Column Title: Close Calls by Anthony Nalli

Article Title: Out of the Blue

Published July 2009

Close Calls is a column detailing the “close call” experiences of fellow pilots. I invite you to contact me at CloseCalls@TheAviators.TV or CloseCalls@PCAS.ca to anonymously share your stories. The experience shared and lessons learned will be of benefit to all readers. Confidentiality will be assured and I will not use your name or aircraft ident without your permission. If your submission is used in Close Calls you’ll receive an official cap of the upcoming TV series The Aviators.

As would usually be the case on a good VFR weekend our pilot and his wife, both pilots, were taking their Katana DA20-A1 on one of their favorite flights from Ottawa, Ontario (CYOW) to Lachute, Quebec (CSE4) for breakfast. Lachute, a small general aviation airport in the Montreal, Quebec area, is a favorite destination for them because there are plenty of open fields en route (just in case), a relatively low volume of traffic east of Ottawa, a friendly staff, and great breakfasts. They also provide a free taxi service into town and bikes if you want to get some exercise on your way there.

As usual, after departing CYOW, Ottawa Terminal ATC cleared our pilots to their cruising altitude of 3000 feet on a heading of 095 toward Dalkeith, Ontario. This would take them south of the Hawkesbury gliding area. Not abnormal for this altitude, Ottawa Terminal lost radar contact approximately 25 nautical miles east of Ottawa.

The usual routine would normally have our pilots switch to the en route frequency for about 15 minutes without radar and traffic coverage followed by a call to Montreal center once a little closer to Montreal to continue with flight following. On this particular Sunday, however, Ottawa Terminal suggested that our pilots contact Montreal center immediately for flight following which, while very unusual for this route, was very much appreciated by our pilots.

Five minutes later they received a traffic advisory from Montreal center pointing out traffic heading their way at 3 o'clock, 5 nautical miles and 2,600 feet - unconfirmed. Thanking ATC for the call, our pilots started the search for the traffic.

“My wife, the eagle eye, picked up the aircraft almost instantly but I did not see it until it was about 2 miles south of our position” informs our gentleman pilot. “This high wing Cessna eventually passed directly below our low wing Katana with approximately 400 feet of vertical separation on would have been (if not for the 400 foot buffer) an absolute 90 degree collision course!”

Our pilot asks “With two pilots in our plane at all times we are both diligent in looking for traffic but I wonder how much longer it would have taken us to see this Cessna without the help of Montreal center ATC giving us the "heads-up" while it was still 5 miles out? How long was before the Cessna even saw us?”

Continues our pilot “While there really was little danger with 400 feet of vertical separation and the aircraft clearly in sight it does reinforce the idea that proper scanning techniques are a must and that the little airplane/big sky theory really doesn't wash even when you are flying in areas of very low traffic with 15 SM VFR visibility.”

Our pilot concludes “We'd like to thank all of the ATC staff who help us every day and let them know that VFR pilots really do appreciate flight following at all times when their time and workloads permit.”

I’ll second that!

Fly safe(r).

Anthony Nalli is the Executive Producer of the new television series The Aviators and a staunch collision avoidance advocate operating the site PCAS.ca which is dedicated to the implementation of affordable collision avoidance devices in General Aviation with a mission to eliminate mid-air collisions and dramatically reduce close calls. Anthony can be reached at CloseCalls@TheAviators.TV or CloseCalls@PCAS.ca, 1-888-PCAS-123 (GTA: 416-225-9266), and www.PCAS.ca

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