Soopers

After reading about,how high up you can get your plane,I gave it a shot,with my Aerobird Challenger.I was climbing pretty good,just letting it circle it's way up.At about 400-500 feet up,I heard a helicopter coming up from behind,fast.[X(]

PANIK.He passed me about 500 feet to my right,at maybe 300 feet altitude.
That scared the **** out of me.

Are there any laws for Parkflyers in city's?

LearjetMech

My instructor made me reduce some altitude due to a low flying Stearman this past Sunday!!

MNJoeG

I don't know if there are laws for Parkflyers, but there are for real aircraft.

cruzomatic

My Feedback: (17)

When I used to live in Dallas, I would fly in an empty lot right under the final approach route of a small airport that was really busy. I would sometimes take my electric planes way up to altitude. I was easily within reach of those guys but never, never, share the airspace with them. I would hear or see them coming in on final and I would steer way clear of them. No way I wanted the Feds knocking on my door.

hardlanding7

One time one of those go karts with a parachute landed on our flying field, that was cool, and it was close :-D

greenboot

My Feedback: (1)

I'm guessing there are few rules against electric flying. Planes with internal combustion engines are not allowed in many places due to the noise. I doubt you were breaking any laws. I wouldn't even say you did anything inappropriate.

Helicopters are exempt from the 1000' minimum altitude fixed wing aircraft must maintain. But they must still fly at safe altitudes; something they seem to really stretch the limit of.

Tom

Gollywock

Couple of years ago, I read about someone buzzing a blimp with his RC model. From what I remember, the FAA took a dim view and the guy went to jail. Jim

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

I'm not sure about FAA regs., but the AMA puts a ceiling on RC flight at around 400 feet I believe. (It may be 300.)

A few months after I'd soloed I took my trainer up to nearly out of sight. It was a dot in the sky and I had long since lost the ability to tell it's orientation.

On the way down a Cessna passing through the area did a large, complete circle around where my plane was flying before continuing on his way.
Dennis-

GRANT ED

At my field we have a full size strip with about 8 resident planes just on the other side of our model field. When I say just the other side I mean close, like a few hundred meters close. They stay out of our way and we try to stay out of their's. No major probs yet but on more than one occasion an out of control model has crashed into their hangar.

raptor5900

My Feedback: (4)

well are field is on the downwing of an very busy airport we see cubs and pipers and all that good stuff flying at 1000 feet so it isnt much of a problem.

SkyChaser

Friends of mine at a local club have an interesting circumstance. They have a crop duster that likes to buzz the model field.

dr_wogz

My Feedback: (3)

I think there would be rules to how high, and to how close [ to an airport] one could fly.

same with Rockets. I remeber one story of a few students at UBC (Univ. of BC)
ther eis some very large 'perfect' areas around teh campus, perfect for rocketry. Problem is, that is it is soemtime the final approach for the Vancouver International. (Well, not quite, as they are over the Georgia Straight, but still close enough to be seen) Well, during a few of their launches, a plane form another country apparently called in to the tower: " We are under attack, SAM missles being launched!!" to which the tower responded with a phone call to the RCMP, and to the campus secrurities..

beardking

My Feedback: (4)

LearjetMech, I'm guessing that since you live in Corinth that you fly from the North Texas Aeromodelers field (that's where I fly as well, when I get to fly). Who's your instructor?

As for the low flying Stearman, I can definitely believe that. Since the Denton Airport is only a few miles away from that field, we always get to see full size planes fly over there. One day I aborted a take of from their because a full scale bipe was flying over our field at about 300'. Last thing I wanted was to have a midair with that thing. And knowing my past history with my planes, definitely would have happened.

scottrc

There are rules that restrict you that both the AMA and NAR/TRIPOLI have about flying by controlled airports. The only exception is that you must have written authority from the airport manager that allows you to fly in a designated area. This area is then specified on the sectional to warn full size pilots that RC aircraft traffic is in the area. I fly off the old runway that is closed but it is adjacent to the active runway at the local airport. The airport manager invited us to use it and share it with the ultralite club.

For rockets, you must submit a permission for launch request to the FAA at your local flight service station. This will give you a window to launch and the flight center will close the traffic section off to full scale traffic. The airport manager required me to do this for a demostration at a couple of airshows.

Here are our additional rules at the airport:

Active runway is to the West, we must always fly to the East. The area behind the designated flightline of the closed runway(West) is a no-fly zone (pit area).
Ultralights and Paraplanes have the right of way.
When a fullsize enters the pattern or approach, the RC pilot must go into a controlled holding pattern perpindicular to the fullsize plane's pattern or land.
The FBO and Hangars to the North is a no-fly zone.
Must have a spotter then flying.

We have a great runway that is over 1500' long and been using it for over two years without a single problem.

Montague

Our field is right under a fairly busy air corridor and right near I-95, so we get a lot of low flying aircraft in our area.

A couple of general aviation pilots apparently reported us to the FAA, and we got a nasty gram for flying too high.

Basically, models are limited to no higher than 400 feet AGL, and the general aviation guys are supposed to be no lower than 1000 feet AGL. But I can tell you, models routinely go higher, and some of those Cessnas are well below 1000'. Wel also get the occaional medivac, police, or military chopper flying over, and they come by LOW.

Our field has a rule that anytime anyone sees or hears something getting near, you yell out "full scale", and all airborne models immeditally head for the deck. You don't have to land, but you do have to get well below the 400' ceiling, usually aroun 100feet is good. Since we started doing that, we haven't had any problems with the overflights.

We did have the medivac chopper land at our field once to pick up a guy who wrecked his quad-bike near our field. I wasn't there personally, though.

On another topic, many years ago, I was flying at another field, way way up high, doing the "fly a dot" thing. I'd go way up, put the plane in a spin, and wait for it to come back in to view. Well, I was spinning down, when these two A-10s flash by over the field. There was an airshow going on a little ways away, and these A-10s went this way for some reason. Anyway, the A-10s passed UNDER my model, they were directly between me and my plane. A few other guys saw it too. Sure got my attention. I have no idea if the A-10s saw the model or not, it was a small .25 powered plane, and apparently signifigantly higher than the A-10s.

southern_touch9

My Feedback: (3)

We have a couple of guys that buzz our field from time to time. Most of the time we just stay up higher when they are doing a low pass. Its fun to watch them come by but when your trying to get some serious stick time (IMAC practice or practicing the 4min. freestyle) they always seem to show up. I wouldnt mind them being there if they would torque roll with me but all they can do is a low pass. Reminds me of a certain kind of model aircraft. *cough cough*.....warbird.

Live Wire

Brain dead pilot flying over RC field with combat in progress! Circles field to get better look this last sunday!!!!!! Who would have been in the wrong!

cruzomatic

My Feedback: (17)

Wow. Great story Mont, thanks for sharing. I bet that was scary seeing those planes better than your own model.

Did it get caught in the jet wash of those A-10's?

Montague

Who would have been wrong? You can be fairly certain that if a model impacts or generally messes with a full scale, the FAA will say the model was in the wrong, regardless of whatever stupidity the full scale pilot engaged in prior to the accident. Even if you do "win", the time and money involved will be non-trivial.

iflircaircraft

I was flying on a calm sunday evening when I heard a somewhat loud noise.
I live in a rural part of NJ and frequently see hot air ballons in the calm evening hours, but never expected to see one near our flying field.
I was so surprised to see it that I landed my plane immediately in a hay field about 300 yards away from our runway.
The ballon landed near a farm house several yards from where I landed my model.
As they were retrieving the balloon, I was retrieving my plane, and I told them they had really surprised me.
I had told them I landed as not to collide with them, and they laughed it off saying "We really don't think a toy could hurt us"
As they were leaving, I asked them to hang a few minutes as I took up my 'toy'.
I started my 60 size bipe, with the 1.08, and proceeded to fly straight and level at full throttle and then landed safely on our runway.
They shook their heads and then thanked me for avoiding their balloon.
Needless to say, since then, I keep my ears open and eyes peeled for those things.

Tom

donhef

iflirc, where in Jersey? I'm with West Windsor F/C and we fly out near the Vincenttown Diner off Rt 206 South. Are you familiar with the area?

iflircaircraft

Donhef:

I fly in Warren County, a few miles (50?) north of you, about 40 mins south of Del Water Gap.


Tom

sdavied

My Feedback: (4)

FAR's on full scale minimum safe altitudes:

91.119 MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDES: GENERAL

Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:

(a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing
without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.

(b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or
settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.

(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.

(d) Helicopters. Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface. In addition, each person operating a helicopter shall comply with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the Administrator.

Montague

Cool, thanks for posting that.
I have one question though. If your field is located next to a 350' microwave and cell phone tower, does that count as an "obstacle", making the minimum altitude 1350?

scottrc

The towers should be listed on the sectional, so the pilot would be maintaining a min 1350' altitude in order to comply with the FAR. Your field would be in-material unless it too was listed on the sectional with a obstacle elevation of 400'. Then the pilot would need to climb and maintain min alt of 1400'. The reason I bring this up is that I have seen this on some sectionals where an advisory is listed with a minimum altitude given warning about RC aircraft, ultra-light parks, balloon parks, and even bird refuges.