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Responsibilities of the Pilot

SafeSky is a non-certified electronic conspicuity software that aggregates and shares data from a voluntary, unstructured network of pilots and ground stations. Due to the nature of this data, there are no guarantees of accuracy, completeness, or continuous transmission when using the software.

In no case does the SafeSky application replace the pilot's responsibilities and visual flight rules. SafeSky cannot be held responsible for piloting errors due to a lack of awareness of the flight environment.

SafeSky provides pilots with support by enhancing their awareness of the surrounding situation. Without SafeSky or other detection systems, the pilot has very little means of knowing about nearby traffic that may not be within their direct visual field or that they simply could not see. The 80% outside and 20% inside rule applies and must be followed. Pilots fly visually; that's the rule!

To date, it has been proven that the See and Avoid principle has its limitations. Conclusions from reports indicate that if the pilot is aware of possible traffic convergence in a certain direction, they are much more likely to spot it than by continuously scanning the sky. The impact of LOOKING outside and actively SEARCHING for traffic is entirely different.

SafeSky provides assistance and traffic information to the pilot, but the pilot must be aware of the following points and accept them before flying:

  • Not all aircraft are visible. Aircraft without electronic conspicious devices such as ADS-B, FLARM, or other trackers, or with the transponder turned off, will remain invisible to you.
  • Lack of ground station coverage. SafeSky aggregates and shares data from a voluntary, unstructured network of ground stations. Coverage is depending from places to places, and their availabilities cannot be guaranteed.
  • GPS quality vary from one device to another, and are used from un-certified systems, such as phones, tablets or hardware devices. The accuracy position cannot not be guaranteed
  • Topography might prevent you from visually spotting aircraft using an electronic conspicious radio system. Radio signals have an optical range, which means that often, aircraft equipped with ADS-B out become unreachable  when approaching the ground (generally below 1000 ft AGL).
  • The loss of internet connectivity, either due to mobile internet coverage or simply due to a high altitude, will inevitably result in the loss of traffic on your SafeSky screen. Once SafeSky detects a connection again, the traffic will reappear.
  • Globally speaking, there are no guarantees of traffic accuracy, completeness, or continuous transmission when using SafeSky.

The absence of an alert is no excuse for not keeping an eye on your surroundings.

The primary flight rule remains VFR, with reliance on ‘See and Avoid’ as the primary safety mechanism. SafeSky cannot be held liable for any incidents or accidents occurring during the flight as this would be a misuse of the software.

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