Flying Small plane over house.. suggestions please

[Bill Davis]

Since I'm essentially unqualified to discuss the regulations - I figured I might take the OP onto another track.

If a flight for the photos turns out to be vastly too much hassle, you might consider other ways to get a camera up high enough to get the angle you want.

I had a GREAT day some years back videotaping the release of rehabilitated hawks and owls in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix.

One of the organization's volunteers had access to a 100 foot crane - so I spent a couple of hours in a basket hanging over the desert floor grabbing great POV footage. I remember the perspective quite well, and I'd bet that from that height, you could get exceptional "ariels" of many a property.

And I've also heard of outfits that do property photography from tethered large diameter helium balloons.

Always remember there's usually more than one way to approach these things.

Good luck.

[Kenneth Burgener]

Well, with a big storm coming, (I live in S.W. Florida) my flight might be delayed for a week or so. I was in a DC-3 years ago and the pilot buzzed our place in the Bahamas. The lady next door went nuts and drove down to the airport to yell at our pilot. He said some un nice things to her, and the next week, he went even lower. She called the FAA and they told her that if it was out of county they didn't have any jurisdiction. Later that month a customs agent from the Bahamas yelled at our pilot, and he spun the plane around and blew down the custom shack. This was all back in the 70's. We also lost a door on take off, and were hit mid air by a U.S. Custom jet. But that is another story.

So I will let all you know how my flight is when I do it. Thanks for all the tips. I will tell the pilot what I want and let him go as low or high as he cares.

Ken

[Dean Sensui]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Burgener

Well, with a big storm coming, (I live in S.W. Florida) my flight might be delayed for a week or so. I was in a DC-3 years ago and the pilot buzzed our place in the Bahamas. The lady next door went nuts and drove down to the airport to yell at our pilot. He said some un nice things to her, and the next week, he went even lower. She called the FAA and they told her that if it was out of county they didn't have any jurisdiction. Later that month a customs agent from the Bahamas yelled at our pilot, and he spun the plane around and blew down the custom shack. This was all back in the 70's. We also lost a door on take off, and were hit mid air by a U.S. Custom jet. But that is another story.

So I will let all you know how my flight is when I do it. Thanks for all the tips. I will tell the pilot what I want and let him go as low or high as he cares.

Ken

There's a saying: There's old pilots. And there's bold pilots. But there ain't no old, bold pilots.

Stay safe.

[Bob Hart]

QUOTE: There's old pilots. And there's bold pilots. But there ain't no old, bold pilots - a generally acknowledged sure truth.


There are sometimes rare exceptions :-

Bob Hoover, whose specialty was very gently aerobatting the Aero Commander twin, not an aircraft one would want to even dream of overstressing with its history of mainspar cracking.

Also an 80 year old who recently retired from airshow flying as "The Flying Farmer" in a Piper Cub.


Your DC3 pilot. Does he happen to have a 35 yr old son of eurasian appearance?

[Brad Phillips]

I have used a few helicopters for filming and have always been frustrated because they won't get low enough. But I have seen behind the scenes stuff of my competitors film where the helicopter is no more than 10 feet off the ground. Is he just using a buddy that doesn't care about getting in trouble? Or is there some way to go that low legally?

[Jim Michael]

Brad, FAR 91.119(d) permits a pilot to fly a helicopter at altitudes lower than minimums prescribed in (b) and (c) provided the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property.

Re the OP's flight, 1000 feet is pattern altitude for most folks and is low enough for some decent shots of the house. Altitude aside, as PIC I would pay particular attention to the safety of the flight per 91.119(a). I would want safe gliding distance to an acceptable landing place should an engine failure occur. Likewise for helicopters, which have a minimum altitude from which it is possible to autorotate in case of an engine failure. Such failures are extremely rare due to the required maintenance and redundancies built into aircraft systems.

Originally Posted by Brad Phillips

I have used a few helicopters for filming and have always been frustrated because they won't get low enough. But I have seen behind the scenes stuff of my competitors film where the helicopter is no more than 10 feet off the ground. Is he just using a buddy that doesn't care about getting in trouble? Or is there some way to go that low legally?