Low flying airplanes and heli - rules?

[neggy]

Manned aircraft have the right of way, you don't, they don't "own" the airspace, but in the pecking order of who gets to fly there you are right next to the kid with a box kite on the pecking order.

Even those of us that are Part 107 have to give way to manned aircraft.

If people don't start respecting the NAS, and their position on the totem pole, the easy way for the FAA to correct the problem will be a total ban on recreational sUAV's, and severe limitations on commercial usage.

Wait until they impose an ADS-B requirement and radio requirement on sUAV's because the honor system is not being honored.

 

[tleedom]

"Wait until they impose an ADS-B requirement and radio requirement on sUAV's because the honor system is not being honored".

Not in a sUAV, very likely in UAS 55 lbs +.

 

[brew99]

I had a similar thought this past weekend when I was sitting in the lake house and observed what looked like a private heli zip past the dock/shoreline at about 100ft off the water and 100ft out. It is not common to see them flying this low or close, and it made me wonder what if I was playing with my mini 2 at that time? Being so close to the shoreline, it makes it difficult to see or hear where they are coming from, and doesn't give much time to position the mini2 somewhere safe.

I have no idea what the regulations for helicopter are, but it seems to me that the pilot was not necessarily being safe flying at those distances.

 

[Rich QR]

I had a similar thought this past weekend when I was sitting in the lake house and observed what looked like a private heli zip past the dock/shoreline at about 100ft off the water and 100ft out. It is not common to see them flying this low or close, and it made me wonder what if I was playing with my mini 2 at that time? Being so close to the shoreline, it makes it difficult to see or hear where they are coming from, and doesn't give much time to position the mini2 somewhere safe.

I have no idea what the regulations for helicopter are, but it seems to me that the pilot was not necessarily being safe flying at those distances.

The regulations for helicopters are posted in this thread. 91.119 (d) basically says that helicopters can fly as low as they want as long as the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface. A drone in the air is not a "person or property on the surface", so 91.119 doesn't prohibit them from creating a hazard for your drone.

Regardless of whether they are there legally or illegally, you are required to yield to them, and not create a collision hazard for them.

 

[brew99]

I understand and agree with what you are saying Rich, and assume that the regs here in Canada are similar to the US. I was generally just trying to point out that the way he/she was flying, doesn't give an individual much room and/or time to get out of the way. It really snuck up on us!!

 

[Rich QR]

I understand and agree with what you are saying Rich, and assume that the regs here in Canada are similar to the US. I was generally just trying to point out that the way he/she was flying, doesn't give an individual much room and/or time to get out of the way. It really snuck up on us!!

Oops, I should have noticed your location in BC, so of course the detailed chapter and verse of the FAA rules don't apply to your location. I believe these are the Canadian rules for low altitude aircraft flight: Canadian Aviation Regulations

I'm not familiar with them, other than what I just read today, so I lack the context to understand them in detail. But they do appear to allow some low altitude helicopter flights, at least for aerial inspection, aerial photography conducted by the holder of an air operator certificate, helicopter external load operations, or flight training.

Since a helicopter isn't in a good position to see your drone, and since you are not in a good position to know whether the helicopter is engaged in flight training, photography, or one of the other permissible low-altitude activities, I suspect you always have an obligation to avoid the helicopter, to the best of your ability, regardless of whether he's there legally or not.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

The same rule applies in Australia regarding give way to manned aircraft.
Roughly, if you become aware of manned aircraft operating in your airspace, descend / land immediately it is safe to do so.

Not knowing where that low flying chopper is the problem of course, in your example @brew99 if you were flying that day, you could have descended into the choppers path.

This sort of situation is that 0.0001% (very slim chance) of such scenarios, and probably the only real danger to manned aircraft out of a drone pilots control.

It's obviously more of an issue in Canadas great remote regions, low flights by helis and float planes, but still in the majority of those circumstances you should thankfully be able to react for the safety of the aircraft.