Occasionally, another aircraft in flight will get near Steve Williams' plane. The longtime pilot out of Wiscasset Municipal Airport recalled flying in the North Woods, lifting off a pond outside Greenville.

"And suddenly there was an airplane talking to me, asking if I was on this frequency. And it was another aircraft, coming up near me. Another float plane. And that was the first time that had happened to me. I got to admit that one caught me by surprise. But it happens." He likened it to one car getting near another. "It's really no different." Wiscasset Newspaper was asking the day after an Army Blackhawk helicopter and a passenger jet collided over the Potomac River, killing all 67 people on the two aircraft.

Williams explained about a satellite-based technology that helps make mid-air collisions rare. He said it has in recent years become required. Aircraft that fly in a controlled airspace have to carry a transponder unit that sends out a signal that identifies it on the radar and allows other aircraft to see that plane, he said.

On his single-engine Cessna is a screen where the long-serving Wiscasset Municipal Airport Advisory Committee member can see other aircraft up to 20 miles away. "So it's great technology. It's all part of the FAA's (Federal Aviation Administration) new generation air traffic control system." 

Asked about news reports of air traffic congestion where the Jan. 29 collision occurred, Williams said he has flown through the Washington, D.C. area before but, due to subsequent restrictions, he now flies around one side or the other of it. "The whole Northeast corridor is extremely busy. It's the busiest area in the world."

Williams said he was feeling for everyone related to the fatal Jan. 29 collision. "I have friends that fly airliners. I have friends that work for air traffic control. I have friends that fly for the military," he said. "So, I have quite a bit of compassion for all those people, especially the people that are involved in this accident."

Besides piloting, Williams takes to the skies as a passenger, and was undeterred by that week's mid-air tragedy apnews.com called America's deadliest aviation disaster in nearly a quarter century.  "Sunday morning, I'm getting on an airliner and flying down to New York City."