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#1
May 5th 06, 08:09 PM
posted to rec.aviation.piloting
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Scared of mid-airs
Please explain how the 'big sky theory' will PROTECT you from a MAC.
It won't protect you from it -- but the odds of a mid-air collision happening in many areas are so incredibly small as to be virtually zero. Example: If you fly in the mid-levels (4 - 8K feet) over rural Iowa, your odds of being hit by a meteor are probably greater than your odds of hitting another aircraft. You could probably fly on autopilot with your eyes closed for 100 years, and never even come close to a MAC. Even in the busy airspace around Chicago, the odds are still greatly in your favor. I read somewhere once (and someone here will have the exact figure, I'm sure) that if you put EVERY aircraft in America in the air at once, they would still only occupy a few cubic miles of sky, with ample air space in between aircraft. Which is not to say that you shouldn't keep your eyes outside, and that weird stuff doesn't happen. We were flying over middle-of-no-where South Dakota once when ATC called out traffic at our altitude (10,500 feet), on a converging course. ATC told the other guy the same thing, and we gradually merged into a single dot on ATC's radar. In the end, we were talking to each other on Center frequency, trying to give each other cues as to our location. ("I'm over that blue water tower at the intersection -- you see that?") Nothing worked. ATC eventually gave us different altitudes and headings -- and we never did see each other. It was very, very strange. But, of course, the bottom line: We didn't hit. The "Big Sky" theory worked again. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" 
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#2
May 5th 06, 09:35 PM
posted to rec.aviation.piloting
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Scared of mid-airs
You could probably fly on autopilot with
your eyes closed for 100 years, and never even come close to a MAC. So what's wrong with UAVs? Jose -- The price of freedom is... well... freedom. for Email, make the obvious change in the address.
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#4
May 8th 06, 01:14 AM
posted to rec.aviation.piloting
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Scared of mid-airs
This is an example of how incredibly difficult it is to see converging
traffic, even if you know where it is and you are looking for it. If I ever bought my own plane my top priorities would be to install ADS-B so I can see all of the traffic around me, and a ballistic recover chut to give me a second chance in case I hit something that didn't show up (like a glider without a transponder). Mike Schumann "Jay Honeck" wrote in message ups.com... Please explain how the 'big sky theory' will PROTECT you from a MAC. It won't protect you from it -- but the odds of a mid-air collision happening in many areas are so incredibly small as to be virtually zero. Example: If you fly in the mid-levels (4 - 8K feet) over rural Iowa, your odds of being hit by a meteor are probably greater than your odds of hitting another aircraft. You could probably fly on autopilot with your eyes closed for 100 years, and never even come close to a MAC. Even in the busy airspace around Chicago, the odds are still greatly in your favor. I read somewhere once (and someone here will have the exact figure, I'm sure) that if you put EVERY aircraft in America in the air at once, they would still only occupy a few cubic miles of sky, with ample air space in between aircraft. Which is not to say that you shouldn't keep your eyes outside, and that weird stuff doesn't happen. We were flying over middle-of-no-where South Dakota once when ATC called out traffic at our altitude (10,500 feet), on a converging course. ATC told the other guy the same thing, and we gradually merged into a single dot on ATC's radar. In the end, we were talking to each other on Center frequency, trying to give each other cues as to our location. ("I'm over that blue water tower at the intersection -- you see that?") Nothing worked. ATC eventually gave us different altitudes and headings -- and we never did see each other. It was very, very strange. But, of course, the bottom line: We didn't hit. The "Big Sky" theory worked again. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination"
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