Posted on 09/20/2014 3:25:22 PM PDT by rlmorel
Cruising at 37,00 feet eastbound, surfing the Internet, I paused for a second and looked out the window and saw another airliner flash by going 180 degrees in the opposite direction.
I readily admit I am no good at estimating relative distance in the air, I have never seen another plane pass this close...ever.
I could have read the tail number, it was that close, but I was so startled I didn't even register the kind of plane it was, though it was white with an engine under each wing.
Here is where it happened, at 1750 EST:
Said the Gol Airlines pilots to the passengers (rather, north/south)...
IMHO flying is Russian Roulette. So many variables, so many lackadaisical human factors. Add in underpaid & overworked pilots & ATC...
These days with super accurate GPS, everyone is very close laterally. However, with super accurate altimeters the 1000 foot vertical clearance in RVSM air space is more than adequate. It just looks close because you don’t see it all the time. In the flight deck we see that 1000 kt closure rate all the time.
No FReeper pilot can shed any light on this whatsoever, because it didn't happen.
Planes going different directions don't share the same altitudes. It's in the rule book, it's in the law, and it doesn't happen.
Ever.
Understand?
Or post#75!
LOL...maybe that’s Russian airspace!
I knew I could get informed opinions in here!
Ah, finally on my last leg home...long day!
Thing is, we are all human. I work in medicine, and the same applies. Ya gotta trust someone, or you might as will just start digging the 6 foot hole now...
Eh, I was able to give a partial number to the pilots once.
Play the lottery tonight!!
"Well, it started with "N". And that's all I remember." ;)
I don't trust anyone. AND I'll be putting Sharpie to skin when I go into the operating theater. No offense, but statistics don't lie.
The altimeters in the small planes I have flown are only accurate if you have set it to the current barometric pressure.
“Suddenly I found myself staring down the barrel of three.45s and the one in the middle looked like it meant business...’’
Rimorel - I’ve been reading your posts for years. Actually it’s getting more like decades. Based on that experience - if you say the plane was close, I’m believing the plane was CLOSE!
Next week I think I’ll choose an aisle seat and not look out the window.
All in all, however, more often other aircraft are easier to witness in holding patterns, waiting for a landing opportunity.
Everybody seems to assume the pilots of the two planes were not in contact and didn’t know about each other.
But if they were in contact, then no problem whatsoever. They probably waved at each other.
It does get busy sometimes so it is not unusual to see many planes going by..... : )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhgYrY8fN-0
Another one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgHjVvqLXV8
No, 1000 feet. East to West fly at even 1.000’s, wast to east at odd 1,000’s.
Planes headed in opposite directions are supposed to fly in different Flight levels. From heading 000 to 179 an odd flight level ( odd thousands of feet)
Those headed 180 to 359 an even flight level, all in increments of 5000 feet.
While going East on a compass heading a plane above 3000 feet should be at odd intervals, 3500, 5500, 7500 etc.
Going west on a compass heading of 181 to 360 above 3000 feet a plane should be at 4500, 6500,8500 etc.
This is for VFR or visual flight rules.
While traveling IFR or Instrument flight rules one should be at 5000, 7000 9000 etc going east and 4000, 6000 , 800 etc while going west.
Bt bt bt, that’s all folks.
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