NMAC BETWEEN SMA IN ATA AND SMT ON APCH TO ADJACENT ARPT.

Narrative

I HAD DEPARTED VNY ON HELI FREQ FROM THE NW CORNER AND HAD REQUESTED A HELI W DEP WITH A CLB TO 2700' WHEN POSSIBLE. ATC HAD GIVEN ME CLRNC FOR THE DEP AND CLB. I CLBED APPROX 2 MI W OF THE VNY ARPT AND TURNED EBND TO THE AREA OVER THE TWR. I FLEW SLOWLY NBOUND ALONG BALBOA BLVD ON THE W SIDE OF THE ARPT AT 2700' MSL. AT THE NW CORNER OF THE ARPT I REQUESTED FREQ CHANGE TO THE BUR APCH. I CALLED BUR APCH AND IDENTED MYSELF AS SMA. BUR APCH ADVISED ME TO STAND BY. APPROX 30 SECS LATER I OBSERVED A LIGHT TWIN ENG ACFT AT MY 9:30-10 O'CLOCK POS IN AN EBND DIRECTION AT MY ALT (2700' MSL). I LOWERED COLLECTIVE PITCH AND DSNDED TO 2600' AS THE TWIN SMT PASSED OVER ME. I TURNED BACK TO THE S AND RETURNED TO VNY TWR HELI FREQ AND LANDED. VNY IS AT AN ALT OF 800' MSL IN THE CENTER OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY; N OF LOS ANGELES. 6 MI TO THE E OF VNY IS BUR. BUR ILS APCH AND VOR APCH CUT THROUGH THE TOP OF VNY'S ATA. I BELIEVE THE SMT WAS ON A VOR APCH TO BUR AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I WAS WORKING WITHIN THE VNY ATA WHICH BROUGHT MY OPERATION AND THAT OF THE SMT WITHIN CLOSE PROX. IN MY OPINION THE PRESENT APCHES AT BUR ARPT ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE OPS AT VNY. THE PRESENT ARSA AT BUR IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR COMS. THE CTLRS AT BUR AND VNY AND TRACON ARE AS GOOD AS I FIND ANYWHERE. THE PHYSICAL PROX AND ALTS OF THE APCHS SHOULD BE LOOKED AT CLOSELY TO SEE IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO INCREASE THE ALTS FOR ACFT OVER VNY ON APCH TO BUR. MY FLT OPS FOR THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPT REQUIRE THAT I FLY THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN AREA AND THOSE AREAS AROUND IT. IN 13 YRS OF THIS TYPE OF FLYING AS CREW AND PLT; I HAVE DEVELOPED A GREAT RESPECT FOR THE ATC SYS IN THIS AREA. I DO BELIEVE THAT SOME PROCS SUCH AS THESE I HAVE DESCRIBED SHOULD BE LOOKED CLOSELY AT TO SEE IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO FURTHER SEPARATE ACFT BTWN APCHS AT BUR AND THE AIR TFC FLOW AT VNY. I TALKED TELEPHONICALLY WITH BUR APCH CTL FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT. I DO NOT KNOW THE IDENT OF THE SMT; BUT IT WAS LIGHT COLORED.