Runnin' with the big dogs...

[pierre smith]

...Y'know, when we get a chance to drive to the airport with a bunch of enthusiasm to "go fly" we're in a completely different mindset, away from the job, the boss, or, in my case, the customers wondering when their cotton is going to get sprayed.

I'm smack dab in the middle of a MOA, with F-16's and the like, pulling high G turns, leaving beautiful wingtip contrails that take my breath away. And I go mix it up with them, unintentionally, while I concentrate on the small clearance between me and the crop, oblivious to their presence, usually several hundred feet above me, training to do what they do best.....it is still, nonetheless, shared airspace, us and them.

Just like a student driver on the highway, he's now expected to comply with all the rules of the road, and we're also expected to do the same in the air. Whether we're navigating Atlanta's huge Class B or putzin' around the patch, we nevertheless are, in fact, runnin' with the big dogs and we often don't realize that. Go into a control tower and watch the approach control screens and see just how many airplanes are shown....an unbelievable number, really.

Even the pro's make serious mistakes like the 767 that landed on a taxiway in Atlanta on Monday! We still need to keep a big heads up as we share airspace with anything from Learjets to J-3's and don't rely on their traffic alert to avoid you or anyone else....but keep a constant vigil and don't become distracted as we enjoy the skies.

Blue skies and tailwinds,

[turbosaaber]

well said...take a look at www.natca.org for a real time pic of all the ifr traffic in the US. I think you can also sort it by each center if you wish. Good luck with your sale...beautiful plane.