This one was new for me, anybody else ever experience it?
I was en route at 7,000 feet on an IFR plan, clear VMC night, over a remote area with few lights on the ground, no moon. I saw a plane in the distance. I could resolve two white lights pointed at me, which I assumed to be wing mounted landing lights. The two dots were very close to each other and dim, so I assumed the plane was five or more miles away. It appeared a little above me.
Suddenly, the plane appeared to be getting much closer, very fast, and I dropped my nose to pass under it with a jolt of adrenaline.
Then I realized that I had been looking at a single center mounted landing light and a bright star or planet that appeared adjacent to the plane, and down near the horizon. When the plane's path diverged from the star it gave the illusion of blossoming in my view and growing very large, very suddenly.
Anybody else ever spew adrenaline over something like that?
I was en route at 7,000 feet on an IFR plan, clear VMC night, over a remote area with few lights on the ground, no moon. I saw a plane in the distance. I could resolve two white lights pointed at me, which I assumed to be wing mounted landing lights. The two dots were very close to each other and dim, so I assumed the plane was five or more miles away. It appeared a little above me.
Suddenly, the plane appeared to be getting much closer, very fast, and I dropped my nose to pass under it with a jolt of adrenaline.
Then I realized that I had been looking at a single center mounted landing light and a bright star or planet that appeared adjacent to the plane, and down near the horizon. When the plane's path diverged from the star it gave the illusion of blossoming in my view and growing very large, very suddenly.
Anybody else ever spew adrenaline over something like that?