Low level flying

Nice, as usual. You should come to the northeast some time and fly around the Adirondacks. I think you’d love it. Not many beaches, landable gravel bars, or even bush strips, but PLENTY of nothing but trees/mountains and rivers/streams/lakes/ponds everywhere.
 
Cool Video, But the issue these kinds of videos is they usually leave out all the planning and preparation that should go into that kind of flying.

I have literally wanted a similar demonstration, where someone watching tried the same thing the next day with fatal results.

I know the "don't try this at home" line gets over used and isn't actually accurate. It should be "don't try this without experienced supervision and training"

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
The narrator says it: It's very unforgiving. A moment's distraction or an engine failure---there's just enough time for an instant of serious regret...
 
brcase said:
Cool Video, But the issue these kinds of videos is they usually leave out all the planning and preparation that should go into that kind of flying.

I have literally wanted a similar demonstration, where someone watching tried the same thing the next day with fatal results.

I know the "don't try this at home" line gets over used and isn't actually accurate. It should be "don't try this without experienced supervision and training"

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
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If you wouldn't do it without prep, why do you think other pilots would?
 
Dan Thomas said:
The narrator says it: It's very unforgiving. A moment's distraction or an engine failure---there's just enough time for an instant of serious regret...
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Even with experience and training specifically for low level flying, pilots screw up all the time. I know a half dozen pilots (including myself) that have hit immovable object while flying low level. While this guy is infamous, he’s not the first and won’t be the last tree trimmer.

 
Looks gorgeous. I’m sure the guys in the video are big time experts. That said, I doubt they’re bigger experts than Sparky Imeson or Steve Faucett, both of whom died flying low in the mountains.
 
Bobanna said:
Lach, you near the 'Gunks?
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I live right under the ‘Gunks and my wife works for the preserve. Fly out of a grass strip on the NYS Thruway, 2nk9. Feel free to drop a line and visit. If you are lucky, the stearman, tiger and gypsy moths, Cubs, champs, and others at the field will be out.
 
Bobanna said:
Nice videography, and clearly skilled airmanship. But, what's the point?
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Like the bikers say, "if you have to ask..."

I liked the video. Very surreal.

Matthew Rogers said:
I live right under the ‘Gunks and my wife works for the preserve. Fly out of a grass strip on the NYS Thruway, 2nk9. Feel free to drop a line and visit.
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I'll have to drop in in the Hatz someday when I'm in the area, passed it many times on the highway. My cabin is a bit south of there, down near Harriman, when I fly in from CT I usually land at Warwick but Kobelt for lunch is an occasional stop.
 
Warwick is cool.

I am sure you have been to Aeroflex Andover just a bit south of that . It is “almost” like a gravel bar - lakes on both ends. Nevermind that it is paved and close to a bagel shop.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Fun. Sometimes its work taking risk in life instead of sitting on a couch waiting to die.
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I love that prop sound at take off! I think I’ve said that before, but worth saying again. Buzz saw...
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Fun. Sometimes its work taking risk in life instead of sitting on a couch waiting to die.
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Absolutely agreed.
Some people are afraid, some are not. Some weigh risks more heavily than others. We're all different.
Someone said once something about dying on a deathbed and regretting not what they have done but what they haven't done in their life. (can't recall the exact wording or origin, sorry)
I prefer living life than wasting away ... but again, that's just my personal preference. Wife says I'm "crazy" for wanting to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with friends this summer. *shrug* Chicks, man! :D
 
BigBadLou said:
Absolutely agreed.
Some people are afraid, some are not. Some weigh risks more heavily than others. We're all different.
Someone said once something about dying on a deathbed and regretting not what they have done but what they haven't done in their life. (can't recall the exact wording or origin, sorry)
I prefer living life than wasting away ... but again, that's just my personal preference. Wife says I'm "crazy" for wanting to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with friends this summer. *shrug* Chicks, man! :D
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Personally, I consider sky diving about as safe as sitting on the couch, relative to this.

It also doesn't scare me, but I don't see the thrill really. It seems like risk for risk sake, but that's just me. I don't have a problem if someone else wants to do it. I can have plenty of fun at an altitude that something can still go wrong and I don't have a really, really bad day.

I enjoy skiing crazy steep slopes, and road racing motorcycles. Different strokes.

I do tend to dislike this only because it makes it look deceptively easy. But I also don't have much sympathy for fools either, so that kind of makes me not give a ****.
 
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Velocity173 said:
Even with experience and training specifically for low level flying, pilots screw up all the time. I know a half dozen pilots (including myself) that have hit immovable object while flying low level. While this guy is infamous, he’s not the first and won’t be the last tree trimmer.

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I was just above and behind those guys while landing in Veghel DZ and saw the sparks from his blades hitting the tree under NVGs. Sometimes being "tactical" means doing stupid stuff and getting away with it. Until that one day.....
 
IK04 said:
I was just above and behind those guys while landing in Veghel DZ and saw the sparks from his blades hitting the tree under NVGs. Sometimes being "tactical" means doing stupid stuff and getting away with it. Until that one day.....
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Yep. I used to tell guys, there’s a fine line between tactical and irresponsible. Once you cross over into the other, God help you if someone gets hurt because of it.
 
Under 400 ft you are in drone territory.
 
It's funny... we indict Icon for encouraging low level "fun" flying but think it's cool when done in a Cub, 182, etc.

If you can do it safely more power to you... just please don't crash because then it potentially makes flying that much harder and more restrictive for the rest of us
 
This video shows some of the very few times I fly low , I dont do it all the time, very few times and taking as many precautions as possible, specially since I have learned a valuable lesson a few years ago.
In this same river I had a very scary moment a few years ago, one of the first times I flew it, and learned my lesson.
Its a stupid story and I share it because it can save someone one day, never assume, always recon the area, its fun and exciting and the exactly is the trap.

Was flying low and slow, below the trees and just above the water, about 65mph, 20 degrees of flaps, looking for gravel bars to land on, wind calm, perfect day.
I had seen the power lines to my left side, running parallel to the river, to the right of the river was the wilderness, and the Cascade mountains.

I assumed power lines would continue to the next town and not towards the Cascades, done one flight prior to this one, and never saw them crossing the river, was flying in my friend's plane, and was a few months back.(Dont know how I missed them)

I was doing a 90 degree turn when I saw the power lines crossing the river between two hills, at the highest point, they were too high to out climb them, I was to low and close to the tall trees to make a 180, only option was to go under them, so I dropped flaps to 40 degrees and slowed to 50mph, and thought at least if I hit something it will be as slow as possible, and also slower speeds allow me to see more, and this worked, I lined up to fly under the power lines slow and straight, few seconds before going under them, saw another cable (home made probably) under the power lines, had to correct a bit and ended up flying between the lower cable and the power lines.

Very dangerous , very scary and will never forget that one, never assume and dont let the excitement forget the dangers of low level flying.
 
Tantalum said:
It's funny... we indict Icon for encouraging low level "fun" flying but think it's cool when done in a Cub, 182, etc.

If you can do it safely more power to you... just please don't crash because then it potentially makes flying that much harder and more restrictive for the rest of us
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It’s cool when Icon does it as well, I’d just be willing to bet that a typical Icon customer doesn’t have the experience to be maneuvering that low. Probably unaware of the hazards associated with flying that low either.

Like I said, we get extensive training in the military but aircraft continue to hit immovable objects. I read mostly military pilot autobiographies I can tell you, a common thread is most of them smacked into something while flying low level. The difference is, for them it has tactical significance...well maybe not when Bob Hoover hit wires during an air show.

Low level just isn’t about the physical dangers, if you’re taking pax with you, be prepared for the legal ramifications when things go wrong.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2008/july/01/after-the-accident
 
tinerj said:
Under 400 ft you are in drone territory.
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And bird territory. Around water you get some big birds. They can kill you when they come through the windshield.
 
Fallsrider said:
Talk about lifelong, debilitating, emotional pain. You would never get over that.
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Yep. I’m sure the legal charges can’t compare to the pain he’s gone thru. That’s why when I see this type of flying, I don’t mind it but would like to see pilots doing it without pax on board. Not worth the risk in my opinion.
 
Sometimes when I watch videos online I think to myself: Is this person trying to impress me or only themselves? I'm fine with one of those ideas, but the other option may not be as healthy.
 
Challenged said:
Sometimes when I watch videos online I think to myself: Is this person trying to impress me or only themselves? I'm fine with one of those ideas, but the other option may not be as healthy.
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I can think of a few youtubers that make me wonder the same thing. Not to point fingers but the ones I'm thinking of seem to gravitate toward a certain brand of experimental taildraggers that rhymes with hit rocks.
 
Heck, I can’t even string together a dozen greasers in a row in the pattern with 6000 ft of concrete. A stinker comes along every few landings to ruin my perfect streak. I can’t imagine getting to the point where I would transfer this to gravel bar work! Maybe someday, but for now, I will enjoy YouTube. Thanks for sharing your videos and your mistakes.
 
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