Story of a Flight from Spa to Malmédy That Could Have Ended Differently...
"As I was following visual flight rules (VFR) and monitoring the Spa aerodrome frequency, I had SafeSky running on my phone mounted on the dashboard and was using my tablet for navigation. Suddenly, an alert popped up on my screen indicating a converging traffic that initially seemed far away (around 20km), but was steadily getting closer and flying at a lower altitude right in front of me.
The other plane was on a heading of around 270 degrees and despite scanning the horizon multiple times, I couldn't spot it. The sun was not in my eyes.
When the SafeSky alert changed color, I knew I had to act fast. I made a quick right turn and climbed, and finally spotted the other plane at 10 o'clock, still on its original course. I signaled with my wings, but the other plane didn't respond, probably because it still hadn't seen me.
I wasn't sure if BXL Info had issued an alert or not, but the lack of response from the other plane suggested they hadn't. It was a small touring plane, similar to a Cirrus, and possibly coming from Germany based on its heading.
If it weren't for SafeSky, I might have continued on my original course, and the two aircraft would have come dangerously close.
This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of using SafeSky on every flight, and I will definitely be using it systematically moving forward."
Georges PIERRARD - Belgian pilot