Low Flying Aircraft

[[email protected].]

Yesterday I was out giving my drone a flight. Weather conditions for once were good, I live in an area where there are no flying restrictions but as my house is approximately 12 miles from the helicopter training base at RAF Shawbury I am very careful about when I fly as the area around where I live is devoid of other houses and is regularly used by pilots under instruction for very low level flying.
I checked that there were no helis about (it was just after lunch time) and presumably all the pilots were still in the messroom. I was flying at about 375 feet and in clear view. Suddenly I heard a small private aircraft approaching so as a precautionary measure I started to bring the Mavic Pro down and it was at about 250-275 feet when this aircraft passed UNDERNEATH my drone. I doubt very much if the pilot would have seen it. The plane then turned and headed towards Sleap Airfield which is about 6 miles away and is used by a large number of recreational pilots. Because it all happened so quickly I was unable to get any identifying markings other than the colour and shape of the wings.
Do I go and speak to the people in the control tower or just keep my head down . From my research private aircraft are not allowed to fly lower than 500ft which should, in theory, give a 100ft separation to the ceiling for drones.
Any thoughts?

Without identification data on the aircraft, It will most likely be a waste of time to pursue the matter any further.

 

[Gagey52]

Not Quite
The 500 feet rule

Except with the permission in writing of the CAA, an aircraft shall not be flown closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle or structure

Also, think of 500 feet as a bubble around the plane.. the pilot could, in theory, be 100 feet off the ground and 500 from your house

no mention of a bubble in the Australian regulations. It clearly states above ‘above the ground’.
Regards

 

[Cymruflyer]

Without identification data on the aircraft, It will most likely be a waste of time to pursue the matter any further.

Even if you had the data, there is nothing to pursue. As a drone flyer you have no rights in the sky over any manned aircraft, regardless of what they were doing, legally or illegally. You are the lowest on the totem pole. By the way, the manned aircraft was doing nothing illegal, flying at the altitude they were, since they were over open land.

 

[Starz]

Even if you had the data there is nothing to pursue. As a drone flyer you have no rights in the sky over any manned aircraft, regardless of what they were doing, legally or illegally. You are the lowest on the totem pole. By the way, the manned aircraft was doing nothing illegal, flying at the altitude they were, since they were over open land.

Interesting thought regarding the no rights in the sky. Determination of fault would be decided by a judge and a very expensive group of attorneys with some form of participation from the FAA.

 

[Yaros]

I don't know if this is also the case in the US, but at least here in Spain, some aircraft can fly below 400ft.
And I had a close encounter on 300 ft with a plane flying over my house.

 

[[email protected].]

Even if you had the data there is nothing to pursue. As a drone flyer you have no rights in the sky over any manned aircraft, regardless of what they were doing, legally or illegally. You are the lowest on the totem pole. By the way, the manned aircraft was doing nothing illegal, flying at the altitude they were, since they were over open land

I'll have to consult FAA regulations on your comments. I do not hold a manned rating, so I don't know what those altitude regulations are.

 

[dronerdave]

Lots of low flying manned aircraft around my area I fly at. Here are just a few and they were all below a couple hundred feet or less. And planes coming at you are often very hard to hear before for you can react in time.