TRAVEL.com ® Travel Forums - View Single Post

9th April 2007, 03:22 PM

Joe Harrison wrote:
> Say you are on the ground and want to measure the altitude of a plane that
> is going over your head, what (simple) equipment can you use? They are
> supposed to maintain at least 500 feet where I am but I don't believe they
> actually do. Tired of endless stream of noisy planes (helicopters the worst
> actually) when I'm pottering around in the garden.

Unless you are on the final approach path of an airfield then it's VERY
unlikely that aircraft are getting closer than 500ft. The 500ft rule
does not apply on take-off or landing, for obvious reasons but even so
you'd have to be within a mile of the airfield for departing/arriving
aircraft to be below 500ft.

It is notoriously difficult to judge the height of aircraft and it is
commonplace that people on the ground think they are much lower than
they actually are. As a light aircraft pilot, I can tell you that there
is no way I want to be flying within 500ft of ANYTHING apart from the
runway I am about to land on!

John.

9th April 2007, 03:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
John L Guest Posts: n/a Classified Rating: % ()	How to measure height of an airplane? Joe Harrison wrote: > Say you are on the ground and want to measure the altitude of a plane that > is going over your head, what (simple) equipment can you use? They are > supposed to maintain at least 500 feet where I am but I don't believe they > actually do. Tired of endless stream of noisy planes (helicopters the worst > actually) when I'm pottering around in the garden. Unless you are on the final approach path of an airfield then it's VERY unlikely that aircraft are getting closer than 500ft. The 500ft rule does not apply on take-off or landing, for obvious reasons but even so you'd have to be within a mile of the airfield for departing/arriving aircraft to be below 500ft. It is notoriously difficult to judge the height of aircraft and it is commonplace that people on the ground think they are much lower than they actually are. As a light aircraft pilot, I can tell you that there is no way I want to be flying within 500ft of ANYTHING apart from the runway I am about to land on! John.