Apparently this happened today.
One of the useful things about small planes is that they do land at about the speed of traffic, typically touching down at 75-120 km/h. It is cool that no one saw the airplane and freaked out. I know someone who was making a similar emergency landing and the driver of the car he was following saw the airplane in the rear view mirror and slammed on the brakes. Fortunately my friend had enough momentum to bobble up and land in front of the car, but better that everyone just keep their chill. I think there’s a telescoping effect that makes everything look closer together in this picture. From the angle we see it, it looks like a Ford Probe could barely merge into that space, but there’s no honking or swerving as the Piper slots in.
This may be as much about Québec drivers as this pilot. I suppose every city’s drivers look maniacal to every other city’s drivers, but this is the only province in Canada with signs advising you to “attendez le feu vert” — wait for the green light. Maybe it’s to prevent people from making right turns on red, allowed in, I think, all other provinces, but it seems to me that Québec drivers need the reminder that traffic lights aren’t optional. If you’ve been to Toronto and to Paris, you will understand when I tell you that being a pedestrian in Montréal is much more like the Paris than the Toronto experience. In my opinion, the anything-can-happen-next experience of driving in la belle province has prepared these drivers for traffic that casually merges from above and then takes up three lanes.
The thing that freaks me out is the non-motorized obstacles. Look at all the wires, the signs, the overpass and the lamp standards. If you’re in control of your airplane you can put it on a runway point of your choosing, but damn, I like my approach corridors uncluttered.
