Defensive Flying

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 10:11 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots, especially those flying VFR in remote areas, must actively and continuously scan for other aircraft and encourage passengers to assist, as a near-miss anecdote highlights the danger of assuming solitude.
The FAA discourages the use of the radio call "any traffic in the area, please advise" on CTAF frequencies.
Instead of prompting for traffic, pilots are required by FAA policy (AC 90-66B) to self-announce their aircraft type, position, and intent concisely, as this directly conveys necessary information and avoids creating a false sense of security from a lack of response.

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May’s article, “Defensive Flying,” was well-done and long overdue. It brought back vivid memories for most of us who have been in the air for awhile, me in particular. As a VFR-only aviator, I would have appreciated more emphasis on en route transitions, especially when one takes it for granted that they are all alone.

Many years ago, I was flying my Cessna 180 on floats in the middle of “nowhere” Alaska—about 100 miles from the nearest village. It was hunting season and the two of us on board were looking for game on the ground. As luck would have it, I looked up at the right moment and saw an image that is imprinted in my brain for the rest of my life: a one-dimensional view of a deHavilland Beaver, the round radial engine, pointed ends of the floats and the thin frontal image of the leading wing edges. The other pilot did not see us or we could have reacted in the same direction, but we missed a head-on by only 15 feet. The largest remaining parts would have been the engine blocks.