Getting quite busy at Kuala Lumpur

[cattletruck]

As SLF on a B777-300-ER flight 70nm/FL350 from Kuala Lumpur international airport last Sunday afternoon, I was quite bemused to see an airliner flash past on the downward looking camera on the reciprocal heading.

Later in the holding pattern I looked out the window to see a 3-holer emerge from several hundred feet directly underneath us on a heading 60 degrees to our right. I've been on the deck of a B744 when the TCAS has sounded and the offending aircraft was observed many miles away giving plenty of time to maintain separation, however this was too close for my liking.

Is this a normal day in the office at congested airports? Is the pilot in the 3-holer still allowed to press the PTT button and go "ratta tat tat"?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Maybe you ought to go somewhere busy and look out of the window... and what is a 3-holer?

[cattletruck]

HD with all respect, not much happens out the window here in Oz.
3-holer is a 3 engined airliner that I refer to.

[Yaw String]

:confused::{:{:{:{

[perantau]

Twice in 3 months arriving into KUL (my average frequency to this station), had to take up the hold over VBA.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

OK. Another aircraft vertically below your flight would have been at least 1000 ft below. If you fly in the USA you would see plenty of that.

"I've been on the deck of a B744 when the TCAS has sounded and the offending aircraft was observed many miles away giving plenty of time to maintain separation, however this was too close for my liking. "

TCAS sounded with another aircraft many miles away? Can you imagine what would happen in a busy US or EU TMA if TCAS worked like that? It would be permanently going off. Whether separation was "too close" for your liking is irrelevant unless you were flying the aircraft. I have fielded many phone calls from members of the public climing to have seen a "a dangerous air miss" but the aircraft were correctly separated.

[Dave Gittins]

If you can't read the registration it's plenty far enough away. :}

[cattletruck]

I reckon I could have easily read the rego had it not passed obliquely from underneath heading away. It definitely was less than 1000ft below.