Mid-air in Florida

Ugh...I always hate hearing about mid-airs.

The wife and I will be stopping at Williston for fuel on our way to Homestead in May....I think I will NOT tell her about this one.
 
I quit telling the wife about "never again" stories and accidents a LONG time ago. Why stress them about flying when you don't have to?

tdager said:
Ugh...I always hate hearing about mid-airs.

The wife and I will be stopping at Williston for fuel on our way to Homestead in May....I think I will NOT tell her about this one.
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Let's just hope he was misquoted and not that clueless

Gainesville aviation enthusiast Mac McEachern, who has served as a city commissioner and member of the Gainesville Regional Airport Authority, said the Ocala or Williston airports have uncontrolled air space.
He said that sometimes creates problems for pilots, who are increasingly accustomed to airports with control towers.
"The pilots nowadays are bad about that because they are so used to controlled airspace where you call the tower and they keep you separated," McEachern said. "When you have uncontrolled air space, it's the pilot's job to see and be seen and avoid a conflict. Unfortunately, it's been a real problem."
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The quote is unfortunate... an uninformed reader will see that and think "gosh, without ATC guiding them, these crazy guys will just plow into each other willy-nilly." Reminds me of a (smart, well-educated but uninformed) co-worker who refused to fly with me because we would not be under direct control for the entire flight.

But I think what this guy was referring to was the pilots who rely too much on the radio for separation. They've been around a long time, and some of them do this even in uncontrolled airspace. Hard to say if either pilot in this accident could be described as such, so his comment is irresponsible in that sense as well- it assumes a great deal about both pilots.

The only certainty here, as with any midair, is that for some reason or reasons, each PIC failed to see the other. That's all that needs to be said about it, really.
 
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ScottM said:
Let's just hope he was misquoted and not that clueless
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Yeah. Pilots are REALLY bad about that. Midairs happening left and right these days. Plane parts falling on the ground practically around the clock. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: :mad2::mad2::mad2:
 
Last (and only) time I flew in the Sunshine State I kept the aircraft at 8500 feet over a scattered layer. Through the holes in the clouds all I could see were airplanes. Never saw so many anywhere else. Completely unsurprised at a midair. A little surprised they aren't more common down there. The Florida pilots must be doing a fairly good job, or be lucky as all get out.
 
I wonder how many on the ground collisions occurred that day with those four wheeled rolling stock?

They seem to ignore traffic controls and can't see each other to avoid collisions as well.
 
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