Flying a few years ago with my instructor-below the clouds--out of the clouds comes this beautifully restored F4U corsair--zooming right for us--he saw us and pulled out of the way but we only saw him after he dove out of the cloud deck above us---

 

Thats the same thing alot of Japanese aviatior's saw in 1945
but only very briefly

 

I was shooting a GPS approach into RHP wich sits in a vally in the Smoky Mountains. This day the smokies were living up their name we were inbound from the holding pattern into the sun so the vis sucked. We were at the MDA. We got a yellow TA then almost instantly a red RA telling us to dive. At that moment I saw the traffic so instead of diving we moved to our right and he went by about 200 feet off the left wing. My FO had been calling our position since before we were cleared for the approach. I am really gun shy at non controlled airports these days.

 

Was flying a DH114 (4 engined BIG plane!!) back from Georgia to LAL, coming up over Fantasy of Flight, co-pilot had his head down (engine management). I happened to look over his shoulders to see a trinidad merging in very close proximity. Had time to push the nose down and watch the tips of his prop go past the front of the windshield. Thankfully my tail was 60 ft behind me. He just kept on flying flat and level as if nothing happened. As I was catching my breath Orlando called and advised of a traffic allert. Very nice of them I thought.

 

I almost mid-aired with another C-150 over the North end of Mercer Island, WA in 1982. I'd guess we missed by about 30 feet. I remember he was wearing a red tie.
fbh

 

Had a P-3 cut in front of me on final to THL a back in my regional days. He was doing left closed traffic and was supposed to turn downwind behind us, but turned in front instead. We got an RA and pulled up. The ironic thing was, we had a DAL jumpseater, who was also the Training Director for the reserve unit the P-3 was from. His quote, "Outstanding job handling it boys, don't worry about it, that guy's a** is mine."

 

Well, when working on my commercial ticket a few years ago, I went to the practice area solo to work on some lazy 8s and one of my classmates(who trained at a different school) almost sent me to my maker. Imagine, pitched up attitude, slow and turning to the right(sitting on my stall speed) in a katana I saw out the corner of my eye, C-172 zooming by. I managed to notice the instructor in bermuda shorts, a wife beater and oakleys along with stephanie in her jean shorts, girlie tight t-shirt and her glasses. Both were looking up at me I guess in shock. Although shytting myself, I didn't make any sudden moves as at that point, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. After landing, I reminded them WHY we call out positions in the practice area and WHY it is important to listen and know your position to others.

 

A few years ago, I was flying from SNA to F70. I was with another pilot in a 152 traveling 090 at 5500 feet. ATC calls and says "Cessna 123, traffic 12 o'clock, 5 miles, west bound, 5500 feet" We looked for about 10 seconds and told ATC "No Contact'. ATC then said " CESSNA 123, IF NO CONTACT TURN LEFT IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!" I did so and a Cirrus passed beneath my right wing. According to my friend, the other pilots eyes were blue.
I have known four people to die in mid-airs, so this experience haunts me to this day. Keep those eyes peeled. Fly safe.

 

On the visual 24R in CLE, told to contact the tower at the marker, we were never told that there would be traffic landing the *close* parallel 24L by either approach or tower. At around 1000 AGL, on the glide, we get a TA, traffic at +01 (100') right on top of our position. We can't see anything, so we stay on the approach with no RA. Suddenly, we see the shadow of a Dash 8 less that 100' above us maneuvering back to the centerline of 24L. Dumb SOBs overshot the runway and nearly killed 80 or so people. Not to mention they put the gear down at about 400', completely disregarding a stabilized approach. I guess clear and calm really is the most dangerous time to fly.

Needless to say, I got the phone number for CLE approach and the tail number of the other aircraft and the CA and myself had a fun little conversation with them about paying attention when the blips get too close. Unbelievable that it could happen in Class B Airspace.

 

Doing private pilot maneuvers near KITH one evening with a high cirrus deck. I remember thinking to myself about how much more intense the sun seemed since the clouds were magnifying it. My instructor fails the engine on me, so I'm going through my restart checklist while looking down at the ground for a safe landing spot.

All of a sudden I hear the roar of a prop engine in one ear then out the other. I pause, think to myself why I would be hearing another plane up in the air. I then look off the left wing and see a Mooney off the wingtip of my 152 returning to level flight from a left bank. All I really remember from then on was the flight back being just automatic, weirdest feeling I'd felt in the airplane ever.

We returned back to KITH just in time to see him make a hotshot departure to head back to his home airport. I looked him up on flightaware.com later that day and found the guy's name, turns out he's a travelling doctor, go figure.