I do not know the laws, can one do this sort of thing way out in the country over a friends house?

Disagree, They where right to arrest him and anyone who thinks otherwise should never be allowed to have a pilots license because they do not understand and probably never will the gravity of this kind of behaviour. I cannot believe this guy did not show up on the Radar before he pulled this stunt. If you are not completely aware after completing Ground School and Flight training that this kind of ludicrous behaviour is entirely unacceptable I don't know what Kind of flight training you got or what kind of CFI ?did not see that your attitude and aptitude made you unsuitable for flight training.

I say send him to jail for five year and set an example.

 

He busted FARs not murdered somone. Nobody got hurt so it really isn't that big of a deal, it looks like he had complete control of the aircraft.

breathalyzer,  how many tall ones to drink tonight. 

He busted FARs not murdered somone.

 

He didn't break any FAR's as the FAA has no jurisdiction in Canada. 

 

He has been charged with section 249 (1) ( b ) under the Canadian Criminal Code...

Dangerous operation of motor vehicles, vessels and aircraft, Every one commits an offence who operates an aircraft in a manner that is dangerous to the public, having regard to all the circumstances, including the nature and condition of that aircraft or the place or air space in or through which the aircraft is operated.

 

Punishment

 

(2) Every one who commits an offence under subsection (1)

 

(a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years; or

 

( b ) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.

He busted FARs not murdered somone. Nobody got hurt so it really isn't that big of a deal, it looks like he had complete control of the aircraft.

You should never get a pilots license either if you haven't already got one. "Yea he busted CARS So what" He could easily have killed 10people and himself. And if that guy is ever allowed to fly again I bet he will kill himself. Your full ###### go back to ground school, better still quit flying all together and do the rest of us pilots who respect the danger of aviation a favour.

 He won't fly again and would not surprise me they yanked his driver license to drive too.  

You should never get a pilots license either if you haven't already got one. "Yea he busted CARS So what" He could easily have killed 10people and himself. And if that guy is ever allowed to fly again I bet he will kill himself. Your full ###### go back to ground school, better still quit flying all together and do the rest of us pilots who respect the danger of aviation a favour.

I'm going to be respectful as I don't feel like getting banned! But I have a question how many hours do you have? What ratings? What types have you flown? Ever done aerobatics? Your insults to me are uncalled for! The FAA seems to think my flying is just fine!

I do not know the laws, can one do this sort of thing way out in the country over a friends house?

 

In the U.S. FAR 91 Section 119 states: 

"Over Open Water or Sparsely Populated Areas: an altitude allowing for a linear distance greater than 500 from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure;"

 

So definitely not this low.

He busted FARs not murdered somone. Nobody got hurt so it really isn't that big of a deal, it looks like he had complete control of the aircraft.

 

I'm gonna follow your example and keep it very sane here.  The issue isn't that nothing happened. The problem is that it could've. Aviation cannot afford to be a no harm, no foul industry. Safety is the responsibility of the pilot on every single flight, and if you're putting people at risk with your flying that is an extremely serious issue. Besides that, I'm sure the other people who owned those houses were very disturbed by this event. Low flying aircraft tend to make the public extremely nervous for obvious and good reasons.

The other thing about his charge under section 249 (1) ( b ) of the Canadian criminal code is probably really the only charge the police have the powers to charge him with. The police cannot charge him for breaking CARs (Canadian FARs), That would be up to Transport Canada.

 

I don't think the police in the USA have the powers to charge a pilot with breaking FARs either, that would be up to the FAA. In the USA each individual state would have their own dangerous driving/flying/boating laws that differ from one another.

 

Some states you probably could do low and slow flying but try it over New York City you would be busted so fast it would make your head spin.

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city so not a good place to fly low and slow either, Canada is also the worlds second largest land mass so a big country out there to do this sort of thing somewhere else....

 

Cheers

He busted FARs not murdered somone. Nobody got hurt so it really isn't that big of a deal, it looks like he had complete control of the aircraft.

 

And what would happen if he had hit a flock of birds low and slow with the flaps down? Or stalled it while not paying attention to his airspeed? Either situation could see him going through the roof of someone's house. As has been noted, there is plenty of room elsewhere in this country to fly low without endangering anyone else.

 

Definitely should lose his licence at a minimum.

 

Edited to add: I don't think the criminal charges are really warranted though as no one was injured and nothing was damaged.

And what would happen if he had hit a flock of birds low and slow with the flaps down? Or stalled it while not paying attention to his airspeed? Either situation could see him going through the roof of someone's house. As has been noted, there is plenty of room elsewhere in this country to fly low without endangering anyone else.

 

Definitely should lose his licence at a minimum.

I'm not saying what he did was smart, I would never fly that low over houses not because I doubt my skills but I plan for an engine loss at all times if his engine had quit he would have crashed. As for the bird. My granddad hit a goose in a V tail Bonanza as cruse speed (165 knots) and it knocked a dent in the wing back to the spar but he managed to land safely. But at 70-80 knots I doubt the bird would do much damage at all beside some small dents, pilots flying crop dusters hit them all the time without serious issues. As for the speed thing I guess thats a skill thing. I've never understood how anyone can stall a plane like a 172 unless it on purpose.

 

 

As for the bird. My granddad hit a goose in a V tail Bonanza as cruse speed (165 knots) and it knocked a dent in the wing back to the spar but he managed to land safely. But at 70-80 knots I doubt the bird would do much damage at all beside some small dents, pilots flying crop dusters hit them all the time without serious issues.

 

Unless the bird(s) came through the windscreen, or were even just smeared across it blocking his vision. Hitting a bird at altitude where you have time to react is one thing. Having it happen at low level when one is distracted while trying to buzz some friend's place is something else entirely.

 

 

I've never understood how anyone can stall a plane like a 172 unless it on purpose.

 

It's not all that hard. One just needs to be suitably distracted by something else, such as locating a friend's house in a suburban community and trying to show off. Or something like not noticing an extra tall tree or tower and suddenly pulling up hard to avoid it at the last minute. It has happened before.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jwrUriuqPg

I don't think the criminal charges are really warranted though as no one was injured and nothing was damaged.

 

I bet the reason for those charges is because they received a 911 call saying an aircraft looked like it was trying to make a forced landing, so the police closed off streets in the area to allow him to land. By the time they caught up to him they were not happy campers anymore and this was the one charge they could lay him with.

 

I see it as similar to a Jetskier buzzing a public beach with people swimming. Even if he didn't hit anyone he can still be charged under this same section in Canada Law. 

 

If he is convicted under this law it has no jurisdiction over his licence as that is under Transport Canada. They would have to get involved for this to happen.

 

It is an interesting charge as it is the same charge that would apply to boy racers or any goof out on a jet ski. Plenty of morons out there doing these sort of things in cars, boats and now airplanes.

There was an interesting article in Australia Pilot about Low level flying a couple of months ago. I thought some of the stuff in the article was worth going over here in light of this case.

 

"The Australia Transport Safety Bureau tells us that three flight scenarios account for the majority of all fatal general aviation crashes in Australia: controlled collision with terrain, loss of control, and wire strikes."

 

" 'Loss of control' is a euphemism for a spiral or an aerodynamic stall. Inadvertant stalls and spins generally result when the pilot is distracted and fails to maintain proper airspeed. In low altitude manoeuvering flight, the pilot's attention is usually focussed not on what's happening with the aircraft, but what's on the ground."

 

The following quote was in relation to a case of a private pilot who collided with power lines 40m above the surface of a lake:

 

"Even marked wires and towers are extrememly difficult to see in time to manoeuvre to advoid them. ATSB warns us that, "It is important to keep in mind that power lines... exist in remote areas where you least expect." "

 

"Low level flight is inherently dangerous because obstacles may be hard to see and avoid, wires and cables may be virtually impossible to detect, and there is not enough alitutude to recover in the event of a stall or incipient spiral."