Seen Over Your House Today

[scooter]

Things may have changed now but before I retired the rule was not below 250 AGL (Above Ground Level). That was for normal flying however during execises the aircraft were allowed to come down to 150' AGL. This was difficult to achieve with any form af altimeter so the rule was " a mature Oak tree is 75' tall so do not fly below the height of two mature Oaks." This did not help the Glasgow University Air Squadron Bulldog, flying with a Civilian Police Officer as observer, during a civil co-operation exercise. A bit of unexpected downdraft and a rising hillside meant that the glancing impact took of the u/c and destroyed the propellor.
No casualties to the crew except possibly the pilots ego and the observers sanity! 

Thanks Jim, I knew one of you ex-Air Trafficers would know. 

As  the rule was 250 ft AGL I think those Buccs and Tonkas over my old house were pushing their limits a bit. Sometimes I was looking at them from my front door HORIZONTALLY! 

But is it a pressure or radar altimeter-based measure?  Because I'm sure those pilots would be telling the wing safety officer that they "were" in compliance- based on radar altimeter readings

[rickshaw]

Downunder, as far as I am aware, generally aircraft are not allowed below 500' above sea level. 

Military aircraft can be granted "special permission" to flow lower if the occasion requires it. 

One of my friends, who was an Air Traffic controller told a story of the weekly supply flight from the US to Pine Gap nearby Alice Springs which was under the control of the Civvie air controllers.  He apparently heard the pilot requesting to fly at 500 feet "in order to see some Emus" (pronounced as usual by Americans as "EMuus").  Permission was granted only to have a C-5 Galaxy go over the top of Broken Hill at 500 feet.  Apparently some severe questions were asked in Parliament and he got some questions asked of him.   

[PR19_Kit]

Permission was granted only to have a C-5 Galaxy go over the top of Broken Hill at 500 feet.

THAT must have been worth seeing! Even better if he was in the UK and he'd done it at 250! 

But then we don't have EMus here.

[NARSES2]

Permission was granted only to have a C-5 Galaxy go over the top of Broken Hill at 500 feet.

THAT must have been worth seeing! Even better if he was in the UK and he'd done it at 250! 

But then we don't have EMus here.

We've got Wallabies though (in Derbyshire) and soon to have Bison again (in Kent) 

[PR19_Kit]

Permission was granted only to have a C-5 Galaxy go over the top of Broken Hill at 500 feet.

THAT must have been worth seeing! Even better if he was in the UK and he'd done it at 250! 

But then we don't have EMus here.

We've got Wallabies though (in Derbyshire) and soon to have Bison again (in Kent) 

We've got Wild Boar in the Forest of Dean, but they only live in forests, usually.................

[kitnut617]

Permission was granted only to have a C-5 Galaxy go over the top of Broken Hill at 500 feet.

THAT must have been worth seeing! Even better if he was in the UK and he'd done it at 250! 

But then we don't have EMus here.

We've got Wallabies though (in Derbyshire) and soon to have Bison again (in Kent) 

Just a few miles south of my place, a rancher has a huge herd of Bison. There's quite a market for bison meat here.

[zenrat]

As spring is on it's way the Wattle Birds are starting their courtship.  This involves chasing each other round the garden.
When they move into serious nesting behaviour they will switch to violently attacking any other bird which dares come near the nest.  Whatever its size.

[kerick]

Not over my house but my son's in Cedar Lake, Indiana. A nice Piper Cub touring the neighborhood at about 300 ft and 60 mph.

[NARSES2]

We've got Wallabies though (in Derbyshire) and soon to have Bison again (in Kent) 

Just a few miles south of my place, a rancher has a huge herd of Bison. There's quite a market for bison meat here.

Apparently it's low in cholesterol ? They are only starting off with 4, seeing how that goes and then increasing the size gradually. Haven't been any wild bison in the UK for over 6,000 years apparently so it's being touted as being an aid to conservation ? We shall see.

Anyway the one thing I've seen over my place in the last couple of days is a large increase in the number of contrails high above. Very seldom see anything low enough to identify other than the Police helicopter and air ambulance, but hadn't seen many contrails at all until recently, but now the number is increasing again as holiday destinations open up.

[PR19_Kit]

Apparently it's low in cholesterol ?

So they say, yes. On my one and only visit to Catalina Island, just off the coast near Los Angeles (my furthest west trip anywhere...) I had bison steak for dinner, and it was very nice indeed.

My second 'encounter' with a bison was on approach to the airfield there the Tower asked us to hold off as '....there are bison crossing the far end of the runway sir....'! I responded with 'We're a Cessna 172, I don't think we'll need that much runway'.

Sure enough there were two of them just strolling across as if they owned the place. And apparently they do, bison have right of way all over the Island! 

[kitnut617]

So they say, yes. On my one and only visit to Catalina Island, just off the coast near Los Angeles (my furthest west trip anywhere...) I had bison steak for dinner, and it was very nice indeed.

If you like bison meat, you should give Muskox a try. Now that is really tasty meat. 

[NARSES2]

So they say, yes. On my one and only visit to Catalina Island, just off the coast near Los Angeles (my furthest west trip anywhere...)

Having circumnavigated this planet of ours in one trip I can honestly say I've been as far west as it is possible to go, we went to Tahiti via L.A., and then started east again when we sailed to Sidney and flew home from there.

If you like bison meat, you should give Muskox a try. Now that is really tasty meat. 

Ah, I only ever think of Musk ox in terms of their glands and the perfume industry. I've eaten Elk meat and like most venison types that was a bit on the strong side.

[PR19_Kit]

Having circumnavigated this planet of ours in one trip I can honestly say I've been as far west as it is possible to go,

You didn't fall off the edge then? 

[NARSES2]

Having circumnavigated this planet of ours in one trip I can honestly say I've been as far west as it is possible to go,

You didn't fall off the edge then? 

Nope  Nor did I get a "crossing the line certificate". That actually miffed me a bit as my dad got one and had a full crossing the line ceremony and that was during the middle of a World War 

[PR19_Kit]

Nor did I get a "crossing the line certificate". That actually miffed me a bit as my dad got one and had a full crossing the line ceremony and that was during the middle of a World War 

I didn't get one from BA when I flew to South Africa the first time in 1978 either.

You'd have thought they'd have given them out with the landing cards, wouldn't you?