And, I'm pretty sure, the fAA has no definition of "rural." Maybe its up
to the pilots to define?

"Not congested" does not equate to "rural". In a rural area, one must
be five hundred feet away from structures and such, but any safe
altitude above the ground. In an area that's not rural but not
congested, five hundred feet above the ground.

The FAA definitions of "congested" and "rural" are top-secret, and
revealed on a need-to-know basis after the fact. But you knew this.

As a working definition I use the yellow areas of the sectional as
"congested", and any place that looks like is should be yellow. If I've
got plenty of places to put it down should the cooling fan quit, I don't
consider it congested. (It's about hazard, not noise).

Jose
--
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