Is it just me...?

[BarrieW]

or do others notice aircraft and helicopters perhaps not flying over 400 feet. Have noticed quite a few (especially helicopters) flying at what I judge to be less than 400 in the last few days, prompting me to think "good job I'm not up there at 350 like I was the other day". None of these are police or emergency aircraft and one was circling the other day as if flying round a house for photos way low. Also get a lot of microlights round here (Cheshire UK ) and I wonder about their height restrictions. I know in the States and other countries you do get crop spraying aircraft etc but thought here in the UK you only fly under 400 feet on approach to or from an airport, perhaps I'm wrong. Apologies if this should have been posted elsewhere or there is already a thread about similar.
Barrie

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I have had one passenger jet go overhead low enough to seriously put the wind up my sails.
I am 'near' an airport but outside all restriction etc. zones, not under a flight path and the plane's being there was VERY unusual. It was very late at night and the 'pitch blackness' probably accentuated things and in truth I doubt it would have been under 400ft but it was an EEK moment and I wasn't even in the air at the time

 

[THE CYBORG]

Living in the English lake district I often get low flying military / RAF aircraft, they train low flying through the valley's so I can actually look down on the aircraft if I am up one of the fells.
The tourists complain it spoils the lovely quietness of the countryside but I would rather have pilots who are proficient if war brakes out than upset tourists.

 

[BarrieW]

I agree entirely Cyborg, it's like city folks who move into the beautiful countryside round here and grumble about church bells, cows mooing and cow muck on the road !

 

[BadWolf1]

I agree entirely Cyborg, it's like city folks who move into the beautiful countryside round here and grumble about church bells, cows mooing and cow muck on the road !

Spending a lot of time at home with lockdown, and with a lot less traffic going past, I've noticed how noisy the birds are here, little blighters don't stop all day long tweet / tweet ./ tweety tweet.

 

[Blairsville]

or do others notice aircraft and helicopters perhaps not flying over 400 feet. Have noticed quite a few (especially helicopters) flying at what I judge to be less than 400 in the last few days, prompting me to think "good job I'm not up there at 350 like I was the other day". None of these are police or emergency aircraft and one was circling the other day as if flying round a house for photos way low. Also get a lot of microlights round here (Cheshire UK ) and I wonder about their height restrictions. I know in the States and other countries you do get crop spraying aircraft etc but thought here in the UK you only fly under 400 feet on approach to or from an airport, perhaps I'm wrong. Apologies if this should have been posted elsewhere or there is already a thread about similar.
Barrie

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Try googling "Mach loop" I seem to remember seeing video of a Hercules flying it. Couldn't resist adding this

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[Blairsville]

We are building a new home in the North Georgia Mountains. Last week, we could hear a loud rumble echoing in the mountain area and watched a C-17 fly directly overhead actually banking between the mountain tops and over our home by what I guess was less than 500 feet. That’s a large aircraft to be doing that. The locals say it happens often.

 

[fguthrie]

I live in San Diego and I see that all the time. Planes and Helicopters. I play by the rules, what about them??

 

[dronerdave]

I live in San Diego and I see that all the time. Planes and Helicopters. I play by the rules, what about them??

Many aircraft (in the US) have the exemptions. Not saying some full sized aircraft don't fudge the rules at times but a lot of low altitude flights are w/i the rules. Emergency operations is an example. In the correct airspace, manned aircraft can fly below 500' in sparsely occupied areas or over water.


This guy was below 200' AGL when I got this pic and as I was driving along the road he was about 40 feet away from me at about 10'AGL.

 

[Scubadiver1944]

Many aircraft (in the US) have the exemptions. Not saying some full sized aircraft don't fudge the rules at times but a lot of low altitude flights are w/i the rules. Emergency operations is an example. In the correct airspace, manned aircraft can fly below 500' in sparsely occupied areas or over water.
View attachment 107181

This guy was below 200' AGL when I got this pic and as I was driving along the road he was about 40 feet away from me at about 10'AGL.

Looks like a crop sprayer to me & I've never seen one in my life, certainly not in the UK!

 

[Vapor069]

Living in the English lake district I often get low flying military / RAF aircraft, they train low flying through the valley's so I can actually look down on the aircraft if I am up one of the fells.
The tourists complain it spoils the lovely quietness of the countryside but I would rather have pilots who are proficient if war brakes out than upset tourists.

What a rush that must be to look down on low-flying fast jets! I'm totally jealous!

 

[THE CYBORG]

What a rush that must be to look down on low-flying fast jets! I'm totally jealous!

With the jets you don't know they are coming until they pass you, can give you quite a shock

 

[Vapor069]

With the jets you don't know they are coming until they pass you, can give you quite a shock

Post some videos of that!

 

[THE CYBORG]

Post some videos of that!

Low flying in the lake district NOT MY VIDEO but worth a look

 

[hiflyer201]

In the U.S. helicopters responding to an emergency are often quite low and this is fairly common near parks. There are a lot of military low altitude routes listed on the sectionals that are seldom used and are not restricted airspace. It's easy to forget they are there. Airliners on approach are invariably on a very specific course and using precise vertical guidance so if you see one..check your location..yikes!
That Grumman AG Cat is a very common scene in the central California San Joaquin Valley. Driving along the 5 or 99 there is nearly always one in sight during the growing season..which in our fair state is nearly all year long.

 

[Vapor069]

Low flying in the lake district NOT MY VIDEO but worth a look

Amazing, wish I had something like that here in Florida!

 

[shaneb50]

I saw a plane flying over my apartment today.it was way low .

 

[TampaTC]

Amazing, wish I had something like that here in Florida!

Head down to Avon Park, FL. The fly low, fast, and fire weapons on the range all the time.

 

[TampaTC]

Many people have a hard time judging heights. I fly a lot of night flights so I do daytime recon to ensure I have a safe flight. I know most areas having oak trees are no taller than 40 foot. Local power poles are 30 foot, transmission poles are 60 to 100 foot, an 8 story building is roughly 100 feet (12' to 15' per story roughly) Cell towers 100 to 120 feet. Water towers very but usually under 200 feet.