Flying over the runway is illegal?

I just took my commercial checkride a few feeks ago. I was taught by my
instructor to overly a non-towered airport by tpa+500ft (or more),
proceed away from the airport WITHOUT descending and then enter the
pattern( i.e. enter 45 and descent to TPA). On my checkride the
Examiner also expected this. I was taught that the key is to not
descent to or below TPA unless you are commiting to landing, which
means adhering to FARS and AIM procedures. Flying over the Field at or
below TPA just to take a look may be considered famously "careless and
reckless". I can't find it at the moment, but my instructor showed me
the TPA+500 rule in the AIM or FARs. In all of my instrument and
private training somehow the overly the airport rule was missed. The
Examiner explained that just because YOU might know what you are doing,
every other pilot will be expecting everone to be following standard
procedures. When pilots deviate, not matter how well they think they
are communicating their intentions, accidents frequently happen. Who
expects someone to be cutting across the field a few hundred feet below
them while on downwind?

Above all it's probably best ot use common sense. At Bremerton Airport
near me, there are so many training aircraft and pilots who forget to
announce position, chaos, etc, I am hesitant to overfly the field at
all. Since I know the area well, I feel it's safer to not overfly. At a
new airport or one that has wildlife that frequents the field makes
more sense.

Just my two cents. Good post!

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

"Cirrus" wrote in message
oups.com...
I just took my commercial checkride a few feeks ago. I was taught by my
instructor to overly a non-towered airport by tpa+500ft (or more),
proceed away from the airport WITHOUT descending and then enter the
pattern( i.e. enter 45 and descent to TPA).

Not a bad procedure, as a general concept. I agree that for you to not have
heard about this until your Commercial certificate training is very odd.
This is basic Private stuff.

On my checkride the
Examiner also expected this. I was taught that the key is to not
descent to or below TPA unless you are commiting to landing,

How do you fly an instrument procedure then? Most instrument procedures,
even non-precision, may often involve flight below TPA prior to being
committed to landing. For that matter, ANY approach to landing involves
flight below TPA prior to being committed to landing (you should not be
committed to the landing until you have touched down and have slowed
sufficiently to ensure no need for a go-around).

which
means adhering to FARS and AIM procedures.

AIM, perhaps. The FARs say nothing about descent below TPA. They don't
even discuss TPA.

Flying over the Field at or
below TPA just to take a look may be considered famously "careless and
reckless".

True enough. The FAA invokes 91.13 in most actions, including those for
which they can find no other rule to use.

I can't find it at the moment, but my instructor showed me
the TPA+500 rule in the AIM or FARs.

I believe that the AIM mentions that. There's no place in the FARs that
does.

In all of my instrument and
private training somehow the overly the airport rule was missed. The
Examiner explained that just because YOU might know what you are doing,
every other pilot will be expecting everone to be following standard
procedures.

This is where you start to head off into the weeds. Standard procedure or
not, no other pilot should be significantly inconvenienced, or otherwise
surprised by an airplane flying down the runway. While there may be good
reasons to avoid a low-approach over the runway in certain situations, I
don't see how "every other pilot will be expecting everone [sic] to be
following standard procedures" applies here.

When pilots deviate, not matter how well they think they
are communicating their intentions, accidents frequently happen. Who
expects someone to be cutting across the field a few hundred feet below
them while on downwind?

"Cutting across the field"? The thread is about flight over and parallel to
the runway. No one is suggesting low-level flight perpendicular to the
runway. If your whole response was directed at that operation, it's
irrelevant to this thread.

Pete

Cirrus wrote:
I just took my commercial checkride a few feeks ago. I was taught by my
instructor to overly a non-towered airport by tpa+500ft (or more),
proceed away from the airport WITHOUT descending and then enter the
pattern( i.e. enter 45 and descent to TPA). On my checkride the
Examiner also expected this. I was taught that the key is to not
descent to or below TPA unless you are commiting to landing, which
means adhering to FARS and AIM procedures. Flying over the Field at or
below TPA just to take a look may be considered famously "careless and
reckless". I can't find it at the moment, but my instructor showed me
the TPA+500 rule in the AIM or FARs. In all of my instrument and
private training somehow the overly the airport rule was missed. The
Examiner explained that just because YOU might know what you are doing,
every other pilot will be expecting everone to be following standard
procedures. When pilots deviate, not matter how well they think they
are communicating their intentions, accidents frequently happen. Who
expects someone to be cutting across the field a few hundred feet below
them while on downwind?

This is the result of instructors and DEs who have little experience
flying outside a metropolitan area. Not inspecting a potentially soft
field or obstructed field from MUCH less than TPA+500 is a good way to
get killed or at a minimum trash a good airplane. You don't need to do
this at a controlled field, but that doesn't meant that this procedure
is right ALL of the time. Any instructor who doesn't teach how to
inspect an unknown field should have their certificate revoked.


Matt