Quote:
Originally Posted by Skoshi Tiger
Considering that 'most' pilots that were shot down never saw their attacker, I think that that would be a fairly accurate representation. All credit to Oleg!
Its been a few years since I got behind the controlls of a cessna, but airplanes are hard to spot. Even when they're painted white and your both within a circuit at the same altitude, and the controller has told you where the other plane is!
"Wiskey India Foxtrot, Join down wind, follow the Piper Mid-Downwind!" "AaaH, Wiskey India Foxtrot"
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Back before I was grounded by diabetes, I vividly recall being in the landing circuit ever a small uncontrolled Australian regional airport at 1000' talking to a Dash 8 (50 seat twin turbo prop commercial flight) coming in on a straight in approach from 20 km out.
My passenger and I kept our eyes peeled for this aircraft whilst continuing our circuit and could not spot it. Eventually after 5 minutes had past we contacted the Dash 8 to confirm its position only to be advised by the pilot in control it was already on the ground and had cleared the runway (something he should have announced on the radio out of politeness if nothing else but regional commercial pilots can be a law unto themselves).
Sure enough on scanning the apron outside the main terminal, there was a very large shiny White and Red Dash 8. My passenger was an experienced pilot with several 1000 hours up yet soemhow this large brightly painted aircraft managed to land and taxi off the runway we were circling at 1000' and we missed it.