Is this a near hit?

[SEAT 81A]

I am just a passenger and look for comments on this:

Jan 27, 2001 (Sat) on PX392 (A310) POM to SIN. At about 19:00 SIN time (about 1h45m to landing in SIN), flight deck announce that we can see from the window on the LHS a MH flight 2,000 ft above us on a parallel course and in same direction.

I sat in the middle so can't see it. My firend was in the LHS window sit and saw it. He said he has seen other A/C a few times before when flying but this one looks really close. His guestimate is that it is just a few KM away. It looks like a 747 and passed us quickly.

Does this sound like a near hit and the flight crew is just to calm down those who saw the MH A/C flying so close? Isn't that the A/C flying 2,000 ft above us should be in opposite direction rather than same direction?

[Icarus]

Essentially depending on your altitude, separation in the same direction could be 2000 feet or 4000 feet.
In opposite directions its 2000ft or 1000ft again depending on your altitude.
So this sight is common, very common, especially over the atlantic.
In the hold at ORD or LHR is good fun too! (assuming your not nervous about flying of course!).

If you want to see something to really shake you, get a window seat in the middle of the 777 wing and watch the wing flex during take off and climb!!

[This message has been edited by Icarus (edited 01 February 2001).]

[CrashDive]

I should get used to it if I were you, come April we'll all be flying under RVSM. See: RVSM (http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/Forum1/HTML/012013.html)

Ps. (Hence the edit) now moved to Questions Forum

[This message has been edited by CrashDive (edited 01 February 2001).]