4-4-17 Traffic Information Service (TIS)
AIM Chapter 4. Air Traffic Control — Section 4-4, ATC Clearances and Aircraft Separation
Official text — AIM 4-4-17
AIM — FAA OPERATIONAL GUIDANCEa. TIS provides proximity warning only, to assist the pilot in the visual acquisition of intruder aircraft. No recommended avoidance maneuvers are provided nor authorized as a direct result of a TIS intruder display or TIS alert. It is intended for use by aircraft in which TCAS is not required.
b. TIS does not alter or diminish the pilot's basic authority and responsibility to ensure safe flight. Since TIS does not respond to aircraft which are not transponder equipped, aircraft with a transponder failure, or aircraft out of radar coverage, TIS alone does not ensure safe separation in every case.
c. At this time, no air traffic service nor handling is predicated on the availability of TIS equipment in the aircraft.
d. Presently, no air traffic services or handling is predicated on the availability of an ADS-B cockpit display. A “traffic-in-sight” reply to ATC must be based on seeing an aircraft out-the-window, NOT on the cockpit display.
Reproduced from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Basic (with Change 3)). The AIM is FAA guidance, not regulation. Verify against the official source before relying on it operationally.
Is this a regulation?
No — this is FAA guidance, not a regulation.
Aeronautical Information Manual. FAA operational guidance and recommended practices. The AIM is not regulatory, although it often explains how to comply with regulations.