If I'm flying 50 - 75ft off ground, do I really have to notify everyone?

[steve stein]

Depending on where I will be, I have one or several airports and multiple helipads that I would have to notify. I understand if I'm several hundred feet up but 50 - 75? Just now I ran Airmap and there is one airport and 6 helipads. Your input appreciated.
Regards... Steve

 

[microlinux]

My understanding is airports have to be notified regardless of height. As far as I have been able to determine, helipads don't have the notification requirement per se.

I've had no problem contacting airports, they are usually appreciative. If you fly regularly at that height, let them know and you can come up with some mutual agreement to prevent endless calls.

 

[Richard R]

May get me in trouble, but I take the point that if it doesn't show up on a sectional then it isn't an an air-, heli-, seaplane- port requiring notification! The local hospital has a helipad for CareFlight that doesn't show up. I do use apps like Be4UFly to inform me of the presence of pads, other potential ares of interest just to be aware of the potential for things like low level helo fights.

 

[FCD]

Technically, airports and heliports within a 5 mile radius should be notified for recreational use.

 

[smiller]

Technically yes, practically... probably no. The FAA (along with most government agencies and large corporations) have always been knee-jerk CYA when it comes to stuff like this. The objective is for them never to be blamed for anything with practicality a distant secondary consideration (for example, creating the rule that you must notify even small private airfields and rarely-used heliports, but providing no procedure to do so other than 'you figure it out'.) Bottom line, the burden is on you to decide what is practical and necessary in the real world, bearing in mind that any responsibility for violating an impractically broad rule will fall on you. Fair or not, that's the way it is.

 

[FunN4lo]

At 50-75 ft you are probably below the tree line. If a plane is flying at that height, they have more problems than you. If it was me, in that scenario, I would just fly.

 

[BigAl07]

Just be very careful about advice you get online... those of us giving this free advice (myself included) aren't going to be there to pay your legal fees should we be proven wrong.

You might be lucky in seeking and getting a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with the local operations. This is how model aircraft (R/C) flying fields have operated for years literally hundreds of yards from active runways with zero incidents.

 

[ianwood]

6 helipads? Sounds like an urban area. If you're new to this, you'll want to be away from urban areas until you know what's what.

 

[maxheadspace]

May get me in trouble, but I take the point that if it doesn't show up on a sectional then it isn't an an air-, heli-, seaplane- port requiring notification! The local hospital has a helipad for CareFlight that doesn't show up. I do use apps like Be4UFly to inform me of the presence of pads, other potential ares of interest just to be aware of the potential for things like low level helo fights.

The sectionals and NOTAMs take priority over the B4UFly app. In one of the FAA podcasts I participated in the FAA person admitted there were issues with the B4UFly app. My house is at the intersection of about five airports, helipads and hospitals, all of which show as restricted airspace on B4UFly. One FAA rep addressed that point by stating the airspace sometimes is all controlled by one ATC location. Still very confusing.

 

[M1shootr]

Hey, lets try to know what controlled airspace is. If you are not in it don't worry, fly. Learn the FAA airspace regs and fly sensibly. Very simple. You are making much ado about nothing.