About avoiding airspace and cruising

Not the sicko kind of cruising, either.

A friend of mine bought a house on some large property about
six miles (linearly) away from a towered airport with class D
five miles around it (one protrusion for approaches that I'm not
concerned with).

She's having a barn built and I'd like to fly over and take some
pictures, but this puts me just outside of the airspace and
somewhat inline with where aircraft come in, a somewhat popular
route to arrive from.

This is far enough away that I suspect most traffic is still at
upwards of 2000' or better. I've flown over and found her house,
but it always makes me nervous. Twitchy as a chipmunk in a cat
house. Well, not a cathouse, really, but still.

What's the safest way to do this? (Yes, my piloting is young yet,
but I'm still proud of it.)

"Erik" wrote

What's the safest way to do this? (Yes, my piloting is young yet,
but I'm still proud of it.)

Take an observer along, to help watch for traffic and to take the pictures,
leaving you free to concentrate on your scans?
--
Jim in NC

Erik wrote:

What's the safest way to do this? (Yes, my piloting is young yet,
but I'm still proud of it.)

Technically, if you're outside the class D, you can do whatever you want.
The safest way would be to call the tower, tell them where you are, altitude
and what you'll be doing (i.e. photo mission). They'll advise incoming
traffic to keep an eye out for you. When you're done, just advise the tower
and be on your way.

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

--
Message posted via AviationKB.com
http://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums...ation/200704/1

On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:29:58 -0700, Erik
wrote in :

What's the safest way to do this?

If you are _sure_ of remaining outside of Class D airspace, contact
the tower and advise them that you will be conducting a photo-shoot at
the coordinates of the location (expressed as distance from a VOR on a
given radial). It would also be good to request Radar Traffic
Advisory Service (flight following) from the appropriate approach
control facility prior to alerting the tower controllers.

Outside of Class A, B, and C airspace, you are the Pilot In Command
(PIC) of your flight operations, and it would be inappropriate for you
to request permission from ATC for the flight you describe.

JGalban via AviationKB.com wrote:

Erik wrote:

What's the safest way to do this? (Yes, my piloting is young yet,
but I'm still proud of it.)


Technically, if you're outside the class D, you can do whatever you want.
The safest way would be to call the tower, tell them where you are, altitude
and what you'll be doing (i.e. photo mission). They'll advise incoming
traffic to keep an eye out for you. When you're done, just advise the tower
and be on your way.

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


Thanks

Larry Dighera wrote:

On Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:29:58 -0700, Erik
wrote in :


What's the safest way to do this?


If you are _sure_ of remaining outside of Class D airspace, contact
the tower and advise them that you will be conducting a photo-shoot at
the coordinates of the location (expressed as distance from a VOR on a
given radial). It would also be good to request Radar Traffic
Advisory Service (flight following) from the appropriate approach
control facility prior to alerting the tower controllers.

Outside of Class A, B, and C airspace, you are the Pilot In Command
(PIC) of your flight operations, and it would be inappropriate for you
to request permission from ATC for the flight you describe.

Thanks. That's what I thought. Calling the tower when I'm not
entering their airspace seemed wierd to me. There is a GPS in the
aircraft I rent whenever I figure I'm going to do something in the
proximity of airspace so that I know where I'm at positively.

I thought calling the tower and telling them that some jackass will
be flying circles just outside of their airspace was a good idea, too,
I'm always afraid of sounding like a dumbs417 calling towers, though.
I avoid it at every opportunity.

I'm always afraid of sounding like a dumbs417 calling towers, though.
I avoid it at every opportunity.

You should practice it at every (reasonable) opportunity. They don't
bite.

Jose
--
Get high on gasoline: fly an airplane.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

JGalban via AviationKB.com wrote:

The safest way would be to call the tower, tell them where you are, altitude
and what you'll be doing (i.e. photo mission). They'll advise incoming
traffic to keep an eye out for you. When you're done, just advise the tower
and be on your way.

This is exactly what I've done in the past.

Jose wrote:
I'm always afraid of sounding like a dumbs417 calling towers, though.
I avoid it at every opportunity.


You should practice it at every (reasonable) opportunity. They don't
bite.

Jose

Unless you do something really dumb.

I was coming in at this very airport once. I'd made my downwind.
Halfway through downwind, tower tells me to extend a little bit
because there's traffic coming in on long final and I'll be behind
them. I acknowledge and start looking for the traffic. The smart
thing would have been to call tower and tell them that I didn't have
the traffic, please call my base, k thnx but I just went on looking,
merrily away. Finally I called and told them that I didn't have the
traffic, please call my base. Long final had already landed and my
downwind (and subsequently the couple of planes behind me) turned out
to be a mile and a half long.

I got into final, made my approach and at about 20' above the runway
getting ready to touchdown, tower advises me to go around.

I think they did that on purpose

... but I just went on looking,
merrily away. Finally I called and told them [...]
and at about 20' above the runway
getting ready to touchdown, tower advises me to go around.

I think they did that on purpose

Good practice! Now when it =really= matters, chances are it will work
out fine.

Jose
--
Get high on gasoline: fly an airplane.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.