How can I file a complaint with the FAA concerning a low-level flyover?

[MiniPalourde]

Can a drone even take down a helicopter? I mean I understand it is possible, but I would imagine a Blackhawk is pretty robust not to be taken out by something the size of a bird were a collision to happen. Just some food for thought

I don't know if it can crash an helicopter, but it can cause some damage according to this article: https://nypost.com/2017/09/22/army-helicopter-hit-by-drone/

 

[Cymruflyer]

Coming to this post a little late.... But.... How many of you have had a plane fly BELOW your house?.... We have a 40ft. bank on the water. This plane is easily 10' below the top of the bank and approximately 150' from it.... violating both height and proximity restrictions.... This, I found to be incredibly dangerous not only for the pilot, but for others. I had my drone directly in this flight path earlier the week before.... If he had hit it, it still would have been my fault.... Some things just don't make sense.....

Just so you are correctly informed, this aircraft looks to be flying over the water. There is no altitude limit when flying over water, you can be just a foot above the surface if you wish. You should not fly over anyone swimming or a boat in the water at that altitude though. So this pilot looks like he is doing nothing illegal other than having more fun than you, but that is probably not illegal either.

 

[dennyc39]

Safety in the public airspace is the joint responsibility of all users; aircraft crews, drone pilots, and air traffic control people. Aircraft pilots now have to be aware of the possibility of drone traffic below 400 ft above highest obstacle. Drone pilots are responsible to remain within guidelines and legal requirements. The main reason is so that operators at least know what to expect. Despite this, unexpected things happen, but less frequently than they might in a chaotic environment. One example is the recommended traffic patterns at uncontrolled airports that are not mandatory, but are still respected by the majority of pilots. As with motor vehicles, people sometimes choose to break the rules, but they then take on the lions share of responsibility.

 

[787steve]

Drones are low on the totem pole of priority. If you don't see the helicopter, it's your fault. If you're flying non-VLOS, it's your fault.

If you are flying non-VLOS and cause a manned aircraft accident, you are done. If someone is injured or worse, we would see big changes in our hobby, that we would not appreciate. The drone pilot would be just slightly less popular than Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.

 

[zebojim]

I found the pics I took. Original, and zoomed in and circled.

View attachment 33590

View attachment 33591

These were lower when they past and started climbing. They came and did another fly by a few minutes later.

At that distance, they look like they are at least 500' high.

 

[SkunkBayWeather]

FWIW, Cymruflyer he was flying within 300 ft. of most of the homes down the beach from us and as low as 20' over the beach.... Not water.... He was flying over beach. To me... It was inexcusable and all of my neighbors agree and want it to stop.... Something has to change.... BTW.... I AM correctly informed...

FAR Part 91:
(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.

Greg

 

[MarkCM]

You would not be able to see a 60 flying 20 feet over the beach. You would be in a sand storm.

 

[SkunkBayWeather]

You would not be able to see a 60 flying 20 feet over the beach. You would be in a sand storm.

On Pacific Northwest beaches?.... You gotta be kidding! It is solid packed sand with the tidal flow that we have.... A sand storm is impossible...

Greg

 

[MarkCM]

Reasonable, most of my time flying 60's on the coast has been east coast and the gulf where the sand is light and powdery. I will say that 20" agl over a beach is landing or taxi, not NOE. Anyhow, if they have a mission part 91 is not relevant and 107 is in place to keep them safe from drones.

 

[Cymruflyer]

FWIW, Cymruflyer he was flying within 300 ft. of most of the homes down the beach from us and as low as 20' over the beach.... Not water.... He was flying over beach. To me... It was inexcusable and all of my neighbors agree and want it to stop.... Something has to change.... BTW.... I AM correctly informed...

FAR Part 91:
(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.

Greg

If you think he was about 300ft away from homes, it may have been 500ft. It is hard to tell from a distance but easier to see from above. I am not saying he was, because I was not there, but sometimes people misjudge distances and the plane may or may not have been 500ft away from the homes. He could be just 20ft off the deck over the beach as long as there was no one about on those beaches. I have been down about 50ft above beached in more remote sections of beaches in Florida in my own plane, because I could see there was no one on the beach out in front of me, all the way to the waters edge, on some of these long thin strips of beach jutting out from those little islands in Florida..

I would find it hard to believe that this pilot was flying 20 ft over the beach if there were people on that beach. Not being there I could not say for sure of course. Maybe next time fly above him and take some photos or video and see where he is in relation to everything, just to be sure.

 

[SkunkBayWeather]

Thanks Mark. Our beaches are fairly steep and definitely not a safe landing zone. My point is fairly simple. All I care about is safety for all. I don't care what anybody says, this pilot was taking risk that was not necessary. It was not an emergency landing. It was not a photography flight because he was below the treeline. He was "joyriding".... Just because he may have a "loophole" in the regulations that allows him to fly like that, doesn't make it safe. The margin of error is too small. There are waterfront property owners all over the Pacific Northwest that are fed up with joy riding pilots using this loophole. I would just like to see some change. I'd just like to see the "deck flying" moved a little farther out to sea....

 

[SkunkBayWeather]

"Not being there I could not say for sure of course. Maybe next time fly above him and take some photos or video and see where he is in relation to everything, just to be sure."

Uhmmm... When a plane comes in below the tree tops a 100mph it is a bit difficult to grab my drone, launch it and catch up to it going 22mph....

I'm just going to drop off this thread because I am tired of defending what I saw. I do want to make a simple point.... I just want everybody to be safe.... And that pilot was NOT flying safely. Was he flying legally?.... I don't think so as I interpret the regs, but there seem to be some pilots here that think I am uninformed and wrong. It's a little hard to tape measure a flight path. Personally, I would like to see some change in these regulations and move the flying at the deck reg a little farther out to sea....

Greg

 

[Andrew F]

Check out the app flightradar24 you can see what kinda craft it is where its going and where it cam from. I use it because I fly out in the desert m mountains and got tired of getting caught off guard. You can even turn on AR mode and just hold your camera in the vicinity and it will show the info.

It doesn't show helicopters

 

[Andrew F]

Helicopter's can fly much lower than 500 feet you see them at 150 to 200 all the time it is up to the Drone pilot to watch for them
it's all in the FAA rule books if you care to take the time a fine out what's right and wrong when you put your drone in the air

Uh almost impossible to get out of the way of a 200 MPH helicopter flying at 200 feet BigLug. I fly VLOS and it is very difficult to determine the exact elevation of an approaching helicopter regardless so climbing or diving is not clear. As you should know diving is slower. But that's what I do as a default. I personally think the helicopter regs should change to make the 500 foot floor more rigid. I live right at the edge of a rural divide and helicopters buzz my house at 150 feet from time to time. Almost no visual or audible warning.

 

[sar104]

Uh almost impossible to get out of the way of a 200 MPH helicopter flying at 200 feet BigLug. I fly VLOS and it is very difficult to determine the exact elevation of an approaching helicopter regardless so climbing or diving is not clear. As you should know diving is slower. But that's what I do as a default. I personally think the helicopter regs should change to make the 500 foot floor more rigid. I live right at the edge of a rural divide and helicopters buzz my house at 150 feet from time to time. Almost no visual or audible warning.

"I personally think the helicopter regs should change to make the 500 foot floor more rigid."​

So that you can fly your drone without worrying about other air traffic?

 

[Andrew F]

"I personally think the helicopter regs should change to make the 500 foot floor more rigid."​

So that you can fly your drone without worrying about other air traffic?

Yes and to strengthen the long-standing horizontal separation approach that keeps all aircraft safer. Drone sales are going to continue to climb. It makes sense to have a "personal aircraft" layer. Also, when my house gets buzzed like that it "feels" dangerous and scares the crap out of my family. Drone or not.

 

[sar104]

Yes and to strengthen the long-standing horizontal separation approach that keeps all aircraft safer. Drone sales are going to continue to climb. It makes sense to have a "personal aircraft" layer. Also, when my house gets buzzed like that it "feels" dangerous and scares the crap out of my family. Drone or not.

It's not a bad idea for them to stay over 500 ft unless necessary for all kinds of safety reasons, but there are plenty of operational reasons for being under 500 ft at times. I wonder how much helicopter flight time is spent unnecessarily below 500 ft.

 

[beachcombing]

It doesn't show helicopters

It does show helicopters.

It does not show military aircraft, though.

 

[Sprocket]

It does show helicopters.

It does not show military aircraft, though.

FR24 shows as many as 18 helicopters at the same time just off the coast of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil in the early morning their time. Flying to oil rigs I'd say.

 

[Skymax]

The Military are part of the National Defence Force and can fly wherever they decide it is in the National interest.
Good Luck, you will only wind up being a Suspect Troublemaker on an FBI file somewhere if you make a noise about it.