Military aircraft versus Mavic 4

[swb_mct]

I have been flying my Mavic 4 over a lake in Northern Minnesota for the last few days. Today, a 4 engine military prop plane flew straight over our house at very low altitude. I was inside and it sounded and felt like I was under a old wooden train trestle with a freight train going over.

I ran outside to see it pass over the tree tops on the opposite shore and it was less double the height above the tree line than the height of the trees. That's provides an guesstimated altitude of 3 x 120' or 360 feet. It would be a blast to be in the plane flying over lake country at 400'. Fort Ripley is 40 miles from here. That's a long landing approach.

I know my drone has crossed that path several times in the last few days. I know the chance of collision is infinitesimal but still, its scary to visualize. I saw on this forum a city chopper pilot talking about 400' as the typical altitude for metro chopper services. Is 400' normal for military training/practice flights with 4 engine planes ? - Its common here - have seen this several times - I wish I could be in the plane.

 

[dronerdave]

Hard to guestimate height. You say opposite shore. Depending on airspace, manned aircraft can and often do fly low over water...some just a few feet off the water. Similar to the more vacant areas where crop dusters work. I fly at a private testing facility runway and see a lot of low flying aircraft.

 

[Jeff A]

Hard to guestimate height. You say opposite shore. Depending on airspace, manned aircraft can and often do fly low over water...some just a few feet off the water. Similar to the more vacant areas where crop dusters work. I fly at a private testing facility runway and see a lot of low flying aircraft.

View attachment 106412

When you see the oil leaking out of those big round engines, the aircraft is definitely low!

 

[Torcan]

I have been flying my Mavic 4

Mavic 4 ??
did I miss Mavic 3 somewhere along the line????

 

[Martysticks]

Was thinking the same thing; Mavic 4?

 

[AngelWings78]

Was thinking the same thing; Mavic 4?

Maybe Phantom? I don't know?

 

[DanaMc]

Hard to guestimate height. You say opposite shore. Depending on airspace, manned aircraft can and often do fly low over water...some just a few feet off the water. Similar to the more vacant areas where crop dusters work. I fly at a private testing facility runway and see a lot of low flying aircraft.

View attachment 106412

FYI: The plane in the photo is a rare, restored Boeing B-17 from WWII. It is not an active military plane. Awesome photo!

 

[Mavic Mac]

Not sure where in northern MN but

Military Operations Areas
MOAs consist of airspace of defined vertical and lateral limits established for the purpose of separating certain military training activities from IFR traffic. Whenever a MOA is being used, nonparticipating IFR traffic may be cleared through a MOA if IFR separation can be provided by ATC.

Schedules that interact with airspace P204:

Number of Records: 1*AGL

Type

SAA / NOTAM ID

Start Time

End Time

Center ID

State

Min Alt (100s ft)

Max Alt (100s ft)

Group

	P	P204	01/01/2020 00:00	12/31/2020 23:59	ATP	MN	000*	<040	SAA

Schedules that interact with airspace 4301:

Number of Records: 3*AGL

Type

SAA / NOTAM ID

Start Time

End Time

Center ID

State

Min Alt (100s ft)

Max Alt (100s ft)

Group

	R	4301	07/02/2020 00:00	07/02/2020 06:30	ZMP	MN	000*	050	SAA

	R	4301	07/01/2020 13:00	07/01/2020 23:59	ZMP	MN	000*	260	SAA

	R	4301	07/02/2020 13:00	07/02/2020 23:00	ZMP	MN	000*	260	SAA

Schedules that interact with airspace BEAVER MOA:

Number of Records: 1*AGL

Type

SAA / NOTAM ID

Start Time

End Time

Center ID

State

Min Alt (100s ft)

Max Alt (100s ft)

Group

	O	A5 ORBIT	07/02/2020 14:00	07/02/2020 23:59	ZMP	MN	500	600	SAA

 

[Deleted member 103366]

A B17 flew over here a few years back, I could hear at that time, blimey it's a noisy beep beep.

 

[Hauptmann]

Military aircraft versus Mavic 4?

I'd put my money on the Military Aircraft. You're a lucky guy. I'd be thrilled to have a B-17 fly over my house at any altitude (I'd also be thrilled to have a Mavic 4)!

 

[Scubadiver1944]

Mavic 4 ??
did I miss Mavic 3 somewhere along the line????

Just what I was going to say!

 

[BigJack73]

Hahaha. Mavic 4 is why I clicked on this thread. I'm still on a mavic 1.

I am about a mile away from an Air Reserve Base. I get very low flying Heli's all the time. Sometimes they can't be more than over 250 ft up. Wonder how they can fly that low.

 

[DanaMc]

Hahaha. Mavic 4 is why I clicked on this thread. I'm still on a mavic 1.

I am about a mile away from an Air Reserve Base. I get very low flying Heli's all the time. Sometimes they can't be more than over 250 ft up. Wonder how they can fly that low.

Military can fly wherever they want to or need to in training.

 

[dronerdave]

I'd be thrilled to have a B-17 fly over my house at any altitude!

Actually our flying field is a private test runway and we get a lot of visitors. Most just flyovers but some are training and we have to share the runway with them when flying our RC stuff.
You can see why so many aircraft fly low...it's a pretty big runway.



It's not illegal for them to fly over low but without authorization they are not supposed to land or use the runway.

 

[Hauptmann]

Actually our flying field is a private test runway and we get a lot of visitors. Most just flyovers but some are training and we have to share the runway with them when flying our RC stuff.
View attachment 106578You can see why so many aircraft fly low...it's a pretty big runway.

View attachment 106579View attachment 106580View attachment 106581View attachment 106582

It's not illegal for them to fly over low but without authorization they are not supposed to land or use the runway.

Second from the top: Is that your new drone?

 

[Mavic Mac]

This is the primary aircraft (C 5B Galaxy) that flies in the controlled airspace (100' AGL) above the house - 1/4 mile away the controlled airspace is 0' AGL. You definitely know when they are overhead This is a "stock photo" from the net - not mine.

 

[Lets Fly]

I have been flying my Mavic 4 over a lake in Northern Minnesota for the last few days. Today, a 4 engine military prop plane flew straight over our house at very low altitude. I was inside and it sounded and felt like I was under a old wooden train trestle with a freight train going over.

I ran outside to see it pass over the tree tops on the opposite shore and it was less double the height above the tree line than the height of the trees. That's provides an guesstimated altitude of 3 x 120' or 360 feet. It would be a blast to be in the plane flying over lake country at 400'. Fort Ripley is 40 miles from here. That's a long landing approach.

I know my drone has crossed that path several times in the last few days. I know the chance of collision is infinitesimal but still, its scary to visualize. I saw on this forum a city chopper pilot talking about 400' as the typical altitude for metro chopper services. Is 400' normal for military training/practice flights with 4 engine planes ? - Its common here - have seen this several times - I wish I could be in the plane.

Did it look like this? C130 which I have about 25 jumps out of, and this aircraft is still very much in service.This aircraft often fly's low.

 

[Lets Fly]

This is the primary aircraft (C 5B Galaxy) that flies in the controlled airspace (100' AGL) above the house - 1/4 mile away the controlled airspace is 0' AGL. You definitely know when they are overhead This is a "stock photo" from the net - not mine.
View attachment 106589

You brought back some memories, I almost got to jump from the C5. When it landed to pick us up it blew some tires.
Never got the chance again.

 

[dronerdave]

Second from the top: Is that your new drone?

LOL, nope. That belongs to NASA like the runway. The county operates the facility when NASA isn't using it. We just got to work with them when they are using their facility. The runway is used for a host of reasons. A lot of LE use and other companies are testing stuff including electric vehicles and driverless autonomous semi trucks. Here a few weeks back a C-5 flew over as part of the C_19 tribute and the coast guard constantly flies a C-130 overhead often but they usually stay well above 400' AGL.

 

[PinpointUAVS]

I live near 4-wing Canadian Forces base so I frequently see CF-18 Hornets flying low as well as the CT-155 Hawk (training jet). I’ve spent several years working on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR) and it’s incredible to see how low they fly and feel the occasional sonic boom. There was one instance where the site super had to call in regarding low flying jets as we had a concrete pumper boom ~150’ in the air and jets were “buzzing treetops”. It was also great to see the “dog fights” during maple flag when allied troops came from all over the world for combat training.