Plane frequently buzzes my property.

[dbdartman]

Pipeline patrol planes fly low but usually only go in one direction. I guess they'd circle if they saw anything that resembled a problem with the pipeline (or a sunbather on a blanket).

That happened to my GF about 25 years ago. She was renting this old farm house on about 400 acres, about 2 miles east of the NJ Turnpike. One afternoon, she was sunning herself out back behind the barn.

Now, imagine your buddy was flying you from the Philly area to NYC. Easiest VFR I could imagine would be the Turnpike, so the pilot has the road just out his left window & the passenger is watching the scenery out the right window. If you thought you saw someone laying out behind a barn, wouldn't you be curious?

She told me she saw the plane go around reasonably high, then a minute later they came by "skimming the tree tops" & gave her a buzz-job, waggled the wings, turned north & were not seen again. Once I explained with the above paragraph, she agreed it made perfect sense!

Dr George, that certainly sounds like "student ops" to me. Skydivers would fly the same basic pattern up & then a different pattern down. I'd imagine the "revenuers" wouldn't be flying in the same place all the time, unless they were staking some place out, & then I'd also imagine there would be much less expensive ways to do it then by aircraft.

shvl73, I flew in (& jumped out of) about a dozen different DC3's back in the 80's-early 90's (including one rare right-hand-door Eastern Airlines DC3 ). Although I love those birds with all my heart & soul, I sure wouldn't want to be on one during a stall! Of course I quit jumping about the time seat belts became mandatory on jump aircraft, so all I can see is 30 pieces of un-secured cargo!

 

[N80]

I flew some medi-vac flights in a Huey from Eglin AFB to Pensicola when I was a resident. Apparently the beach is a good navigational aid for that trip .

Flew low right down the beach. Plenty of good scenery....you know, the white sand, blue water, etc etc.

Flying in an open cockpit biplane and sitting in the side door of a Huey have been my most enjoyable flying experiences.

Off topic a little, but when this guy took me up in his Stearman he was primarily taking me up for a joy ride. We flew a backwoods route to another nearby airport to refuel. What was so interesting to me was that his route basically consisted of flying from one little private airstrip to the next. It would be a house, a barn a hanger and a narrow grass strip with a wind sock on one end. I was amazed out how many people had little Pipers and Cessnas at home! About half the time the owner would step outside and wave, they all knew this guy and his yellow and blue Stearman. Of course the sound of that radial was unmistakable from miles away.

So, I imagine there may have been folks (other than the little airstrip owners) who wondered why an old biplane flew past their home/farm every weekend.

I noticed that whenever we took off he used the regular runway, but whenever he landed he landed on the grass infield. Can you guess why?

 

[dmccarty]

Our county has arial photos that are excellent quality. You can see garbage cans and downed trees in the photos.

The pictures are taken in the winter so that the leaves are off the trees. Not likely to catch other items of interest sunbathing at that time of year.

Later,
Dan

 

[N80]

We have county tax maps that were made from aircraft but the quality is pretty low....and they are very old. I think Wilbur was flying and Orville was taking the pictures.

 

[Redbug]

Hey George...

We, (you) need to do a study to help the rest of us. When you build your tractor shed, put on a camo roof. Let us know how long the tax man takes to find it. If so, possibly a sod roof structure next time...

On the serious side, when I lived in Alaska I used to go on some of those Huey jaunts or sometimes ride in the jump seats of some of the other aircraft. It's fun making a turn with the doors open and looking straight down at the ground, (first time was scary, though). I was along a few times and enjoyed in the fun of buzzing caribou, bear and a moose or two along the Alaska Range.

 

[MossRoad]

I flew some medi-vac flights in a Huey from Eglin AFB to Pensicola when I was a resident. Apparently the beach is a good navigational aid for that trip .

Flew low right down the beach. Plenty of good scenery....you know, the white sand, blue water, etc etc.

Flying in an open cockpit biplane and sitting in the side door of a Huey have been my most enjoyable flying experiences.

Off topic a little, but when this guy took me up in his Stearman he was primarily taking me up for a joy ride. We flew a backwoods route to another nearby airport to refuel. What was so interesting to me was that his route basically consisted of flying from one little private airstrip to the next. It would be a house, a barn a hanger and a narrow grass strip with a wind sock on one end. I was amazed out how many people had little Pipers and Cessnas at home! About half the time the owner would step outside and wave, they all knew this guy and his yellow and blue Stearman. Of course the sound of that radial was unmistakable from miles away.

So, I imagine there may have been folks (other than the little airstrip owners) who wondered why an old biplane flew past their home/farm every weekend.

I noticed that whenever we took off he used the regular runway, but whenever he landed he landed on the grass infield. Can you guess why?

So when he ground looped it would just tear up some grass and dirt and if he hit the prop on the ground he might not toast the entire engine.

 

[shvl73]

shvl73, I flew in (& jumped out of) about a dozen different DC3's back in the 80's-early 90's (including one rare right-hand-door Eastern Airlines DC3 ). Although I love those birds with all my heart & soul, I sure wouldn't want to be on one during a stall! Of course I quit jumping about the time seat belts became mandatory on jump aircraft, so all I can see is 30 pieces of un-secured cargo!

Was it going down?! Crashing?! Why jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

 

[jpm]

i get A10's flying barely over my house then down into a valley.scared the heck out of the wife 1st time

 

[N80]

So when he ground looped it would just tear up some grass and dirt and if he hit the prop on the ground he might not toast the entire engine.

That's not it, but apparently ground looping is a major concern in the old Stearmans. The fuel tank is in the center portion of the top wing. My friend told me its like trying to land a tricycle, backwards with a 250 pound man riding it! When I Googled 'Stearman' a few years ago, most of the hits were NTSB ground loop accident reports.

The reason he lands on the grass is his tires. They look like 'turf' tires and are made for landing on grass and are historically accurate for his plane. Goodyear makes them but only every few years and they are apparently very expensive due to limited production. Taking off on concrete doesn't put much wear on the tires but landing does. So he lands on the grass.

 

[N80]

Hey George...

We, (you) need to do a study to help the rest of us. When you build your tractor shed, put on a camo roof. Let us know how long the tax man takes to find it. If so, possibly a sod roof structure next time...

Camo might be a good idea. The tax man might not see it but it may attract other airborne law enforcement if they see it! Still, some camo netting might be a good idea. Unfortunately I'm afraid its going to be covered in the cheapest shiny metal roof I can find.

It will be very interesting to see if the tax man ever finds it. It may not qualify for taxation since it will have no walls, no floor and will not have its own electricity. But I don't know the specific laws.