American Airlines Virtual

Pilots, On Sunday the GFI had 4 starters and 4 finishers. Wayne Pierce AAV783, Barry Theodore AAV699, Ted Martin AAV537, and newcomer to the GFI's Arturo Carvajal AAV905. This happened to be Arturo's first ever GFI. Even the older flight Commanders show up for our GFI's.
There was no ATC at the start unlike friday. Barry and Wayne decided to take off early 1145Z as there was no one else there, yet. And just as we lined up on the runway the other two showed up.
They soon caught up with us in the sky. Still no ATC around. The flight was quiet and uneventful until one flight coming in the opposite direction was at us head on. Arriving in Miami and on the glideslope, wheels down, flaps down KMIA tower turns on and wants to talk. Well, I didn't. I was a little busy. He did get a hold of the others on their approach.
This is the other guy going by Ted.

Barry Coming in RWY27

Ted landing 26L

Arturo on Base to KMIA over the atlantic.

Arturo's landing 26l

The lineup B2T Arturo, Wayne, Ted, Barry,

A nice flight was had by all.
WLP

Nice shots Wayne!

Sergio, I think you are 100% correct. Your priority should be to fly the aircraft. There are way too many traffic stalkers out there that won't sign on to an ATC position until they see traffic in or outbound. I usually will not contact a tower if they pop up while I am on short final. If I'm still 10-15 miles out I may be able to say something, but they have to understand that at that stage of flight we have our hands full. If they don't like it they'll just have to get over it because even the VATSIM rules say fly first, talk second.

Man, he looked a lot closer to me when he went by then that picture shows. I guess it was just adrenalin because on radar he was coming directly at me on my line of flight. And he went by so fast I didn't get a chance to take a pic.

Geez Ted, haven't you learned to keep your camera out and handy in the cockpit yet?

Norberto Rivera wrote:Geez Ted, haven't you learned to keep your camera out and handy in the cockpit yet?

Yes I have and it was ready but the stewardess...huh...food tray got in the way!

Theodore Martin wrote:Man, he looked a lot closer to me when he went by then that picture shows. I guess it was just adrenalin because on radar he was coming directly at me on my line of flight. And he went by so fast I didn't get a chance to take a pic.

Try that in real life. Had a Citation 2 go about 2000 ft below me last Monday departing Dallas. He was going into Terrell. ATC was talking to both of us calling me at his 12 o'clock and him at my 11:30, and I got a visual on him just as I was about to hit the autopilot disconnect and take evasive action. He never reported seeing me. In hindsight, I probably should have turned off 30 degrees to the right and opened the horizontal gap especially because we were closing pretty fast. Was kind of neat to get the G1000 to pop up the inset traffic circle and really say, "Traffic, traffic". My wife was already cutting zzzzz's and missed the whole thing.

Then I did have to take evasive action northeast of Marshall. I picked up traffic on the G1000 looked like departing from Marshall, climbing, and flying on an intercept heading - steady bearing, decreasing range, AND altitude diff. He was obvously climbing at about my cruise speed. Shreveport Approach called me with the traffic but I never heard him talking to the other plane, so I assumed he was not in comms with him. At about 3 miles, I started a left circle to allow him to pull in front of me. As I started the circle, I finally got a visual on him - looked like a Mooney. Completed the circle and was clear.

Had to do the circle the week before crossing the Red River with traffic on a converging course and SAME altitude. I never had a visual on this guy. I called Shreveport Approach and reported it looked like I had converging traffic, same altitude. Shreveport said something like, "Yeah, looks that way to me ...". I eventually did a circle to let him pass ahead of me again. I'm getting really good a circles ... you just keep twisting that HDG knob.

It's amazing how much traffic I never see but am aware of flying the G1000 equipped C172. Obviously that traffic is NOT there when I'm flying the steam gauge plane.

A lot of folks don't realize how difficult it can actually be to spot another aircraft heading directly towards you. There is no relative motion for your eye to pick up and a Citation II is not really that big. When you're doing 120 kts. and he's doing about 250 the closure rate is just over a tenth of a mile per second. That's mighty fast. Even with that nice and wide windscreen in front of our helicopter and with the doors off sometimes we have to look really hard for GA traffic even after seeing them on the TCAS.

Great shots Wayne!!

I was a great experience flight GFI with you guys!!

I have Screen Shotter 6.1 but I can´t take pictures to other planes as you did.

Help me with some hints

Thanks

Arturo

Arturo Carvajal wrote:...I have Screen Shotter 6.1 but I can´t take pictures to other planes as you did.

Help me with some hints

Thanks

Arturo

Hint: FSX.