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View Full Version : Near miss (or near hit) between Spitfire and Cessna 340, October 2021


Jhieminga
11th Jun 2022, 15:41
Apparently a Spitfire T9 just missed hitting a Cessna 340 in October 2021: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-61759596
Airprox report here: https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/Standard_content/Airprox_report_files/2021/Airprox%20Report%202021220.pdf
The interesting bit of the article (for me) is this:
An Airprox Board report said neither aircraft was "equipped with any form of electronic conspicuity equipment".It added that both pilots were relying on their lookouts to detect aircraft.
Presenting this, otherwise correct, statement in this way implies that every aircraft should have FLARM or a different conspicuity tool on board. While I'm not against this, one of the challenges here is the wide variation in available bits of kit that do not all talk to each other. Some standardisation on this front might be useful.

rnzoli
12th Jun 2022, 09:27
With all that said and agreed, some of the more traditional means of knowing about each others' whereabouts we not utilized either.
The Spitfire didn't have any lights (strobe, ACL) on, despite wearing a camouflage painting (green, grey), blasting at 200 kts.
The Cessna was not on the traffic frequency.
Nevertheless, it seems to me quite an impressive work to analyze these events to such extent.

uxb99
18th Jun 2022, 19:19
The Spitfire didn't have any lights (strobe, ACL) on, despite wearing a camouflage painting (green, grey), blasting at 200 kts.

That's an interesting point. Warbirds wear camo paint schemes deliberately designed not to be seen. Do pilots of these aircraft consider that when flying? A civilian pilot may not even see a Warbird until it's too late.