Low Flying - Wave Skimming

[John Boucher]

I have created this poll for the topic iro the Green Winged Wave Skimming Aquilla.

This topic refers : viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21921

Please note that I locked the topic and will do so on any thread where anyone starts playing the man. We cannot allow that microlighters degenerates into a to & fro!

[Splinter]

I vote yes when safe.

John the original post suggest that the trike was over the breakers with the waves right below him. That means he had some moist hard sand within 30m to his side making a safe landing possible.

Later post from the author says he was over the shark nets..... Then an emergency landing will be impossible.

[CVStrong]

I read the related thread with much interest, and I definitely vote no...

Having recently experienced an accident due to an airpocket, and having been lucky to walk away from it, and one of the guys at our field experiencing an airpocket in pretty much the same place, but being in full forward flight at the time not a glide so only loosing about 30 to 40ft and being able to fly it out, I think flying low over anything but a runway, where being dropped suddenly downwards should not result in anything more than a whole bunch more adrenalin, is seriously irresponsible...

If this can happen to 2 people in the same place, what is to say that when skimming the waves you will not encounter a similar air pocket?

If you want to fly low over the waves, by all means if that is your thing, go ahead and do it, but please don't take a pax with you who cannot make the educated choice to do it as you have, as theirs is not an educated choice, it is a choice of trusting a pilot who should know better... If you write yourself or your airie off in the process, then it is your and your dependants problem... but please don't kill off an innocent pax by your bad judgement...

One of the most distressing experiences I have ever experienced was sitting chatting to the parents of 2 children taken to the Tzaneen airshow by a trusted friend in an Albatross, where they will never see their kids again...

Imam not aiming this at anyone, I am a firm believer in free choice... I can tell you though, that you will not find me flying low over anything but a runway...

Cheers

Craig

[Thatchman]

I am confused Is it not ok to fly low over the waves but it is ok to fly low over the mielies that when you land you have mielie leaves stuck in your axles??? Just asking??

By Asterix - if you want rush, get down on the deck. See my photo above. This might shock you, but that is way way way below 100ft. The mielies in the photo is about a month old and standing at about 50 cm. And my backwheels had some mielie leaves wrapped around the axels when I landed ...

... better early on a clear summer morning than jumping into Geel Kerneels and do a bit of crop inspection on my dad's farm, skimming over the young mielies like a crop sprayer! To add to what has been said - powerlines will obviously kill you - so I do this type of flying where I have kilometres ...

Whats the difference - miles of mielies with no lines or miles of beach with no lines? (excluding bathers of course)

Maybe the chap with the green wing was influenced by Asterix flying over the mealies with no wires and thought well I can do the same over the waves

I am with Splinter on this one.

[John Boucher]

The air over water is rather stable and we often drop over the ridge (sea breeze rising causing CAT) here in the bay to route coast wise over the water. Always within safe distance of the beach and not being a nuisance to man, beast or property! I doubt a whale, shark or dolphin gives two hoots about an aircraft passing overhead.

[John.com]

No need for a poll and lengthy debate!

The book Flight Discipline will answer ALL these questions!

Flight Discipline.png (69.8 KiB) Viewed 8733 times

This book should be on every pilots bookshelf or Kindle!

No guesses as to what it recommends, in particular with respect to risk-flying in which you are placing others at risk, including other pilots seeing or reading about your escapades and then wanting to emulate your actions!

[CVStrong]

The air over water is rather stable and we often drop over the ridge (sea breeze rising causing CAT) here in the bay to route coast wise over the water. Always within safe distance of the beach and not being a nuisance to man, beast or property! I doubt a whale, shark or dolphin gives two hoots about an aircraft passing overhead.

John, I hear you there, but the keys words above were "within a safe distance of the beach" so you would need to be more than a couple of meters above the water...

I think low is relative in this instance... I would be happy to cruise 100 to 200 ft over the water near the beach, but not less than that...

But as I said in my previous post, by all means fly less than 10ft above the waves if that is your thing... ALONE... then if your decision to enjoy a low flight where you will not find wires etc. does for some freak reason go wrong, then the effect is on you alone... well and on your dependents of you die, but it is still your own choice...

You are not going to find me fighting with someone's own choice, and unfortunately I have seen enough carnage not to want to go there myself... But please, if you are going to do something that stacks the odds against you, should something unforeseen happen, just don't take someone with you, with them under the impression that they are safe...

Cheers

Craig

[CVStrong]

......... everyone must choose their way of flying... For me I doubt I will be able to bring myself to fly that low over the waves, but if someone wants to do that on their own in their airie that all good with me... My only objection is when someone puts a trusting pax in their airie and does the same...

If you have a pax who says "lets go fly low over the waves" and you say "look that is considered dangerous flying by some, and if you are happy with taking that risk with me then fine." then they have taken an educated decision about getting in with you...

Just my point of view on the subject...

Cheers

Craig

[CVStrong]

See you at the braai Later Martie?

[John Boucher]

The topic of Low Flying would surely be appropriately addressed in the ADM syllabus that Bundy is proposing. Ultimately, you are PIC when flying and need to understand the risks yet... enjoy what you are doing but the onus rests with you as PIC and the importance of you making the decision and not others.... whether it be low flying or the weather!

The saying - You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink applies albeit in a different application!

[in the sticks]

Personally I just get pissed off with this kind of thing as soon as people air there views the subject gets locked , me myself I love flying and have had my fair share of accident for what ever reason . For F$#@ sakes people let the guys have some fun we all fly low level , asterix even collects mealies so I ask you what the diffs fly and let fly , I like to do a bit of surfing time to time , F$%# it therapeutic so leave the oaks alone and concentrate on your own issues , if you not happy to fly in some conditions then don't knock others that do grow up man !

Gaylord, I agree with you fully .I disagree with being caught in an air pocket close to the ground.If you are flying low keep the bar in your chest and full power,there is no way then that you will fall out the sky

[Conrad]

I have a KTM 990 to go fast and leave the unsafe BMW driver behind, I drive a 4x4 vehicle to enjoy the high mountains on the edge of a high road, I have a pipecar to have fun with my boy on a muddy road, I did paragliding at Bulwer in the mountains, I fly trikes to see more and feel more than the guy in the blik aerie,
Flying trikes is/should be one of the most freedom flying feelings out there.
But this sport is getting smothered by rules and regulations faster than Zuma losing votes for the next election.

[in the sticks]

I have a KTM 990 to go fast and leave the unsafe BMW driver behind, I drive a 4x4 vehicle to enjoy the high mountains on the edge of a high road, I have a pipecar to have fun with my boy on a muddy road, I did paragliding at Bulwer in the mountains, I fly trikes to see more and feel more than the guy in the blik aerie,
Flying trikes is/should be one of the most freedom flying feelings out there.
But this sport is getting smothered by rules and regulations faster than Zuma losing votes for the next election.

Well said Conrad

[skybound®]

I would compare the low level flying done along a beach to have the similar risk profile as flying your trike down the runway at 20 ft or less. (ala low level inspection or holding it down on the deck on a touch and go). In fact doing that is probably more 'dangerous' owing to air pockets/turbulence. You cannot compare low flying inland to that of along a coastline.

Along the beach, the air one would do low flying in is very stable. No thermic activity owing to the stable air - constant on shore breeze etc. It is like flying in ice cream it is so smooth. One should approach with caution yes - keep the speed up in the unlikely case you do hit a whale fart, and remain within gliding distance to the shore line where hard sand is available if you have an engine out.

Also there are obstacles one needs to be mindfull of - so know your area. Eg - In Oyster Bay area there is a cable from the small ridge to a ship wreck.

Going back to basics and simplifying things - a trike is a hanglider with a motor. We spent many hours ridge soaring hangliders/paragliders at 20 ft along the coastline. On top of that - I would also offer you a photograph from one of the flying mags with a previous CAA comish climbing out of a trike that landed for a coffee break on the beach.

[Hak]

I AM WITH CONRAD WELL SAID