On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 02:57:11 GMT, "Matthew S. Whiting"
wrote:

snip

I was taught, no matter what the target, don't suddenly swerve. In
heavy traffic swerving can cause more problems than it solves.

Like seat belts you are playing the odds. Always maintain control as
long as possible.

I had an SUV pull out in front of my Transam a couple years back. Had
I swerved left I'd still have hit him, but it would have driven me
right into oncoming traffic and spun him. Had I swerved right I'd
have driven him right into that oncoming traffic and it would have put
what was left of the TA into the big trees.

Traffic was very heavy. When the parts settled two more cars coming
from the other direction swerved to avoid the cars slowing down and
they hit the SUV which was now setting in the left turn lane.
That traffic doesn't slow for anything including stopped cars or icy
road.


Ouch! I've had some close calls on my Voyager, but so far haven't
picked up any hair...

I hit a deer during a night landing at GDW a few years back. There
were no deer on the runway, but this one decided she wanted to be on
the other side. The timing was about as close as it could get to
minimize the damage. She was going so fast that her head hit behind
the prop circle.. Just milliseconds earlier and she'd have hit the
prop and nose gear. Milliseconds later and she'd have hit farther out
on the wing where the impact would have had much more leverage and in
a much more fragile area. As it was the impact ruptured the fuel
bladder in the tank on that side, even though the deer did not make
contact with the tank.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair?)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Return address modified due to dumb virus checkers


Matt