High Speed Passes & the FAA

"Tom Seim" wrote in message

One time I fould myself too low to make the A/P. The best landing
option was at the local high school on a vacant play field. Had to
make final over a soccer field (occupied). An irate parent complained
to the FAA. I talked to an investigator & explained the circumstances.
Her only comment was "After flying over so much farm land why did you
have to land close to people?". I went thru why gliding is different
from operating power A/C (more uncertainties, etc.) and that was the
end of that. Nobody was hurt and nothing got damaged. Translation: no
enforcement action.


What if there were a few kids on all the available fields, and you had no
other landing options? Would you have made a low pass to clear the field?
What if you had never done one before because you viewed low passes as
irresponsible?