According to FAA guidance, what is the recommended technique for a remote pilot scanning the sky for other aircraft?
Why →
The AIM (8-1-6) recommends systematic scanning using short, regularly spaced eye movements. Each movement should not exceed 10 degrees, and each area should be observed for at least 1 second to allow the eye to detect a target. The eye can only sharply focus within a narrow field at one time, so a continuous sweep does not provide enough dwell time to register a small aircraft.The trap →
A continuous sweep feels like it covers more sky, but the eye cannot resolve a small aircraft during motion. The 10-degree / 1-second method is more deliberate but gives the visual system time to register what is there.SOURCE → AIM 8-1-6CHECKED APR 22ACS V.E.K6MED