Mild Aerobatics

Try this in anticipation of a future conflict. Unless it is a direct
head on conflict, i.e. directly in front and not moving on the
windscreen, try turning into it.

This is much harder to describe than to experience. And it's not
natural unless you practice a bit. But if an a/c is *converging* on you
and you can put your nose on it before the anticipated collision, you'll
miss it, almost no matter what the other a/c does.

If you try to turn away from a converging a/c the opposite occurs - a
collision becomes more likely.

Try it with some hand held models. Try it with some real traffic at a
good distance. You'll get the idea.

Then when that a/c appears out of no where, you will tend to do a
positive G turn rather than a push over or pull up.

If it's converging, turn into it. If it's diverging - turn away. Keep
it positive.

comments?

Jay Honeck wrote:
... As we were climbing out, our direction-challenged fellow pilot became
visible in the haze, and I saw that he was on an intercept course -- with us
as the target.

After a few more seconds of debate, I ended the discussion by
pushing my
yoke firmly forward, inducing negative G and allowing us to pass harmlessly
beneath the traffic. We cleared the plane with room to spare.

However, I did (and still) wonder about putting that much negative-G on our
34 year old airframe. Without a G meter it's impossible to know how much G
was induced, but I'd say it was 50% more than I've ever done before. (The
only negative G maneuver I ever do is the push-over at the top of a steep
pull-up, known by my kids as an "Up-Down".) Was 50% more too much?