The Air Boss is responsible for all aircraft in the Air Show Display Area atall times. Passive observation — watching whatever catches your eye —doesn’t meet that standard. The ABRP Evaluation Report specifically testswhether you’re actively scanning the full FDA, not just tracking theperforming aircraft.

Is there a prescribed scanning technique, or is it left to judgment?

Divide the FDA into sectors before the show starts. Near crowd line, mid-field, far boundary — and three altitude layers: low, mid, and high. Thenscan each sector systematically every five to fifteen seconds during activeperformance. The interval shrinks when you have multiple aircraft airborneor when conditions are complex.

Fixed anchor points — that’s something I picked up early. If you don’t havereference points, your sectors drift.

Use runway thresholds, taxiway intersections, tree lines, towers — fixedlandmarks that define your sector boundaries. Lateral sweep runs crowd-line to far boundary, then you do an altitude layer check low to high. Aftereach full scan cycle, re-acquire the performing act before you authorizeany next action. That re-acquisition step is where most scanningbreakdowns happen.

What are you specifically looking for on each scan pass?

Aircraft in positions that don’t match their briefed profile. Non-participating aircraft entering or approaching the ASDA boundary — thathappens more than people expect. Unauthorized ground vehicles orpersonnel in the FDA. Weather building on any azimuth. Crowd lineintegrity — any spectator movement toward the show side. And whenyou’re tracking multiple aircraft simultaneously, scan the hold positionbefore authorizing each new active act. Not after. Before.