Helicopter flying low

[Buel]

I was flying 80m up and I am **** sure the approaching helicopter was close to 100m, am I right in thinking that this is just something that 'happens' and to be aware of and take a dive if in doubt? Should they be flying that low?

 

[Platinum 4 ever]

I was flying 80m up and I am **** sure the approaching helicopter was close to 100m, am I right in thinking that this is just something that 'happens' and to be aware of and take a dive if in doubt? Should they be flying that low?

Not sure that I agree with you. Besides it is against the law... and you don’t really want to play CHICKEN [emoji490] with a helicopter [emoji576]

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

I was flying 80m up and I am **** sure the approaching helicopter was close to 100m, am I right in thinking that this is just something that 'happens' and to be aware of and take a dive if in doubt? Should they be flying that low?

Here in the US they're authorized to fly as low as they need to, UAS pilots are required to stay out of their way.

The law of tonnage generally applies at sea, land, and air and is a good rule to follow.

 

[Cymru]

Most countries unmanned must give way to manned regardless of purpose.
Plenty of legal reasons a manned aircraft can be flying low (and even if not, you still have to give way).

This is a big reason for VLOS - you can see the drone AND hazards and keep out of the way. Generally if i hear anything in the area i wasnt expecting my first instinct is to descend to as lot as safe and practical and hover there until i can work out what the other traffic is doing. If i still cant work out, i'll bring the drone back as low as as safe to clear obstacles.

 

[old man mavic]

air rescue helicopters can often be below the 400ft ceiling when they are approaching an area to search for someone ,it is the remote pilot ie you to take action and lower your height ,and even land if it appears that the heli is circling end looking for somewhere to put down manned aircraft always have priority

 

[Cymru]

Lowest on average i see for the whole flight are electricity line surveying helicopters. Those stay exceedingly low for the entire flight whereas SAR/Ambulance etc are only for takeoff and landing.

Obviously the military screaming up the valley at 480kts is an issue in some areas as well but at least the RAF provide a phone number to check activity beforehand.

 

[Deleted member 133794]

I get helicopters flying low over me all the time. There are a few very rich people
that live out in the sticks near me who have their own private helicopters and
they seem to fly at what ever height they fancy at the time, even after take off
they seem to think it's ok to show off by flying over our NORMAL houses at
a ridiculously low altitude. I also see the police and air ambulance helicopters
flying low as well but at least they have permission to do so as i live near a large Hospital and Police Heli pad. At the end of the day it's our own responsibility to watch out for such things and take appropriate action.

 

[Cymru]

Most things that look well within 500ft are in fact 500ft or further. People often under-estimate distance and altitude.
As explained above, UK wise they dont need "permission" to fly low. They'll be following standard practices of VFR flight.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Not sure that I agree with you. Besides it is against the law... and you don’t really want to play CHICKEN [emoji490] with a helicopter [emoji576]

Why would you think that was against the law? Suggest you look into rules a bit more, you'll see that this is not against the law.

 

[Aerialskape]

Operational low flying training​

The UK is divided into 20 separate low flying areas (LFAs). 3 of these areas are also known as Tactical Training Areas (TTAs). These are in:

• a small area of mid Wales
• part of northern Scotland
• the borders area of southern Scotland and a small part of northern England

TTAs are activated at specific times throughout each day and when a TTA is active, fixed wing aircraft can fly as low as 100 feet AGL. This is not the case with routine low flying training, which is conducted across the UK on a daily basis. Outside the published TTA times the airspace is classed as a normal low flying area where fixed wing aircraft routinely fly at a minimum height of 250 feet AGL and helicopters are authorised down to ground level.

The MOD publishes a monthly Operational low flying training timetable for the 3 TTAs.

The MOD is unable to provide a timetable for all low flying activity as the information can very quickly become outdated due to weather conditions and training requirements.

Above taken from .gov website

 

[Cymru]

Can telephone 01780 417558 or email [email protected]

Low level advisory service:- 0800 515544

Then you'll find out what areas are active or scheduled on a given day. The system works well. Pretty much essential on weekdays in the Lake District or Mach loop area.

 

[hiflyer201]

That's what helicopters do.