Early on in flight training, we learn about the importance of the “see and avoid” concept to keep out of harm’s way. Although a great primary means of avoiding running into another aircraft, there are many other tools at our disposal to help with both the seeing and avoiding.
The AOPA Air Safety Institute recently released its Collision Avoidance: See, Sense, Separate video (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/collision-avoidance/midairs) to help pilots understand the value of using navigation and position lights, and making position calls five and 10 miles out from an airport or navigation fix. The video discusses ways to listen to and look for other aircraft in the area, how to make yourself more visible, and how and when ATC can be helpful, as well as limitations of ATC assistance—even at towered fields—in a nonradar environment.
The risk of a midair collision is small, but it’s helpful to have a strategy to minimize your chances of being involved in one. Ask your instructor to review the video with you and discuss how it relates to your flight environment.
This video was made possible by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association Flight Safety Foundation and the Donner Canadian Foundation.
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