PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 1450; Flight Crew Type 1000
Other / Unknown
Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airspace Structure; Human Factors
Flying level at 4;500 MSL on a north northwest track and about 4 NM northeast of the [field] I had to take the flight controls from my student to pull up and avoid a light twin that was converging at the same altitude. The light twin appeared to also be a training airplane. I saw it out of my peripheral vision in time to take evasive action. The convergence occurred while I was explaining to my flight student how to track on a VOR radial. I was the only pilot able to scan for traffic as my student was under a view limiting device for simulated instrument practice. I had recently communicated to report my position on our local practice area frequency and another single engine airplane replied shortly after to inform their position 500 FT below and about 3 miles straight ahead. After acquiring their position; about 5-10 seconds passed when I noticed the twin converging from our right while on a left banking turn (appeared to be about 10-15 degrees of bank; not steep). After climbing to avoid the traffic I saw how the twin continued its left turn and leveled on a south heading. Don't know if the other airplane saw mine; since it seemed like no abrupt evasive action happened on their part. If I could have seen the traffic with more time and if they were indeed flying east to west; I know it would have been my action to give way as they were converging from the right. It is unknown to me if they had been flying east to west or maneuvering since I only saw the twin just as it was very close.Looking back on the events I know that a main contributing factor was the fact that both my airplane and the light twin had white and blue paint that probably made us difficult to see flying in this costal environment (blue ocean and scattered white cumulous clouds along the horizon). Added to the increased workload caused by teaching instrument procedures. I will probably make it a SOP for my self to always request radar traffic advisories from ATC while conducting instrument lessons above 4;000 MSL. Since at the higher altitudes there is more of a mix of airplanes that are not from the local schools. At lower altitudes I believe that the local practice area CTAF provides a better supplement to scanning.
PA28 instrument flight instructor reports a NMAC with a light twin at 4;500 FT while training in the local training area. Evasive action is taken by the reporter to avoid collision but the other pilot apparently did not notice the conflict.