SMA PLT ON PHOTO SHOOT FLIES TOO LOW. SPOTTED BY POLICE HELI.

Narrative

I/WE (CAMERAMAN/OWNER OF AIRPLANE AND ME) STARTED PLANNING OUR FLT AT SNA WHERE WE PICKED UP OUR RTE FOR A FILM SHOOT: A RAILROAD GOING FROM LOS ANGELES TO PASADENA TO SANTA ANITA RACE TRACK. BASED ON THE LOS ANGELES TCA CHART WE PICKED A FLT ALT OF 1500 FT MSL OVER THE RAILROAD WHICH IN OUR OPINION SHOULD GIVE US AT LEAST 1000 FT TERRAIN CLRNC AS REQUIRED BY FAR 91.119(B). WITH THIS ALT; WE FIGURED WE'D HAVE A FEW HUNDRED FT EITHER WAY TO PLAY WITH; IN CASE OF TURB; ETC. ALSO; BECAUSE OF OUR LOW ALT THERE WAS NO ONE TO COMMUNICATE WITH. BURBANK PRIMARY RADAR WAS OTS AND WE WERE TOO LOW FOR LOS ANGELES APCH; SO WE WERE MONITORING 123.025 (A POLICE/HELI FREQ) WHILE WE WERE OUT THERE. DUE TO HEAVIER TURB THAN EXPECTED THE CAMERAMAN GOT SICK; WHICH DISTRACTED ME; WHICH CAUSED US/THE PLANE TO LOOSE ALT; WHICH AS SOON AS I NOTICED IT GAINED BACK. THE ALT LOSS WAS ABOUT 200-300 FT; THE RECOVERY OF THAT LOST ALT TOOK A FEW MINS DUE TO THE LOW AIRSPD (80 KTS) AND 'DIRTY' CONFIGN (GEAR DOWN; FLAPS 20 DEGS). AT THE TIME THAT DIDN'T BOTHER ME TOO MUCH SINCE WE PLANNED ON A SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN NECESSARY ALT (ALSO A QUICK CHK ON THE CHART SHOWED EL MONTE; EMT; ABOUT 10 SE TO BE AT 296 FT MSL). AFTER A STOP IN EL MONTE TO GET THE CAMERAMAN FEELING BETTER AND FRESHENED UP; WE WENT BACK TO SHOOT SOME MORE. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINS THE CAMERAMAN GOT REALLY SICK. THIS TIME I LOST 300 FT (WENT DOWN TO 1200 FT). TO RECOVER FROM THIS; I RAISED THE GEAR AND FLAPS AND HEADED BACK TO 1500 FT AND BACK TO EL MONTE FOR A 'SICK (AGAIN)' PAX STOP. DURING THIS LAST MANEUVER I HEARD A COUPLE POLICE HELIS TALK ABOUT AN SMA THAT WAS AT A LOW ALT HDG E TOWARDS EL MONTE. THIS HAD ME WORRIED BECAUSE I WAS THE ONLY FIXED WING AIRPLANE IN THE AREA; AND DIDN'T THINK WE WERE THAT LOW. UNFORTUNATELY THEY INFORMED US THAT THEIR OPERATING ALT OF 1200 FT MSL IS 500 FT AGL. THEIR HELIPORT IS AT 800 PLUS FT MSL. BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCE IN LOW LEVEL FILMING (200-2500 FT AGL) AND FLYING TFC PATTERNS AS A FLT INSTRUCTOR; I DID NOT HAVE THE IMPRESSION I WAS WELL BELOW 1000 FT AGL. THE 2 OR 3 TIMES WE WERE AT 1200 FT MSL I HAD THE FEELING THAT WE WERE KIND OF CLOSER THAN NECESSARY (MEANING POSSIBLY BELOW 1000 FT AGL). ALSO; THE TCA CHART AND THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY DON'T SHOW ANY ARPTS OR OBSTRUCTIONS IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA. THE ONLY ALT INDICATION I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND IS A CONTOUR LINE ABOUT 5 MI SW SHOWING 500 FT; WHICH COINCIDES WITH A SMALL RIDGE; AND THE ROSE BOWL ABOUT 3 MI NW WITH A HIGHEST POINT OF 1889 FT MSL. BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED; I WILL MORE THAN LIKELY NOT DO ANY MORE LOW LEVEL FILMING; AND IF I HAVE A SICK PAX AGAIN AND I'M AT RELATIVELY LOW ALTS START A CLB FIRST AND THEN CONCERN MYSELF WITH THE PAX; RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND. ALSO; I WILL TRY TO GET A RIDE ON A POLICE HELI TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING UP THERE; AND POSSIBLY EVEN TAKE HELI FLT INSTRUCTION (BUDGET PERMITTING). IT MAY ALSO BE AN IDEA TO PUT HELIPORTS/PADS USED BY POLICE HELIS ON TOP OF HOSPITALS ON THE CHART; SO THERE ARE MORE ALT REFS ON THE CHART; BECAUSE SOLID YELLOW DOESN'T GIVE VERY MUCH INFO ABOUT THE ALT. FURTHERMORE; MAYBE CHANGING THE COLORS OF THE CONTOUR LINES MIGHT MAKE THEM MORE VISIBLE. AND MAYBE ALSO LISTING THE ABOVE MENTIONED HELIPORTS/PADS IN THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY MIGHT MAKE THEM BETTER KNOWN.