Thanks to all that took time to answer!

I went flying after posting, and tried not to focus on the fear.
It worked, but still sat in the back of my head.

Don't think my scan went down though.

I had a near miss once and The Netherlands.

My wife and I took off in a rented Warrior from Groningen (EHGG) to fly to
Oostende in Belgium (EBOS)

A bit west of the EHGG control zone (don't remember how far west) there is
class A airspace around Schiphol extending from 1500 feet and up.

Thus, all spam cans, UL's etc were having a ball between 1000 and 1450
feet....

:-)

i didn't see anyone until I could pick out the excact antenna formation on
the belly of a C172 thet passed me direct overhead....

And I was scanning, but missed a portion at the wrong moment.

I agree, A airspace from 1500 feet around Sciphol is not excactly the middle
of nowhere, so that fact figures in.

I have decided (for now) to avoid that area until I get my instrument
rating, and can file IFR through that part....

Strange thing was the previous time I flew there, ATC was constantly calling
out traffic to us VFR pilots on the Amsterdam info frequency (seperate from
the class A frequency)

I asked about traffic info after the near miss, and was told no radar
service today....

The rest of our trip (to Cannes in southern France) was uneventful.
Just saw a few sailplanes here and there, but they are generally easy to
pick out with their huge white wingspans.

Some might say it's madness to do a cross country from oslo to Cannes 10
days after getting the PPL, but I think that trip tought me more than I will
ever appreciate about flying. Great experience!


Anyway, thanks again for sharing. I feel better about the statistics, will
still keep a good scan, but will not worry anymore.
Bigger chance of being hit by a falling piano downtown I guess....

Frode


"Larry Dighera" skrev i melding
...
On Fri, 05 May 2006 19:09:54 GMT, B A R R Y
wrote in ::

Larry Dighera wrote:
On Fri, 05 May 2006 17:40:18 GMT, B A R R Y
wrote in ::

Do you ask for traffic advisories or VFR flight following from ATC?

I do on EVERY flight at an altitude that permits ATC to provide Radar
Traffic Advisory Service.


Same here, hence my asking... G

I've been told by controllers that even they prefer that we ask for
advisories, 'cause that makes one more aircraft talking to them and not
squawking 1200 and flying in the space incommunicato.

I even use them for sightseeing and practice (stalls, steep turns,
etc...) flights. Only once have I been denied due to workload.

Watch out with that heretical stance least the true believers in the
Big Sky Theory characterize you a heathen. :-)