This special series is by noted author Anthony Nalli.

Close Calls is a column detailing the “close call” experiences of fellow pilots. Determining a close call can be quite subjective but for our purposes here a close call will be any situation where a pilot suddenly finds themselves in a potentially dangerous situation quite unexpectedly. Personally, I describe a close call as “closer than I’d prefer.” I invite you to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 1-888-PCAS-123 (GTA: 416-225-9266) to anonymously share your stories. I will collect the details and prepare the article for Close Calls. The experience shared and lessons learned will be of benefit to all readers. Confidentiality will be assured and I will not use your name or aircraft ident without your permission.

Anthony Nalli is the Director of Canadian Development, General Aviation Collision Avoidance and President of SciDac Corporation/PCAS.ca. PCAS.ca is dedicated to the implementation of affordable collision avoidance devices in General Aviation with a mission to eliminate mid-air collisions and dramatically reduce close calls. Anthony can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 1-888-PCAS-123 (GTA: 416-225-9266), and www.PCAS.ca. 

As an interesting footnote, Wings Over Canada, Canada’s longest running aviation TV series, has recognized Close Calls columnist Anthony Nalli as “The most dedicated Canadian pilot: Anthony Nalli for his work on promoting flight safety with Portable Collision Avoidance Systems [supported by his wife Lisa].” He’d like to thank John Lovelace and his Wings Over Canada crew for their support and recognition of his efforts.  

We flew a total of almost6000 miles – from the Toronto area to the shores of the Pacific ocean, then allthe way across to the Atlantic before turning back and heading for home. Andoh, what I’ve learned from the once in a lifetime experience of the recentCross Canada Century Flight. Though there was a lot of it, it wasn’t just aboutthe flying. As the journey progressed it became even more about the people, theplaces, and the awesome wonder of this incredible country. 

Our pilot lived in San Diego, California in the early 1950sand spent his extra money feeding his Ryan PT22 fuel. He worked the swing shiftat Conair at the time. That gave him a lot of available time that he used for flying.Friends would say to him “next time you’re going flying on a nice day, I’d loveto go.” If the weather was good and their schedule permitted, our pilot gavefriends an open invitation to fly that they could take him up on by calling ifthey wanted to fly. 

Last February, on a cold day in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canadianastronaut Bjarni Tryggvason lifted off in a working replica of the legendary SilverDart to commemorate the centennial of flight in Canada. July 2009 will mark thejourney of 100 aircraft from the west coast to the east coast so that as a massthe Century Flight may congregate on the historic maritime site to celebratethe time when 100 years ago J.A. McCurdy mounted the original Silver Dart andembarked upon the very first flight ever to take place in Canada.

As would usually be the case on a good VFR weekend our pilotand his wife, both pilots, were taking their Katana DA20-A1 on one of theirfavorite flights from Ottawa, Ontario (CYOW) to Lachute, Quebec (CSE4) forbreakfast. Lachute, a small general aviation airport in the Montreal, Quebecarea, is a favorite destination for them because there are plenty of openfields en route (just in case), a relatively low volume of traffic east ofOttawa, a friendly staff, and great breakfasts. They also provide a free taxi serviceinto town and bikes if you want to get some exercise on your way there.

During a recent autumnweekend our pilot and his wife decided to take advantage of the beautiful dayand enjoy a leisurely flight to Heber City, Utah to visit friends and proudly showoff them their bright red Kitfox. They took their time performing theirpre-flight checks breaking up the tasks now and again to chat with friends thathad casually stopped by to visit. 

Our pilot was a relativelynew aircraft owner with almost 200 hours total time under his belt. In thattime he’s had what he considers two close calls, both of which he believes couldhave been avoided by other pilots making simple position reports. 

There has recently beenmuch attention paid to mid-air collisions of a different sort. Those betweenaircraft and U.F.O.’s – Unidentified Feathered Objects. Bird strike incidentshave resulted in consequences ranging from a dent in the airplane to shatteringof the windshield, incapacitation of the pilot and even fatalities. Mostrecently, an Airbus was rendered disabled by birds shortly after takeoffresulting in a ditching into New York’s Hudson River. The Miracle on theHudson, as the flight is now known, yielded only a few relatively minorinjuries due in no small part to the courageous efforts of the crew. 

Our pilot was a newaircraft owner and very proud of the mid-70s Piper Cherokee he had chosen forhimself. It was very nicely equipped but lacking one thing he had convincedhimself he wanted to have – a fuel totalizer. This is a device that is displaysthe amount of fuel consumed by the aircraft with extreme accuracy. Thisconsumption is gauged by a sensor that is installed in the fuel line that keepstrack of the amount of fuel flowing past it. With needle indicators beingnotoriously unreliable, our pilot insisted on the peace of mind having atotalizer installed would provide so installed it was. 

Our pilot had justflown through some light snow showers on his way to Kingston, Ontario thatmorning, so he turned on the pitot heat just before joining the circuit to makesure the pitot blade on his Warrior was clear. At the end of the downwind leg heslowed the engine, reduced power, dropped flaps, verified 70-80 knot airspeed,turned a tight base over the icy water of Lake Ontario, then looked again atthe airspeed indicator (ASI). 35 knots! Well below stall speed!