Flying over the runway is illegal?

Andrew Sarangan wrote:
I could see flyovers being illegal under two FARs - minimum safe
altitude, as well as careless and reckless. Regardless of legality,
they are totally unnecessary and unsafe. The outcome of this flight
demonstrates that point.

They aren't unsafe any more than any other aspect of flying is unsafe.
They may or may not be necessary, all depends on the circumstances.
They are necessary if you are inspecting a field that is short, soft
and/or unknown to you as part of your pre-landing activities. Many
flight instruction guides specifically recommend this in these cases.

Matt

Matt Whiting wrote:
Andrew Sarangan wrote:
I could see flyovers being illegal under two FARs - minimum safe
altitude, as well as careless and reckless. Regardless of legality,
they are totally unnecessary and unsafe. The outcome of this flight
demonstrates that point.

They aren't unsafe any more than any other aspect of flying is unsafe.
They may or may not be necessary, all depends on the circumstances.
They are necessary if you are inspecting a field that is short, soft
and/or unknown to you as part of your pre-landing activities. Many
flight instruction guides specifically recommend this in these cases.

Matt

I think we are talking about different things here. Go-arounds,
circling approaches, low pass for inspecting the runway, and slow
flight one foot above the runway are all well-intended useful
maneuvers. I do them, and I teach them. May be I misunderstood the
article, but the phrase "fly over" in the article implied a highspeed
pass over the runway. This is what I was referring to as unnecessary
and unsafe.

Mustang requesting fly-by. Sorry Mustang, the pattern is
closed.




"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message
oups.com...
| Matt Whiting wrote:
| Andrew Sarangan wrote:
| I could see flyovers being illegal under two FARs -
minimum safe
| altitude, as well as careless and reckless. Regardless
of legality,
| they are totally unnecessary and unsafe. The outcome
of this flight
| demonstrates that point.
|
| They aren't unsafe any more than any other aspect of
flying is unsafe.
| They may or may not be necessary, all depends on the
circumstances.
| They are necessary if you are inspecting a field that is
short, soft
| and/or unknown to you as part of your pre-landing
activities. Many
| flight instruction guides specifically recommend this in
these cases.
|
| Matt
|
| I think we are talking about different things here.
Go-arounds,
| circling approaches, low pass for inspecting the runway,
and slow
| flight one foot above the runway are all well-intended
useful
| maneuvers. I do them, and I teach them. May be I
misunderstood the
| article, but the phrase "fly over" in the article implied
a highspeed
| pass over the runway. This is what I was referring to as
unnecessary
| and unsafe.
|

Jim Macklin wrote:

Mustang requesting fly-by. Sorry Mustang, the pattern is
closed.

Wasn't that Maverick?

--
Peter

"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message
oups.com...
I think we are talking about different things here. Go-arounds,
circling approaches, low pass for inspecting the runway, and slow
flight one foot above the runway are all well-intended useful
maneuvers. I do them, and I teach them. May be I misunderstood the
article, but the phrase "fly over" in the article implied a highspeed
pass over the runway. This is what I was referring to as unnecessary
and unsafe.

But you also claimed that the minimum safe altitude regulation applies. I
don't see how it does, if all the other low-altitude maneuvers are legal
("low pass for inspecting the runway", "slow flight one foot above the
runway", and a missed approach as part of a practice IFR approach in which a
landing was never intended as specific examples...the others you mentioned
could be argued as part of a landing).

"Careless or reckless" is, as we should all know, the catch-all the FAA uses
for pretty much any operation they don't like. It's no surprise that rule
might be invoked. When an accident happens as a result of a pilot doing
something out of the ordinary, the FAA will usually invoke that rule. But
that doesn't make a specific operation illegal; it mainly just makes
crashing during a specific operation illegal.

Given that low-pass approaches are clearly permitted in some situations, I
don't see how one can read the minimum altitude regulations in a way that
prohibits what this guy was doing. It's pretty clear from the FAA's
handling of operations that low-altitude flight in the vicinity of a runway
is allowed, even when the pilot never intended to land.

Pete

Who are you quoting? Who used the word "illegal"?

Bob Gardner

"Owen Hiller" wrote in message
...
I had no idea that a flyover of the runway was illegal. But here you go:



"After making two flyovers - a common, but illegal maneuver in which the
pilot flies low over the runway - he made the five-minute flight to
Rountree where he normally purchased fuel, said airport employees.

According to an investigator with the Federal Aviation Administration,
before landing, he conducted another flyover, but stalled, crashing
nose-down just beyond the tree line in an open field east of the runway.

The crash was reported at approximately 8 a.m. by a resident who saw the
wreckage as he left for work, according Hartselle Police."


"Veteran-flyer Tom Coggin, 67, of Cullman, died instantly when his RV-6,
two-seater aircraft crashed on private property near Rountree Field,
Hartselle's municipal airstrip."

"Deadly Flight" - Cullman Times July 25 2006

http://www.cullmantimes.com/homepage...picturestor y

"Bob Gardner" wrote:
Who are you quoting? Who used the word "illegal"?

Since Owen included the link to the article written by an "Evan
Belanger" of "The Cullman Times," that appears to be the source of the
quote.


Bob Gardner

"Owen Hiller" wrote in message
...
I had no idea that a flyover of the runway was illegal. But here you
go:



"After making two flyovers - a common, but illegal maneuver in which
the pilot flies low over the runway - he made the five-minute flight
to Rountree where he normally purchased fuel, said airport employees.

According to an investigator with the Federal Aviation
Administration, before landing, he conducted another flyover, but
stalled, crashing nose-down just beyond the tree line in an open
field east of the runway.

The crash was reported at approximately 8 a.m. by a resident who saw
the wreckage as he left for work, according Hartselle Police."


"Veteran-flyer Tom Coggin, 67, of Cullman, died instantly when his
RV-6, two-seater aircraft crashed on private property near Rountree
Field, Hartselle's municipal airstrip."

"Deadly Flight" - Cullman Times July 25 2006

http://www.cullmantimes.com/homepage...37.html?keywor
d=leadpicturestory

I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over a quote from someone like
that.

Bob Gardner

"Jim Logajan" wrote in message
.. .
"Bob Gardner" wrote:
Who are you quoting? Who used the word "illegal"?

Since Owen included the link to the article written by an "Evan
Belanger" of "The Cullman Times," that appears to be the source of the
quote.


Bob Gardner

"Owen Hiller" wrote in message
...
I had no idea that a flyover of the runway was illegal. But here you
go:



"After making two flyovers - a common, but illegal maneuver in which
the pilot flies low over the runway - he made the five-minute flight
to Rountree where he normally purchased fuel, said airport employees.

According to an investigator with the Federal Aviation
Administration, before landing, he conducted another flyover, but
stalled, crashing nose-down just beyond the tree line in an open
field east of the runway.

The crash was reported at approximately 8 a.m. by a resident who saw
the wreckage as he left for work, according Hartselle Police."


"Veteran-flyer Tom Coggin, 67, of Cullman, died instantly when his
RV-6, two-seater aircraft crashed on private property near Rountree
Field, Hartselle's municipal airstrip."

"Deadly Flight" - Cullman Times July 25 2006

http://www.cullmantimes.com/homepage...37.html?keywor
d=leadpicturestory

Bob Gardner wrote:
I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over a quote from someone like
that.

I wouldn't either. I know that a low approach over a runway is not
illegal. People do them all the time with the tower's blessing.

John Galban====N4BQ (PA28-180)

John Galban wrote:
Bob Gardner wrote:
I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over a quote from someone like
that.

I wouldn't either. I know that a low approach over a runway is not
illegal. People do them all the time with the tower's blessing.

For that matter, going around would be considered a low approach.