PLT OF SMA PVT HELI RECEIVED COMPLAINT BY A GND OBSERVER OF A LOW FLT OVER A NEW RESIDENTIAL AREA.

Date: 1994-05 · Aircraft: Bell 47

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit|other-unspecified

Synopsis

PLT OF SMA PVT HELI RECEIVED COMPLAINT BY A GND OBSERVER OF A LOW FLT OVER A NEW RESIDENTIAL AREA.

Narrative

TODAY I HAD A CALL FROM A FRIEND WHO ON OCCASION SHOOTS VIDEOS OF EVENTS; HOMES; PARTIES; ETC. HE ASKED IF I WOULD FLY HIM OVER A NEW BUSINESS THAT WAS HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE AND I AGREED. WE GOT PERMISSION FROM DOVER TWR 123.65 TO DEPART WITH BELL HELI TO WORK IN THE CLASS D AIRSPACE FOR THE VIDEO SHOOT AROUND 4:30 P.M. EVERYTHING WENT FINE 6 OR 7 ORBITS WITHIN A SAFE ALT OF HELI REG AND THE SHOOT WAS OVER. I CALLED TWR AND INFORMED THEM I WAS LNDG AT THAT LOCATION AND DID SO TO DROP OFF THE VIDEO. WHILE THERE; I HAD A COUPLE APCH ME; AND ASK IF I WOULD GIVE THEM A RIDE. THEY HAD NEVER FLOWN BEFORE AND WERE INTERESTED IN A FLT WITH ME AFTER OBSERVING THE QUALITY OF MY FLYING CHARACTERISTICS AND FLT BEHAVIOR. THE 10 YEARS I HAVE BEEN FLYING; IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY PLEASURE TO PROVIDE ANYBODY INTERESTED ENOUGH TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST AND DESIRE TO EXPERIENCE AVIATION WITH A FREE RIDE; AND I DID SO. THE COUPLE WANTED TO SEE THEIR HOME WHICH WAS AT A NEW DEVELOPMENT STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION A QUARTER OF A MI AWAY FROM THE LNDG SPOT WHERE I DROPPED OFF THE VIDEO. WE FOUND THE HOUSE WITH NO PROB; AND I MADE A FEW SLOW ORBITS AT APPROX 500 FT AND AT A SAFE FORWARD AIR SPD TO EXECUTE AN AUTO ROTATION SAFELY TO TOUCH DOWN IN ANY OF THE NUMEROUS VACANT LOTS THAT SURROUNDED THE AREA. THE RIDE WAS OVER AND I RETURNED MY PAX TO THE OPEN HOUSE. AFTER I DEPARTED AND INFORMED DOVER TWR THAT I WAS LNDG AT MY HANGAR; THE CTLR INFORMED ME THAT SOMEONE HAD CALLED DOVER APCH AND RPTED THAT I WAS FLYING TOO LOW. I THANKED THE CTLR AND MADE MY FREQ CHANGE AND PUT THE HELI AWAY. I'M HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW I CAN BE EVALUATED FROM THE GND ON MY SAFE ALT. I AM CONSTANTLY JUDGING MY SAFE AUTO ROTATION POS AIRSPD AND ALT. I COULD UNDERSTAND IT IF IT WERE A NOISE ABATEMENT PROB; BUT NOTHING WAS SAID OF THE NOISE; WHICH IF I WERE AT AN UNSAFE ALT THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING THAT WOULD COME TO MIND.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.