Circling House

E

evapilotaz

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Gilbert AZ. VFR All Year Baby
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Drone airspace abuser
Sorry if this has been discussed else where.

My house is located within the Class D airspace. How do I request clearance to circle the house for a few laps?

Thanks.
 
Just check to the tower - let them know you'd like to circle inside their D-space x miles N/S/E/W or wherever, at whatever altitude for a couple of minutes. I hear it all the time when survey or power/pipeline inspectors fly through. They make you wait a few minutes until they can clear that area for you.

And ask a buddy to take the pictures - it's not as easy as you think to fly circles and take pictures at the same time.
 
Matthew said:
Just check to the tower - let them know you'd like to circle inside their D-space x miles N/S/E/W or wherever, at whatever altitude for a couple of minutes. I hear it all the time when survey or power/pipeline inspectors fly through. They make you wait a few minutes until they can clear that area for you.
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This.

Everytime, we get an "Appreciate you asking, approved as requested. Advise of any change to location or altitude".

Now that DTO has radar, on occasion might be given a transponder code so the controller knows that blip is us.

Finally be mindful of the minimum altitude rule over populated areas.
 
When you call tower call it a photo flight even if you aren't taking pics. If you are best to have a buddy snapping as Matthew mentioned.
 
"_____tower, 123AB I'd like to do a few orbit about 3 miles south for some photos." That's it, works in Class B as well, never have been declined, but Class Bs often ask me to report as I move from location to location since I usually line up several for a flight.
 
I've circled things in all sorts of airspace. If you're in class B, just ask. If you're in class C or D (or otherwise talking to ATC), tell them what you are doing.

I remember this conversation a year or so ago:

PCT: Cessna 4YF...are you having a hard time finding Louisa (one of the local airports).
4YF: Umm...no...we just wanted to fly around our house for a minute and take some pictures.
PCT: Oh, OK... I thought maybe you were flying a triangular pattern or something.
27K: You're dating yourself ... and I could never remember if it was clockwise for no receiver or counter clockwise.
PCT: <chuckle> By the way, are you coming back from your place in NC.
27K: Yeah.
PCT: What's the name of that tow bar you use to get the Navion into the hangar.
PCT: Who am I talking to?
 
As long as you don't present a hazard to other traffic, the tower will no doubt be happy to give you clearance to circle in the airspace. You don't need a reason, just make the radio call. Call your neighbors first and let them know it's you, sometimes people get a kick out of that.
 
ClimbnSink said:
When you call tower call it a photo flight even if you aren't taking pics. If you are best to have a buddy snapping as Matthew mentioned.
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Beat me to it. It has to happen often, because every time I complained to the flight school I used to rent from that the POS 172 window bar screw was missing, they said that there are so many photo flights that they just leave it off.
 
CTLSi said:
As long as you don't present a hazard to other traffic, the tower will no doubt be happy to give you clearance to circle in the airspace. You don't need a reason, just make the radio call. Call your neighbors first and let them know it's you, sometimes people get a kick out of that.
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You don't need CLEARANCE and unless you're interfering with traffic into the terminal area, ATC won't be in a position to object.
 
Also, ATC down here uses the phrase "on station" in reference to being over your photo target. First time I heard that I thought they were asking me if I was still on frequency as in "715, you up?"
 
ClimbnSink said:
When you call tower call it a photo flight even if you aren't taking pics. If you are best to have a buddy snapping as Matthew mentioned.
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Yep. The aerial photographer I work for always calls the tower a few hours before the shoot if it's local just to give them a heads up.
 
MAKG1 said:
Yes, have someone else take the photo, and beware the "moose stall."
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It sure is a lot easier doing it 2 person, that's for sure, but with digital cameras displaying to screens, it's a lot easier to do it single handed now than back with film cameras. You do need to make a good mounting system though, I made one from a tripod that I affixed a clamp on one leg that went over the window frame in the right door.

You also want a long lens for most work you'll do from a small plane, my shortest lens was a 200mm, standard was 400mm. A good 70-400 zoom is good, but you have to devise a way to lock the focal length since they tend to shift being pointed downward and in the airstream.

Aerial mapping photography is quite different though.
 
I guess I'm just chicken. This is one thing I have not done - circled house. Sure seems like a lot of people do it though ...
 
Henning said:
It sure is a lot easier doing it 2 person, that's for sure, but with digital cameras displaying to screens, it's a lot easier to do it single handed now than back with film cameras. You do need to make a good mounting system though, I made one from a tripod that I affixed a clamp on one leg that went over the window frame in the right door.

You also want a long lens for most work you'll do from a small plane, my shortest lens was a 200mm, standard was 400mm. A good 70-400 zoom is good, but you have to devise a way to lock the focal length since they tend to shift being pointed downward and in the airstream.

Aerial mapping photography is quite different though.
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Huh? I've been doing aerial photography for 40 years and the last thing you want to do is mount the camera to a vibrating airframe!! Handheld with a VR or IS lens (Nikon vs. Canon designations) in the 28-105mm range is perfect for 95% of aerial photography. A lens any longer will exaggerate the vibration motion and is virtually impossible to frame.

As for towers, they're always accommodating. Class B...much less so. Our Class B (MSP) requires a request form to be faxed in hours before the flight with details about the flight and a map indicating exact location. They will then suggest times that will work for them, based on the known "push" periods when the airlines are jamming up the runways with arrivals or departures. I've always been able to get the shots I needed, but not necessarily exactly when I wanted to get them.
 
Not interested in doing aerial photography of my house. I just want to see what the neighborhood and my house looks like from above.

Thanks.
 
evapilotaz said:
Not interested in doing aerial photography of my house. I just want to see what the neighborhood and my house looks like from above.

Thanks.
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Same process, just let tower know your intentions before you take off ("Would like to circle x e/w/n/w for a couple minutes.") As others have suggested, you might want to mention it's a photoflight anyway - they'll have a better understanding what you are trying to do and might be more accomodating. They'll probably ask you to inform them when you are finished and let them know your intentions of what you want to do afterward.
 
Don't lie about your intentions. You are allowed to simply do turns over your house as long as you are above mins. Just tell the tower you are gonna do a few. It's a non issue.
 
LDJones said:
Huh? I've been doing aerial photography for 40 years and the last thing you want to do is mount the camera to a vibrating airframe!! Handheld with a VR or IS lens (Nikon vs. Canon designations) in the 28-105mm range is perfect for 95% of aerial photography. A lens any longer will exaggerate the vibration motion and is virtually impossible to frame.
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Yes agree and if you want to use a fixed lens something in the 100mm range is perfect for most work. I find my Nikon handheld with VR lens and as high a shutter speed as I can manage given available light gives the best results.
 
CTLSi said:
Don't lie about your intentions. You are allowed to simply do turns over your house as long as you are above mins. Just tell the tower you are gonna do a few. It's a non issue.
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...unless you're intending to circle over the FAF of an approach. :D They may decline that request.
 
Please don't shoot me...

But if you do such photos of your house, and you're trying to sell said house and use those photos in the listing, could that be compensation as a private pilot?

Off the top of my head, that seems a stretch to nail you on, but just curious.
 
LDJones said:
Huh? I've been doing aerial photography for 40 years and the last thing you want to do is mount the camera to a vibrating airframe!! Handheld with a VR or IS lens (Nikon vs. Canon designations) in the 28-105mm range is perfect for 95% of aerial photography. A lens any longer will exaggerate the vibration motion and is virtually impossible to frame.

As for towers, they're always accommodating. Class B...much less so. Our Class B (MSP) requires a request form to be faxed in hours before the flight with details about the flight and a map indicating exact location. They will then suggest times that will work for them, based on the known "push" periods when the airlines are jamming up the runways with arrivals or departures. I've always been able to get the shots I needed, but not necessarily exactly when I wanted to get them.
Click to expand...

Sadly I don't have a picture of my mount, vibration to the head is damped through bungees and a Lord mount, but I agree, hand holding is better from all standpoints, when solo it's just not safe and productive. Lens length allows greater altitude at 1000' whereas I'd be at 150'-300' with a 28-105 to get the shots I need. Working at the higher altitude keeps people from calling the cops as I orbit, and I get the same framing. Yeah, it takes a bit to get the hang of, but it's not that hard to aim the camera with the plane.
 
Henning said:
Sadly I don't have a picture of my mount, vibration to the head is damped through bungees and a Lord mount, but I agree, hand holding is better from all standpoints, when solo it's just not safe and productive. Lens length allows greater altitude at 1000' whereas I'd be at 150'-300' with a 28-105 to get the shots I need. Working at the higher altitude keeps people from calling the cops as I orbit, and I get the same framing. Yeah, it takes a bit to get the hang of, but it's not that hard to aim the camera with the plane.
Click to expand...

The higher you go the more atmospheric crap you shoot through. 1000' AGL works fine for 90% of what I shoot, although I did go to 10,000' to get the perspective needed by the Army Corp of Engineers on a reservoir. The project I did for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol a couple of years ago covered from eastern MN to western MT and was all done at 1,000' or slightly below.
 
JeffDG said:
Please don't shoot me...

But if you do such photos of your house, and you're trying to sell said house and use those photos in the listing, could that be compensation as a private pilot?

Off the top of my head, that seems a stretch to nail you on, but just curious.
Click to expand...

You are not being paid for your flying in that case, so no. You are allowed to use your aircraft for purposes incidental to other activities that might make you money. You just can't charge for your flying or flying services.
 
brian];1545659 said:
I guess I'm just chicken. This is one thing I have not done - circled house. Sure seems like a lot of people do it though ...
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I've overflown the house, but I wont circle it. Too much terrain.
 
LDJones said:
The higher you go the more atmospheric crap you shoot through. 1000' AGL works fine for 90% of what I shoot, although I did go to 10,000' to get the perspective needed by the Army Corp of Engineers on a reservoir. The project I did for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol a couple of years ago covered from eastern MN to western MT and was all done at 1,000' or slightly below.
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I understand, but when you are shooting in LA and SF Class B and such, you have to make compromises, besides, optical clarity perfection wasn't a big issue, I was shooting strictly for content record. If you could see it there, it was good; this wasn't for artwork and display. You did have to be able to recognize condition though so a long lens was preferable to enlarging.
 
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