01-03-2011, 11:06 AM
1500 feet, not 500, is the minimum for air tours as far as I can tell, according to the documents linked above, and through discussions w/ the tour companies and airport personnel. Most people can tell the difference between 1500 and 500 I would think, but just the same, this bit of info that Terry posted was pretty cool I thought.
"A good way to quickly gauge altitude is to use your thumbnail (!) and your fist.
Your thumbnail at arms length is 2 degrees. Your fist at arms length is 10 degrees.
If your thumbnail is the same size as the helicopter, the helicopter is 800 feet away. If the helicopter is
800 feet away, and two "fist widths" above the horizon, it's 250 feet above you."
Again, I'm not aiming this argument toward copters that are other than tour companies at this time. I feel that's way too big of a battle to take on all at once. Far better to divide these things into chewable sizes. I also believe that those other fly-over activities probably don't account for more than 10% of the fly overs we get here. But I believe you Bob, that many think the flights are under the limit. I also believe that many of them are actually under the limit, especially in very rural, non vocal areas like Fern Forest. Pilots are used to getting away with it out here.
"A good way to quickly gauge altitude is to use your thumbnail (!) and your fist.
Your thumbnail at arms length is 2 degrees. Your fist at arms length is 10 degrees.
If your thumbnail is the same size as the helicopter, the helicopter is 800 feet away. If the helicopter is
800 feet away, and two "fist widths" above the horizon, it's 250 feet above you."
Again, I'm not aiming this argument toward copters that are other than tour companies at this time. I feel that's way too big of a battle to take on all at once. Far better to divide these things into chewable sizes. I also believe that those other fly-over activities probably don't account for more than 10% of the fly overs we get here. But I believe you Bob, that many think the flights are under the limit. I also believe that many of them are actually under the limit, especially in very rural, non vocal areas like Fern Forest. Pilots are used to getting away with it out here.
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973