Video near the landing site, or within 500 feet

Skymac

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Justin
Just a general question here, I’ve done some searching but haven’t seen a good or valid discussion on the topic. I’ll start by saying I have absolutely no issue with doing this as a pilot or as a ground spectator as long as everyone knows someone is close by.

What’s the FAA stance on standing near the landing area, in this case, let’s say videoing a friend, landing... Obviously your operating closer than 500’ to a person but you are landing and at the end of the day, I’m focused on landing instead of worrying about how far away someone on the ground might be. We see videos on social media daily of these activities both on and off airport from widely known people and planes in normal GA flying.

Again, I’m all for it. I’ve done it myself I’m just wondering what the discussion on it will be like. I know some folks think it’s absolutely absurd to operate an aircraft near the ground and chastise people for flying how they wish to fly, and I’m not trying to start that debate. Fly within your means, it’s not for everyone.
 
There is no minimum separation for "the purposes of take off or landing".
 
The FAA isn’t going to care at a non towered field. It’s all about what’s written in the city ordinances for that particular airport. Mine states that no pedestrians will be on the taxiways and runways. Only airport personnel. On the ramp, pilots, pax and vehicles allowed. So getting to 500 ft is doable depending on where you’re standing.

Talk to your airport manager and see what restrictions are in place at your local field.
 
There a lots of airports where aircraft will be well within 500' of people and structures on landing and takeoff. Happens every day. I've seen guys get a little flat on landing and have to pull back and climb a bit because a semi was passing the end of the runway at the wrong time.
 
91.119 Minimum safe altitudes: General.
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:

(a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.

(b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.

(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
 
FWIW, the hold short line is also usually only 250 feet from the runway centerline for most runways.
 
Just a general question here, I’ve done some searching but haven’t seen a good or valid discussion on the topic. I’ll start by saying I have absolutely no issue with doing this as a pilot or as a ground spectator as long as everyone knows someone is close by.

What’s the FAA stance on standing near the landing area, in this case, let’s say videoing a friend, landing... Obviously your operating closer than 500’ to a person but you are landing and at the end of the day, I’m focused on landing instead of worrying about how far away someone on the ground might be. We see videos on social media daily of these activities both on and off airport from widely known people and planes in normal GA flying.

Again, I’m all for it. I’ve done it myself I’m just wondering what the discussion on it will be like. I know some folks think it’s absolutely absurd to operate an aircraft near the ground and chastise people for flying how they wish to fly, and I’m not trying to start that debate. Fly within your means, it’s not for everyone.

 
Cleeta (or whatever they're shouting for her name) was pretty close

 
Where is that? And is that someone's man cave/house on the left?
Placid Lakes 09FA

I think it’s a home and hangar combo, hence the Pickett fence.

I have a video of my landing there, I thought it was very unique. 1:45 in this clip:
 
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There's no FAA regulation to prohibit it, but for the pilot the "when necessary" portion could be used to bust a pilot doing an intentional low pass that breaks the 500 foot bubble. I know that pilots doing low passes will just claim that it was a go-around, so the FSDO has to have enough evidence to convince an administrative judge that it wasn't, but with video evidence it might be easy for them to do so.
 
Cleeta (or whatever they're shouting for her name) was pretty close


@Tantalum , if I were you, I'd keep those family vacation videos under lock and key lol

Placid Lakes 09FA

I think it’s a home and hangar combo, hence the Pickett fence.

I have a video of my landing there, I thought it was very unique. 1:45 in this clip:

What wonderfully unobstructed airports, and plenty of space to put down if you lose and engine. Hey, are those golf T's in your defroster vent?
 
<Crazy old prospector voice> "YOU WON'T HAVE TIME IF HE COMES APART!"
You can tell it was Alaska because he didn't say, "...If he comes from together!"

About twenty years ago, I installed a couple of small wireless cameras on the backs of RC race cars...let me do FPV driving. Depending on how much range you can get from a GoPro's wifi connection, you could install it on a small RC car and drive the car closer to the runway. Position it so you get a good view of planes on final.

Ron Wanttaja
 
I think he said "comes to park" but that's not as funny.
 
I know that pilots doing low passes will just claim that it was a go-around...

Yeah, that excuse doesn't "fly" with a lot of FSDO folks.

I was the airboss, prepping KPRC for an airshow, on the Thursday before the show. A P-51 that was to fly in the show arrived, and with tower permission, the pilot made three low passes, before landing on the fourth. Note, there were a LOT of people working near the runway in preparation for the show (setting up crowd fences, etc.)

While the FSDO fellow accompanying me didn't object to either this or multiple other aircraft taking off and landing with people near the runway, he was not amused by the low passes. He had me drive over to greet the pilot when he shut down-- where not one, not two, but THREE people got out of the Mustang (which only had two seats, occupied by the pilot and his wife; not sure where their 12-year-old grandaughter was sitting).

The FSDO guy addressed that issue (with, to my surprise, just a verbal admonishment not to do that again), then asked about the multiple low passes.

The pilot rather smugly replied that they weren't low passes, they were go-arounds (no explanation given as to why he had to "go-around" three times). The FSDO inspector responded that it shouldn't take him four tries to get the airplane on the ground-- so perhaps a 709 ride was in order. Then he told me that I needed to adjust the airshow schedule-- I was going to be short one P-51.

Never heard how that came out-- but that P-51 didn't fly all weekend and was still parked there when I left PRC late Sunday afternoon.

My feeling was that, had there been just a single issue of the low passes, the FSDO guy probably would have let it go with a verbal admonishment (after all, "arrival passes" are pretty common, and even required by some performers to establish landmarks if they're not going to fly a practice day). But, between the extra passenger, and the smug attitude (the pilot clearly thought that claiming they were go-arounds was an airtight defense), the FSDO fellow reached the end of his rope.
 
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