Paul 5r4
Well Known Member
We had an interesting experience yesterday on a trip from the Birmingham area south to our home along the Gulf Coast of Alabama. We were about halfway when the ifly 720 alerted me to traffic 1 o'clock 12 miles +200 feet relative to us. We were cruising at 4500 feet, the proper VFR altitude for our heading. Thinking he was on his way up or down, we observed him for a minute. With the target now only 6 miles out and the +200 ft relative altitude not changing it was time to disengage the autopilot and descend. I dropped 400 feet as the Aircraft passed overhead right where the Navworx ADSB said it would be. Climbing back to 4500 feet and with "George" again flying, we were on our merry way.
My Thoughts:
1. He was at the wrong altitude... didn't matter, we'd all be just as dead so I was
happy to get out of the way.
2. I estimated our closer rate at 380 mph.... 6.3 miles a minute.... and once he's
close enough to maybe notice (small nearly head on profile), say 2 miles... we
would have only 19 seconds before coming together. I wonder with the very
little relative motion, (coming from my 1 o'clock), if we'd seen him before
getting uncomfortably close.
3. The Navworx ADSB possibly kept us from being on the 10 pm news. It
turned a potentially dangerous situation into a non-event.
4. I usually use flight following which I wasn't this flight. That would have
added another layer of safety.
5. LOVE this ADSB stuff and encourage others to "Get 'er done!"
Here we are just before our takeoff from the Bessemer Airport.
My Thoughts:
1. He was at the wrong altitude... didn't matter, we'd all be just as dead so I was
happy to get out of the way.
2. I estimated our closer rate at 380 mph.... 6.3 miles a minute.... and once he's
close enough to maybe notice (small nearly head on profile), say 2 miles... we
would have only 19 seconds before coming together. I wonder with the very
little relative motion, (coming from my 1 o'clock), if we'd seen him before
getting uncomfortably close.
3. The Navworx ADSB possibly kept us from being on the 10 pm news. It
turned a potentially dangerous situation into a non-event.
4. I usually use flight following which I wasn't this flight. That would have
added another layer of safety.
5. LOVE this ADSB stuff and encourage others to "Get 'er done!"
Here we are just before our takeoff from the Bessemer Airport.