This is for the "real" pilots. Minimum altitude.

[flying blind]

Here is the setting.
My home sits on 10 acres and the adjoining properties are all above 8 acres. My neighbors are all cool with me flying over their property. Country setting. I have my max altitude set to 400 feet and I keep Mavic in site.
Now the question.
Especially on the weekends I have planes fly over my property allot and they appear to be pretty low. I sometimes I think they use my place as a turn around point.
What is the minimum legal altitude for a small plane over a residential area out of city limits?

 

[Nikon1]

No idea. Maybe check the FAA Regs? How far are you from the closest airport? Check with the tower at your nearest airport.

There are more than a few pilots of commercial and private pilots on this board and I'm sure they will weigh in soon enough.

Good, Safe Flying.

 

[Nightowl702]

Isn't the minimum legal altitude 1000ft agl in city and 500ft agl rural from any building, structure or person?

 

[gnirtS]

What you want is the FAA "Minimum Safe Altitude" guides:-

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...re/media/FAA_Guide_to_Low-Flying_Aircraft.pdf

Basically 500ft from persons, property or ground in rural areas. This is why the 400ft drone recommendation exists (and law in lots of places). It gives a 100ft separation minima between aircraft following MSA and a drone.

One thing i will say is most people seem to underestimate the altitude of powered aircraft, sometimes quite substantially.

 

[Robbyg]

Yes it's 500ft but in the private pilot world you have a lot of pilots that will dip below that. I had one guy fly about 200ft over my head.

I suggest you drop down to 250ft for most of your flights. That way if something does happen your 100% in the clear. Also the terrain video is so much better at 100-200 ft up.


Rob

 

[Kestrel]

I Suggest just keeping it barely above tree level, just high enough to not hit the trees and to where the pilots would have to have some balls or be crazy to fly that low.

 

[danman999]

Yes it's 500ft but in the private pilot world you have a lot of pilots that will dip below that. I had one guy fly about 200ft over my head.

I suggest you drop down to 250ft for most of your flights. That way if something does happen your 100% in the clear. Also the terrain video is so much better at 100-200 ft up.


Rob

If a pilot flies an aircraft over your home or your person at 200 feet , and is not in the process of taking off or landing, get their tail number and report them to the FAA. Video evidence always helps. If you need to know where to report them, PM me and I can get a name and phone number from the local FSDO.
As much as irresponsible drone operators tick me off, irresponsible certificated aircraft pilots are worse as they know better.

 

[Dadoftwogirls]

I Suggest just keeping it barely above tree level, just high enough to not hit the trees and to where the pilots would have to have some balls or be crazy to fly that low.

What fun is flying like that? Why even have a drone if you can't take it any higher than a few feet above the trees.

 

[Dadoftwogirls]

If a pilot flies an aircraft over your home or your person at 200 feet , and is not in the process of taking off or landing, get their tail number and report them to the FAA. Video evidence always helps. If you need to know where to report them, PM me and I can get a name and phone number from the local FSDO.
As much as irresponsible drone operators tick me off, irresponsible certificated aircraft pilots are worse as they know better.

I agree. I am right at +5 from my local airfield for light aircraft / private jets. On a regular basis I know that some of these guys are not landing and are easily under 400 feet. And taking off, at 5 miles, they should easily be above 400 feet outbound by that point. It is exclusively the guys in the single engine aircraft. 172s and the like. These guys are just larking around siteseeing. It is very irritating. I've called the tower there and they said its not their problem to call our local international airport? What? How does that make sense.

 

[geigy]

Pilots can fly at whatever altitude they decide is safe, with the recommendation being 500 feet above ground level, and 500 feet below the cloud ceiling. For example, if the cloud ceiling is 500 feet, they might do their approach at 400 feet, and drones would be recommended for the sake of safety not to fly at all. Since you know the area,

One advantage you have over a manned craft is hearing. I would go all the way to 400 feet, and be ready to descend if you hear a plane or copter nearby, if you think that's feasible.

 

[neggy]

If you look at a sectional chart, especially around populated areas, you will see that they are colored yellow. That designates 1000' AGL minimum altitude.t

the rest of it is 500' minimum, but that is just one small component.... there are all sorts of distance minimums from clouds, towers, other objects. You'd have a hard time explaining why you were below 500' AGL in an General Aviation aircraft unless you were taking off or landing, or having an emergency such as avoiding another aircraft, or crop dusting.

At 500' if you have an engine go south, or stall, you have zero ability to pitch the nose down in order to maintain airflow over the wings in order to produce lift.

1000' isn't a lot but it is better than 500 when you are trying to get the engine going ( you are only going to get one shot at it) or find a golf course, football field, open area to make a landing.

Personally I am happy at 2000 or 2500 feet, in uncontrolled airspace, but there are times when I am trying to stay under controlled airspace and at the floor altitude.... Flying over Fort Myers Beach is a good example of that, got to avoid the parasail folks and stay under the SW Florida International Airport approach.

Marshfield MA is the same way, Jets headed to Logan can be as low as 6000', I buzz around at 2500', stay out of the controlled airspace just to the north, and away from the BOS traffic above, and out of the pattern altitude.

BTW the 500' and 1000' rules are in part 91, section 119

14 CFR 91.119 - Minimum safe altitudes: General.

But remember, even if the plane is in the wrong, as a sUAV PIC, you have the duty to give way and avoid the manned aircraft.

 

[Kestrel]

What fun is flying like that? Why even have a drone if you can't take it any higher than a few feet above the trees.

In an area of low flying aircraft why would you even want to fly higher than that?