On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 22:33:00 -0600, "Lee K. Gleason"
wrote:


"Duncan (NZ)" wrote in message
.nz...
In article ,
says...
On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 16:08:40 +1300, Duncan (NZ) wrote:

In article ,
says...
What regulations determine the absolute lowest altitude you can fly
above the ground in the U.S.? I understand that the area just above
the ground is usually Class G outside airports, and it only goes up
to
700 or 1200 feet most of the time ... which implies that you can
actually fly at 500 feet AGL if you want. But is there some other
regulation that prohibits aircraft from flying this low, in general
or
in certain conditions/areas?

Well... in New Zealand it's 500' - unless you're in an approved low
level (training) area, in which case it's as low a your intructor
dares.

Over populated areas it's 1,000'

All AGL.

So the instructor who took me down to 100ft over 70? mile beach,
whilst on vacation was just having fun?!!!!!

- did you see your instructor switch the transponder to standby?

My instructor told me I should be careful and never fly low enough to let
anyone read the tail number of the plane...

When thy are this size (check logging trail or corn field)
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/833R/833R_frame.htm
ground reference maneuvers would be difficult. :-))
But in that light, a few years back we had some neighbors to the south
(the typical new subdivision with expensive homes that thought the
airport was too noisy and should be closed so they could sleep
better/later)

At any rate I'd not had the Deb for more than a couple of months. It
had a 2-blade prop. If you've ever heard a Bonanza with a 2-blade prop
take off you know they are loud. If you've not hear one...The prop
tips go supersonic at take off RPM and they are LOUD.

It was a hot day with a gusty wind pretty much out of the south so we
all had to use the short runway which meant I could count the boards
in their picnic tables. I have no doubt that the dishes rattled in
their cupboards and they had to stop talking as a number of us went
over. Of course if they hadn't made such a stink about lenthening
18/36 it would have been 4000 feet and most of us would have been at
pattern altitude over their homes instead of a couple hundred feet.

As I said, the airport was busy and most were either high performance
singles or twins. I only made three trips that day. None were
circuits, or pattern work. However the one irate home owner wrote
down my N# and complained. The airport manager said "this guy says
you went over his house every five minutes all afternoon and he knows
it was you because he wrote down the N number. I explained I'd made
three trips and even doing circuits I'd not be able to do one every
five minutes.

In a way it was good he blamed me with the impossible because the
complaint was filed with the notation, Not possible. Every plane
sounded the same to him and he saw my N# so I got credit for all. Had
he been a bit more observant and accurate they might have listened to
him about the noise, but at that point the city saw him more as a
troublemaker.

BTW I now have a 3-blad prop on the Deb.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com