Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Sea; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 50; Flight Crew Total 13000; Flight Crew Type 240
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airspace Structure; Human Factors
I was flying a scenic hillside from east to west. The elevation of DYT is 603 MSL and DLH is 1428 MSL. I contacted Approach control after taking off and was given a squawk code and told them my intentions. I keep in radio contact the whole flight. Because of the close proximity of the 2 airports; and differing elevations/pattern altitudes; and from densely to sparsely populated areas; I was trying to stay out of the traffic patterns of the two airports and maintain my height above ground requirements. Approach control told me I had traffic at 11 o'clock as I was flying SW. I responded that I was looking but did not have them in sight.  Then ATC said traffic was at 12 o'clock. I saw the traffic at what looked my same altitude traveling west. We were more than 1 mile apart but I turned SE and descended a few hundred feet. There was also a regional airliner approaching DLH that Approach control was talking to so I didn't want to climb into the Turbine Aircraft Pattern altitude. There was never a 'Close Call' but I may have descended below my 1000 ft AGL; I'm not sure. The terrain was sloping towards Lake Superior so it was hard to tell. The whole flight was difficult to stay out of the traffic patterns of 3 airports located within 8 miles of each other DYT; DLH; and SUW. I think that I should have contacted Approach control and ask what altitude would work best for them for the entire flight and stick with that altitude.
GA pilot reported difficulty operating in an area between several airports without encroaching upon the associated traffic patterns.