Mini2 Almost collides with low flying airplane

[julius13]

I was on the Florida gulf coast back in September (Destin) and they have planes taking tourist for flights along the coast. The airstrip was close by and they were constantly flying around 200 ft. agl. There was a small area where drones were not in restricted area but I didn’t want to chance anything. It was a shame because conditions were excellent that week.

 

[Droffarc]

I was on the Florida gulf coast back in September (Destin) and they have planes taking tourist for flights along the coast. The airstrip was close by and they were constantly flying around 200 ft. agl. There was a small area where drones were not in restricted area but I didn’t want to chance anything. It was a shame because conditions were excellent that week.

Does it not just get to you when conditions are perfect, light is perfect and you cannot/may not fly

 

[Droffarc]

This was my close call this past winter while I was flying over a frozen river. I had to throw the drone in sport mode and climb like a bastard so these 2 crazy pilots wouldn’t hit me.

Wow! that is indeed low, TGF sport mode!

 

[DroneDosser]

In this area, we sometimes find some low flying planes for marine research etc, but to be honest, not that many and they keep more to the sea side and the middle of the bay. I've done a video there a while ago, just at Houtbay side, see

Outstanding videography and excellent location.

 

[Sylvia-Khatt]

In this area, we sometimes find some low flying planes for marine research etc, but to be honest, not that many and they keep more to the sea side and the middle of the bay. I've done a video there a while ago, just at Houtbay side, see

Nice job on the video... I enjoyed!?

 

[Niterunnr]

I’m certain most here already know this, but I didn’t see it referenced and thought I’d offer a refresher for those operating in the USA.
Over cities and towns, the limit in 1000’ unless a landing area is nearby. In sparsely populated areas, the limit is 500 feet around persons or vehicles, vessels or structure.
If the pilot doesn’t see any of these, they could easily be below 500. BTW, even a fence counts as a structure; this rule keeps pilots from “legally” flying under bridges and power lines. Oh and helicopters can do anything

FAR 91.119 Minimum safe altitudes; general

Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:
(a) Not relevant here
(b) Over congested areas – Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open-air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas – An altitude of 500 feet above the surface except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In that case, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
(d) Helicopters – Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed In paragraph (b) or (c) of this section

 

[Earthman]

Looks like two frames of a video to me. The frames may be 1/30th of a second apart so there wouldn’t be a discernible difference it the position of relatively slow moving things like waves. The text isn’t different ‘cause nothing about the text changed in the 1/30th of a second between the frames. A small airplane could be that much farther along its path of travel in 1/30th of a second.

 

[Wilson Johnson]

Military Tucano for sure .

 

[previtij]

In this area, we sometimes find some low flying planes for marine research etc, but to be honest, not that many and they keep more to the sea side and the middle of the bay. I've done a video there a while ago, just at Houtbay side, see

Nice bit of flying and an excellent choice of music. A little motion chop but otherwise very nice.

 

[Serra.one]

The same thing happened to me on a beach in FL, airplanes are not supposed to fly lower than 500 MSL and in Florida, there is no much difference between AGL and MSL, a plane did a flyby in the coastline at about 250 ft MSL, too bad I was not recording at that time so I could get the tail number. I did have to maneuver to a safe distance away from the airplane path. Is good to have an ADS-b tracker and alarm in hand. this guy has a video where he built one using a Rasberry PI

this is an update to his first version

fully recommended, or have someone with FlightAware open in another device, monitoring for traffic.

 

[Hodge]

I did have a rather close encounter with a low flying aircraft similar to a Cessna 150 or something along those lines. And as luck would have it I lost momentary contact with my Phantom 3 so I couldn't move further out of the way and I couldn't position to get any pictures. I'm still getting ready to take my Part 107 exam so I am familiar with my local sectional chart and my area is not a Victor Airway yet there he was flying particularly low over our neighborhood. Now 11 miles to the northwest of me is a small airport. so he could have been avoiding the controlled airspace that's at 3k or further east at 1300, but where we were is class G and I surely would have done more to yield if I had the chance but we were a fair distance apart. But still from the initial angle when I hear his approach I just wanted to drop lower and of course moments after he had past the Phantom 3 regained connection with the controller. I love my Phantom 3 but I sure wish it had one of the newer links between drone and controller

 

[Galeforce1]

Probably frame stills from video shown.

Close for sure (as far as manned aircraft distances go).
In SA, do you have min flight alt for light aircraft ?
In a lot of countries it's 500', and with 400' for drones, that give a reasonable buffer if the drone pilot is alert.

This pilot might have been at 500' from the sea level, hard to tell from the stills, but looks like it.
Goes to show how important it is to stay within 400' from the spot under the drone.
Of course your experience was pretty bad luck, timing, location, etc, but shows it can happen.

I see shark spotting planes out a bit from the cliff lines I like to fly sometimes, but they are out a lot further, and quite a bit higher, I'd never go near them but am always alert for them and possibly ultra lights, helis etc.

I think the plane was lower than 500', of that I'm fairly sure since in Sydney there are are similar spots along a narrow strip just off the coast (from Mona Vale to Stanwell Tops) named Victor 1, which as a private pilot I used to fly in a Beechcraft Sundowner. Having flown that route many times, at well below 500' it looks like the aircraft in the photos was at about 300' or so.

The images show an altitude of 1m, which according the the OP is about 200' cliff top level, and I'd say the aircraft was only about 100' or so above that level, which puts it at around 300'.

 

[Camino Ken]

The same thing happened to me on a beach in FL, airplanes are not supposed to fly lower than 500 MSL and in Florida, there is no much difference between AGL and MSL, a plane did a flyby in the coastline at about 250 ft MSL, too bad I was not recording at that time so I could get the tail number. I did have to maneuver to a safe distance away from the airplane path. Is good to have an ADS-b tracker and alarm in hand. this guy has a video where he built one using a Rasberry PI

this is an update to his first version

fully recommended, or have someone with FlightAware open in another device, monitoring for traffic.

Planes can legally fly below 500ft as long as they are 500ft horizontally and vertically from any person or structure.

 

[Galeforce1]

Planes can legally fly below 500ft as long as they are 500ft horizontally and vertically from any person or structure.

That doesn't make sense. If the plane is 500ft vertically from a person or structure, then it is not below 500ft.

 

[AusFlyer]

Taking the opportunity in almost windless conditions after work this afternoon I went out along Clarence drive for some sea and coastal footage.
The mini2 was a mere 25 seconds in the air and 47 Meters out when I heard a strange sound like a truck approaching.
To my eyes surprise it was a low flying aircraft that sped by - If the drone had been further out and higher I would have been a drone short.

Yes you might have been a drone short and the pilots their lives. But your thoughts were with your drone. Was it in uncontrolled airport airspace or did teh maps show you were completely free to fly there ?

 

[AusFlyer]

This illustrates why the Part 107 exam requires so much knowledge of aircraft landing patterns and how to read sectional charts. Once you understand the architecture of the airspace where you are flying your drone you can better anticipate those types of low flying aircraft.

I live just SW of a small airport and relatively close to San Jose Mineta International (SJC). The foothills to the East have high tension towers along the ridge. Small aircraft approaching the closer small Evergreen airport will fly below 400’ over this ridge just high enough to clear the high tension lines and towers, but low enough to stay under the SJC airspace and are perfectly legal to do so. If you were flying near the top of this ridge and were unaware of the airspace you could easily put your drone in the approach path.

Part 107 is American only. Nowhere else in the world Part 107 is a prerequisite or even exists. Alot of people here will not know what you mean with Part 107 exams.

 

[Meta4]

That doesn't make sense. If the plane is 500ft vertically from a person or structure, then it is not below 500ft.

What he meant was >500ft from people or structures.

 

[Ronny St.]

Whatever comments: it looks VERY scary!!

 

[Droffarc]

Yes you might have been a drone short and the pilots their lives. But your thoughts were with your drone. Was it in uncontrolled airport airspace or did teh maps show you were completely free to fly there ?

Nah, It was in free to fly space, see map attached

 

[Kola]

We were camping at Ganzekraal this weekend (about 30km up the west coast from Melkbosstrand outside Cape Town)

Saturday and Sunday in the morning a number of small planes went over from Cape Town north towards Langebaan, some of them really close to shore or even right over the camp sites, and really very low, and a number from Langebaan traveling south towards Cape Town in the afternoon.

The two planes flying the lowest were the same two flying north and then later south.

I had the drone up later, and stayed very low (20m and lower) but climbed to 50m once and in my estimation that was higher or very close to the altitude of the two planes (I could be wrong, it is very subjective).

The challenge was that the planes flying higher could be heard much sooner, while the two low flying planes I could only hear once they were very close (campsite is right on the beach/rocks with quite a lot of wave noise).

Really made me nervous to fly higher, but then again the best photos and footage I have is always low anyway.

No, I have no photos of the planes, was not flying at the time.