes near airport traffic areas. There is no substitute for a good set of eye's in the cockpit but air-traffic control does a great job of helping to manage the work load.

Even pilots of non-radio equipped aircraft with no transponders flying in un-controlled airspace are vigilant about watching for other air traffic.

Answer 2

The earth's airspace is divided firstly into layers, and with each layers, there are assigned areas known as air corridors.

Imagine a particularly thick piece of cake, 10 inches tall and 15 inches in diameter. We disect the cake horizontally into three layer, resulting in a top most, middle, and bottom layer. The top most is the thickest, 5 inches thick. The middle is 3 inches thick and the bottom, 2 inches thick. This makes up the different airspaces for different flight purposes.

The topmost layers are usually reserved for long range cruise flight. The middle layer, for mid range flight, and also act as a form of road intersection for crossing over to a lower flight altitude. The lowest layers are reserved for certain actions, like take off, landings, approaches, climb outs, and helicoper flights.

Now, let's say we take the top layer, 5 inches thick, and cut a 2 inches lane from the center of that circle from the middle, resulting in a rectangular space from the middle of the circle. That is called a flight corridor. On aviation charts, these are designated as with the prefix FL (Flight Lane) followed by a numerical suffix like FL24. Each flight corridor is usually reserve for a certain destination and are all one way to avoid the risk of mid-air collisions.

The scope of this topic is too wide to describe further here, so what I stated here is just a general idea. Of course, all these are controlled by ATC and IATA's regulations.

Answer 3

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) keeps pilots alert from collision. But since the globe is so large, it's pretty much impossible to catch a glimpse of a plane unless you approach near an airport. Pilots also have radar which can keep them alert at all times.

If you want to see the distance between planes LIVE, here's a sight that may help you, it's from the Boston Tower.

http://www4.passur.com/bos.html

enjoy!!

Answer 4

Given the number of aircraft actually in the air and the vast area of the globe, there is little risk of any conflict. Virtually all mid-air collisions occur near airports where traffic density is relatively high. Enroute traffic density is extremely low and it's not unusual to fly thousands of miles and see only a very few other aircraft in the air, virtually always on another heading and at a different altitude.

Answer 5

TCAS is an aircraft avoidence system which warns the pilots of incoming traffic, and when planes are way to close and are about to collide, the thing says descend descend, or climb climb.

Answer 6

I've heard that planes travelling in different directions will travel at different altitudes. So if you were heading West, then a plane going East would be 500 or 1000 feet above or below you...

Answer 7

They don't avoid hitting each other. They are kept apart by air traffic controllers

Answer 8

Air traffic control.

Answer 9

There are mapped out routes for air traffic to follow. Air lines "buy" (or used to buy) these routes and all of their traffic follows that route. Air traffic controllers moniter air craft as they fly over their air space.

Answer 10

planes are all on headings and courses, air traffic control will determine what heading they will be taking based on where the plane is traveling to. planes will stay on that course and they will be intercepted by other control towers as they near arrival-alex