Saw a low-flying rental... let the FBO know?

Driving home today I saw a 172 that I've flown many times heading toward me
slowly at about 500'. This is in SoCal, so it's obviously a densely packed
urban area. In fact I pulled over and turned my car off so I could hear if
the Cessna was having engine trouble.

I'm debating whether to inform the FBO that someone was flying one of their
planes well below the legal limit. I know exactly which plane it was
because it has a distinctive paint job, patterned after the state flag of
Texas. Would I just be a rat or do you think it's a legitimate safety
hazard that they should know about?

how is 500ft AGL so low as to be below any limit? unless you are using the
"minimum altitude over dense metropolitan areas"

but there is also a flight school here that has aircraft painted in Texas
State colors... are you sure it was your FBO's plane? could you read the
n-number?

check out www.westairaviation.com

BT

"Yossarian" wrote in message
. 97.142...
Driving home today I saw a 172 that I've flown many times heading toward
me
slowly at about 500'. This is in SoCal, so it's obviously a densely
packed
urban area. In fact I pulled over and turned my car off so I could hear
if
the Cessna was having engine trouble.

I'm debating whether to inform the FBO that someone was flying one of
their
planes well below the legal limit. I know exactly which plane it was
because it has a distinctive paint job, patterned after the state flag of
Texas. Would I just be a rat or do you think it's a legitimate safety
hazard that they should know about?

"Yossarian" wrote in message
Would I just be a rat or do you think it's a legitimate safety
hazard that they should know about?

The ability to guess at a plane's altitude form the ground is notoriously
inaccurate. There is no way you can tell unless you see him flying under a
bridge or into a radio tower.

"Let it go, Louie."

--
Jim Fisher

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:4Hr5d.113516$yh.45140@fed1read05...
how is 500ft AGL so low as to be below any limit? unless you are using the
"minimum altitude over dense metropolitan areas"

Who are you quoting when you write "minimum altitude over dense metropolitan
areas". The FARs refer to "congested area".

In any case, whatever you call it, I thought he was pretty obvious in his
post that he was referring to the "congested areas" clause in the FARs. I
don't see how you failed to pick up on that.

As far as whether to report the pilot to the FBO or anyone else goes, it's
hard to say without knowing more specifics. I'm generally in favor of
reporting dangerous pilots to the FSDO, but altitude can be difficult to
estimate, and it's not clear why the original poster is so sure of the
altitude, or if the pilot was otherwise behaving dangerously.

One had better be 100% sure of what they saw before they go around making
trouble for someone else.

Pete

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 22:31:39 -0500, Yossarian
wrote:

Driving home today I saw a 172 that I've flown many times heading toward me
slowly at about 500'. This is in SoCal, so it's obviously a densely packed
urban area. In fact I pulled over and turned my car off so I could hear if
the Cessna was having engine trouble.

I'm debating whether to inform the FBO that someone was flying one of their
planes well below the legal limit. I know exactly which plane it was
because it has a distinctive paint job, patterned after the state flag of
Texas. Would I just be a rat or do you think it's a legitimate safety
hazard that they should know about?


Another thing to think about is, could they have been practicing a
simulated engine out and setting up for an emergency landing, then
recovering at 500 agl. Altitude is so hard to judge unless you have
some way of verifying it.


Scott D.

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 22:31:39 -0500, Yossarian
wrote:

I'm debating whether to inform the FBO that someone was flying one of their
planes well below the legal limit

I would probably make the complaint, perhaps fudging a bit. ("He
SEEMED low to me.") I know that George would take him aside and give
him a sweet but fierce lecture, but unless there had been previous
infractions it wouldn't result in his being banned.

(I know, because George gave me one of those sweet but fierce lectures
when I propped the Cub solo in front of the airport cafe deck!)

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! www.vivabush.org

"Peter Duniho" wrote:
how is 500ft AGL so low as to be below any limit? unless you are
using the
"minimum altitude over dense metropolitan areas"

Who are you quoting when you write "minimum altitude over dense
metropolitan areas". The FARs refer to "congested area".

Have you ever found the FAA's definition of a "congested area?" I've
never seen it.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 08:34:05 -0500, "Dan Luke"
wrote in
::

Have you ever found the FAA's definition of a "congested area?" I've
never seen it.

It's depicted in yellow on charts.

"Yossarian" wrote in message
. 97.142...
Driving home today I saw a 172 that I've flown many times heading toward
me
slowly at about 500'. This is in SoCal, so it's obviously a densely
packed
urban area. In fact I pulled over and turned my car off so I could hear
if
the Cessna was having engine trouble.

I'm debating whether to inform the FBO that someone was flying one of
their
planes well below the legal limit. I know exactly which plane it was
because it has a distinctive paint job, patterned after the state flag of
Texas. Would I just be a rat or do you think it's a legitimate safety
hazard that they should know about?


I'd call you a RAT How could you really tell how high he was? Was he
bothering you?

Yossarian wrote:

Driving home today I saw a 172 that I've flown many times heading toward me
slowly at about 500'. This is in SoCal, so it's obviously a densely packed
urban area. In fact I pulled over and turned my car off so I could hear if
the Cessna was having engine trouble.

I'm debating whether to inform the FBO that someone was flying one of their
planes well below the legal limit. I know exactly which plane it was
because it has a distinctive paint job, patterned after the state flag of
Texas. Would I just be a rat or do you think it's a legitimate safety
hazard that they should know about?

I'll take groundborne rodents for $400, Alex.

It probably wasn't a violation in the first place; you probably weren't
in a position to properly judge the airplane's altitude, anyway; and no
person was hurt or ever at risk of being hurt. Why even give it a
second thought?

"Mind your own beeswax, Johnny."