"ShawnD2112" wrote:

The general rule, known as Rule 5 of the Air Navigation Order, requires 500
feet above any person, building, or structure, and 1500 feet above built up
areas. There are other limits that apply to crowds (like football games)
and tall structures, but those are the basics.

Thanks Shawn,

So when I witnessed a DC3 banking at about the level of a 200ft high
chimney located adjacent to a 10 storey building then this act was a
"bit" illegal then? ;-)

(Sunday 16:35 hours, the building being a major hospital located in a
town in the north of England)

The nearest airfields (hard surfaced) are some 10-15 miles away, but
many years ago we had a local grass field and the base leg was more or
less above our house and I maybe saw a hundred approaches over a
weekend in summer by 172's etc so I guess that would be around
1000-1500ft.

Coincidentally a police helicopter passed over an hour or so after the
DC3 at what I guess to be about 1000ft (I could read the Police
registration clearly, white on black characters helped) OK so I'm
guessing on the chimney height but it would be 300ft max based on
others that used to be in the area that I did know the exact height
of.

Personally I thought it was a suicide mission, having never seen a
manoeuvre that close to the ground by such a large aircraft even at an
air display. Then, just when I thought it was all over he came back
and did it all over again and then headed south never to be seen
again.


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