Scared of mid-airs

James Ricks wrote:
If this fear is really keeping you from flying, there are fairly reasonable
devices that will 'listen' for other aircraft's transponder signals and
alert you to the direction and range to other traffic


If this fear is really keeping him from flying, there's always fishing. I put
the same effort to avoid other aircraft that I put into avoiding other cars when
I drive. If that's too scary for him he just needs to take up something he can
handle.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

You're right, it IS a semantics issue.
The issue of handling fear in flight as that pertains to a potential mid-air
is far too complicated an issue to draw down into an axiom that suggests a
student stay on the ground or in bed if the thought of a mid air "scares
them". I just wouldn't handle this situation this way.
It can be logically assumed that a pilot should never be in the air
"consumed" with a fear of a mid air collision. Anything that even approaches
the level of true fear is something no pilot can afford to entertain. But
there is another side to this double edged sword, and that is the simple
fact that although a pilot should never be experiencing true fear, the same
pilot must fly in a constant state of what I will call for the lack of a
better term, "an extremely high state of awareness to a possible mid-air".
So what the instructor has here is the rather difficult task of suppressing
actual fear as we define fear in the accurate sense, while at the same time
impressing the student with the absolute importance of maintaining a
constant airborne vigil as protection against a possible mid-air.
This is an instructional tap dance that can leave a student confused about
the issue if nothing else, and it's important that instructors see this and
deal with it properly.
A pilot stating he is developing a "fear" of having a mid-air after 200 odd
hours of flying is a pilot who needs to be shown the difference between
fear, which is a negative for him, and constant awareness, which is the
positive desired.
You can of course sum all this up by simply saying to that pilot;
"Keep your damn eyes open, but don't get carried away with it" :-) But I
think this issue deserves some airing out, so that the pilot is able to come
to a better understanding of himself and his flying.
Just my opinion on this FWIW.
Dudley

"Roger" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 10 May 2006 15:20:32 -0700, Mark Hansen
wrote:

On 05/10/06 15:02, Ol Shy & Bashful wrote:
Frode
Care to come take a look at my logbooks? I've been flying all over the
world and much of it, about 13000 hours, crop dusting.
If the thought of a midair scares you, stay on the ground, or in
bed.....

I assume what you meant was that no one should let the thought of
a mid-air collision scare them to the point they cannot fly safely?

If any person is *not* afraid of a mid-air collision, they shouldn't be
flying.

We may be dealing in semantics, but fear reduces our ability to
function. In some people to the point of being unable to function.

I am well aware of the possibility of a collision and I try to remain
vigilant and concerned, but I would use the same words old Shy used.
No one who is afraid/scared of part of flying should be flying.
Address the fear in a realistic manner so it becomes no more than a
concern. Then fly.

Many students have fears and those are addressed in training and
should become things of which we are aware and for which we conduct
ourselves in a manner which should reduce or eliminate the chance of
the collision.

If you have had several near miisses in your brief career, please let
me know where you will be flying so I can avoid the area?


I've had thee close encounters since 1963. The last was nearly 10
years ago when landing. It was nearly dark and an ultralight pulled
right in front of me just a few hundred feet off the ground when I was
on final. The two previous "close encounters" were back in the 60's
and within a couple of weeks of each other.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Dudley
I too teach all my students to keep their head on a swivel. That
doesn't mean they are in fear of mid-airs to the point of
incapacitation or night sweats!
Regards
Rocky

Jim
Nah...I'm not quite THAT old!! Well, maybe I am but it wasn't me
flying. I didn't start crop dusting until 1966.g
Cheers

Mark
I spent about 15 years ag flying there near Modesto before I decided to
get out of the PRC. I'm merely trying to illustrate the point that in a
lot of hours flying I've never had any near mid-airs. I have seen the
aftermath of a number of them however and have talked to pilots who
were involved. So far they haven't given me nightmares nor do I expect
them to.
As Dudley and others have mentioned, I also train every pilot I fly
with to keep their heads on a swivel looking out for the pilot who
isn't! Sometimes they happen in spite of the best avoidance efforts.
Cheers
Ol Shy & Bashful

"Frode Berg" wrote in message
news
OK.

I will not speak my mind on this forum if this is what happens.

Thanks to all the insightful posts by all you other people!

I just needed to put some statistics into perspective.
After all, I witnessed a mid air right before starting my PPL.

However, tha last week I've flown a few times, and haven't thought much
about it anymore.

I guess mr Ol Shy here is flying around his farm in the middle of nowhere
at 300 feet in his ultralight.

I only have 250 hours total, and have had 3 close encounters. Not really
"near misses" apart from one of them, but they were still to me
uncomfortably close, so you claiming 23.000 hours with none....?
Hmmm...makes you wonder...

Frode

If you have had three close encounters in 250 hours you might benefit from
spending time with an instructor going over scan techniques.

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote in message
m...
Larry Dighera wrote:
On 10 May 2006 09:57:27 -0700, "Ol Shy & Bashful"
wrote in
. com::

Fear of mid-airs? Come give me a break! sheeesh



I'm sure that's what the victims of these MACs thought too:



You have entirely too much free time on your hands. Ever go flying?

No, of course not - he spends his every waking hour worrying about that
..0001%!

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote in message
...
James Ricks wrote:
If this fear is really keeping you from flying, there are fairly
reasonable
devices that will 'listen' for other aircraft's transponder signals and
alert you to the direction and range to other traffic


If this fear is really keeping him from flying, there's always fishing. I
put the same effort to avoid other aircraft that I put into avoiding other
cars when I drive. If that's too scary for him he just needs to take up
something he can handle.

In fishing, there's always the possibility of falling out of the boat and
getting eaten by alligators, piranha, sharks, bluegill...

Well, neither have I.

However, nid air is one thing not too easy to recover from if it happens.

Engine out, suddenly IMC while VFR etc, all is survivable, but if a mid air
occurs (that famous .1% chance) then you can have all pilot skills and all
the hours logged you like. Your most likely toast.

That's what I feel is more scary about them. But I still fly my plane well,
and don't spend all my time thinking of them, off course not.

And Rocky, I fly thoughout Europe. I have 250 hours total, probably half of
them are long cross country trips covering most of Europe from Norway to
Italy.

I just phrased my comments becuase I felt your post was a bit harsh.
If you did not mean it that way, fine.

Frode

"Ol Shy & Bashful" skrev i melding
ups.com...
Dudley
I too teach all my students to keep their head on a swivel. That
doesn't mean they are in fear of mid-airs to the point of
incapacitation or night sweats!
Regards
Rocky

To the group.


My original posting has developed beyond intentions.

Let me be presise:

I am NOT terrified of having a mid air every time I fly.
I realise my original post is misleading in this regard.

I fly as much as I can, and I scan for traffic the best I can with the
techniques I've learnt, and picked up along the way.

However, from time to time, I think more about this than other times.

Much like the way one might think more about hitting another motor vehicle
going around a bend in 80 mph somewhere. Sure, you don't think of this all
the time, but occasionally after seeing reckless drivers out there, the
thought creeps in.

I just posted to get some opinions on the subject, and some raw statistics.

I'm sorry if my original post offends any pilots out there.

Be assured, I do not fly around being afraid, and I do not intend to in the
future either. It's just been a few times the past 2-3 years that I've
experienced the odd minute or two of nervousness enroute, but it doesn't
last.

Maybe it even makes my scan technique better!

And 3 times close encounters (not meaning near misses) is not much I believe
if you do any flying near any sort of congested airspace like I do.

Only once was I uncomfortably close to another plane, and that was in the
airspace around Amsterdam Schiphol.
Does the fact that this happened before I reached 230.000.567.983.574.000
hours total time holding an ATPL, being knighted by the FAA etc etc etc AND
being the best crop duster in the world make me a careless pilot?

I don't believe it does. Everyone has the right to his/her opinion though.

Thanks for all the input on this matter, and safe flying to you all!

Frode



"Ol Shy & Bashful" skrev i melding
oups.com...
Frode
Care to come take a look at my logbooks? I've been flying all over the
world and much of it, about 13000 hours, crop dusting.
If the thought of a midair scares you, stay on the ground, or in
bed.....
If you have had several near miisses in your brief career, please let
me know where you will be flying so I can avoid the area?