Trailing Smoke / Dropping Confetti from a Private Aircraft

[GWidgery]

I've recently been asked by a friend whose wedding is coming up this summer if I could do a fly past at his wedding reception (in the UK). The basic plan is for a simple pass in front of the marquee and back, but he's also asked about the possibility of trailing smoke and dropping confetti.

My initial reaction is that trailing smoke would require some work on the aircraft, therefore requiring certification, making it financially implausible - aside from any legal obligations.

Dropping confetti I see as slightly easier, but still needs some thought. I'm sure there would have to be quite a large quantity of confetti required to have any decent effect. IIRC you're allowed to drop items from an aircraft as long as it doesn't damage persons or property on the ground. I would imagine dropping small pieces of paper over a field wouldn't cause a problem there!

Does anyone have any experience of doing something like this, or able to shed any light on the legal aspects of the above?

The reception venue is away from a built up area. Thinking of using a C172 at this stage.

Thanks in advance.

[CharlieDeltaUK]

Opinion offered as mere student who recently did air law, but I think that this would count as 'dropping articles' and the ANO says you can't do that without CAA Approval or with an aerial application certificate.

As you say, it's hardly likely to count as being likely to endanger persons or property (which would be outlawed by Art 66(1) in any circumstances) but it looks like Art 66(2) requires the consents.

There are exceptions for things like saving life and dropping balast.

Since you couldn't in any event fly low, I would think that the mechanics of successfully deployiing confetti would be a bit tricky anyway. You couldn't just pour the stuff out the window - you would have no chance of hitting the target.

Your pal has been watching too many James Bond films me thinks!

[Doodlebug]

We used to lob 'tshammas' (a sort of small desert watermelon) out of our training-gliders in Southwest-Africa on slow days. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to even hit a fairly large-sized airfield apron from 3000' AGL or thereabouts. Might not be that easy to pull off the confetti gig, never mind the legal aspect in this day and age?

[Pitts2112]

You're right on the smoke part. That requires either a full-on smoke system be installed in the aircraft (the right, if impractical way) or carrying a smoke grenade and directing it out an open door (the stupid and downright dangerous way to start an AAIB accident investigation). In short, forget smoke.

As for confetti, it's also probably impractical for the reasons you mentioned. You've got drop a hell of a lot of the stuff, even from 500 feet, for it to be even noticed. The chance of any of it actually landing within 100 yards of the wedding party is remote at best.

And I definitely wouldn't try the desert watermelon trick. Far too hard to find the damn things in the UK. :)

[Capetonian]

I have no doubt the 'elf 'n safety fascists are watching this thread closely!

[mally35]

Notwithstanding all that my guess is that you would be 'done' for dropping litter and get an on the spot fine. Forget it.

[Pilot DAR]

Well, I'm not a 'elf 'n safety fascists , but I would suggest a deeper think about this. If this task can be accoplished at a legal altitude, with no or approved modifications to the aircraft, without someone accusing you of littering, and handing you a dust pan and brush, you still need to think about safety.

Little airshows not unlike what you describe, have gone wrong in the past. Pilot starts out with good intentions, and a bit of a plan, but then at the last minute, things change, but the pilot goes anyway. The original plan doesn't cover the surprises well, and something goes wrong.

Sure, this type of thing can be safely done (though I wonder if any confetti dropped from 500 feet would ever reach, or even be seen by the audience), but is it worth it? Sure, you seem kinda cool to everyone, being the guy in the sky and everything, but if you have a problem, you could end up looking really bad, and what's in it for you to allow that to happen?

If you fly over at 510 AGL, and throw out confetti, and no one sees it, will it have been worth the effort? Maybe it's worth a test flight first). Bear in mind, at the wedding, the focus is supposed to be on the bride and groom, not the plane in the sky!

If you do decide to do it, and you figure out how to do it safely, make a plan, wirte it down, and stick to it!. If someone "wants another pass" or to take another person to circle for photos after, say no, if it's not in the plan which you have already determined to be safe.

We would like you not to be one of those Youtube videos of something which did not work out well!

[BackPacker]

Apart from the legal aspect (your location lists you as Botswana, and I'm not sure we have any legal experts from there on here) you will not want to do this alone.

Flying the plane low and precisely over a line, and maybe on the slow side as well is dangerous enough in itself. If you also have to concentrate on activating smoke canisters, opening bags of confetti and dumping them out the window it's all too easy to become overwhelmed.

Bring a buddy, preferably a pilot who knows how light aircraft operate, and let him handle the "decorations" while you do the flying.

And furthermore, don't you simply want to attend the ceremony, instead of spending the whole ceremony in the holding pattern a few miles away?

[AfricanEagle]

I know a pilot that dropped rose petals for a wedding with a C172.

Take a cellphone to know when to fly by, the bride is always late
You need to do two or three passes to check land layout, identify obstacles and decide line of attack.
Study wind direction and intensity.
You need a pax in the back seat behind the pilot with a big bag of petals.
On target slow flight with flaps.
On target you open the window and pax pours out petals.
You must be too low to be legal to obtain any effect.
Only feasable if church is in open countryside to be done safely.
One rose petal fell on the bride's dress.

This is what I've been told ;)

[stiknruda]

I can't imagine a smokin' 172 to be that impressive!

Where is the venue and what is the date?

Stik

[AfricanEagle]

Regarding smoke.

Get hold of the smoke canister parachute jumpers use on their legs when they jump at shows..
Strap it to the leg of the aircraft with a wire fixed all the way to the cockpit window.
When over target pull wire.

[stiknruda]

the smoke canister parachute jumpers use on their legs

That would be a modification and would require CAA permission!

[Zulu Alpha]

Legalities aside for a moment, just stop and think.

How impressive is it to have a Cessna 172 fly over with a smoke canister attached? Pretty boring I'd say.

SO, I'd forget the smoke.

If you are going to drop confetti then make sure you have a bucketful or two. Two or three of those little boxes isn't even going to be seen.
Most likely the confetti will blow back in the cabin and make an awful mess.


If you have a bucketful of confetti then you need something like a large tube to put it in. This needs to have a sealed end and a lid. Then you can hold it way behind the window of the aircraft and remove the lid. Have a try out of the sunroof/side window of your car at 100mph first though. It will almost take your arm off.
You are going to need something to hold it with.

I think you will likely spend a lot of money on confetti and then end up dropping it a long way from the wedding party and covering/filling your aircraft with confetti. Most unspectacular for your friends.

You could of course contact your local aerobatic pilot Arrive in style Norfolk wedding cars and aerobatic display planes (http://www.arriveinstylenorfolk.co.uk/flying.html) or EDGJ Air Displays (http://www.edgj.co.uk/home) to come and do a few twirls with smoke for some beer vouchers. You'd be the hero, everyone would be impressed and there wouldn't be any clearing up afterwards.

I'll let the elfinsafety crowd take over now.

[Doodlebug]

''Where is the venue and what is the date?''

Zey vill be votchink! :E

[mur007]

Releasing smoke at 500 feet could easily cause alarm for people on the ground who were not in on it. Is it possible to pre-warn the emergency services in case they are flooded with 999 calls?

[stiknruda]

Good point Mur, ZA and myself always 'phone Scotland Yard before we commit aviation with our smoke tanks filled. We'd not want to alarm anyone.

Oh and we 'phone the RSPCA to ensure that the noise doesn't frighten any animals.

We're considering e-mailing the Secretary General of the UN, too.

You can't be too careful. :ugh:

[flybymike]

I can't imagine a smokin' 172 to be that impressive!



It is when the aircraft is buried in the side of the church steeple.

[eharding]

You could of course contact your local aerobatic pilot Arrive in style Norfolk wedding cars and aerobatic display planes (http://www.arriveinstylenorfolk.co.uk/flying.html) or EDGJ Air Displays (http://www.edgj.co.uk/home) to come and do a few twirls with smoke for some beer vouchers. You'd be the hero, everyone would be impressed and there wouldn't be any clearing up afterwards.


Tell Olly that the EAC romper suit he made for me 5 years ago has mysteriously contracted around the waist and the rear...to the extent that my rear emerged from it with an ominous ripping sound last weekend. Said EAC flying suit has seen some serious use over those 5 years though, so I'm not complaining.

The EAC romper suit is currently being worked on by a team of needle-workers in Slough, and I am hopeful that it may yet be deemed safe to retain my nether regions without being in danger of exposing them to the general public at very short notice. Being in Slough, I can't understand much of what the needle-work ladies are saying, but they're a cheerful bunch, like to laugh a lot, and whenever I take the romper suit in for repair they laugh a bit louder, and point to the Tyre and Exhaust establishment opposite, and the Michelin Man sign displayed thereon. I suspect they may be taking the Mickey, but I have no proof.

Regarding the matter in hand, the OP is well advised by ZA to look into having someone in a Pitts provide some aerobatic entertainment, leaving the OP free to enjoy the wedding festivities from the ground.

On the subject of frightening the locals, I would submit that if I saw a 172 at low level trailing poor-quality smoke and shedding quantities of unidentified material, I too would fear for the occupants. A Pitts trailing large quantities of Ondina fumes, and drawing some nice vertical up-lines in the process would not provoke the same reaction.

Edited: Replace "Pitts" above with "Pitts/Zivko"...but if you really want to fly Carbon Wing Wundastunta, you need an Sbach. Simply stunning, even with me on board as ballast.

[GQ2]

Legend has it that beer bottles dropped from several thousand feet will grab the attention of the earthbound...... (Obviously I'm kidding but the beer-bottles used to be a common item to be ejected during both wars....they made a loud shriek....allegedly...)..but failing that, - fill a couple of bin-liners with bog-rolls. 'Prime' them by peeling back the first few wraps. Slow right down. Lobbed-out by your crew person from about 1,000' AGL they just seem to hang there foreverrrrr....so I'm told. Not very nuptial though I'm afraid.......! :hmm:

P.s. - Would a DA be necessary to drop confetti..? :eek:

[RatherBeFlying]

Find a weather balloon, fill with helium and see how much confetti it will lift in a bin liner. Work out system to empty bin liner at height.

Or fill balloon with hydrogen and confetti and a timed igniter:E

[golfbananajam]

if you're going to drop anything you probably need the appropriate approval from our lords and masters at CAA (after stumping up the appropriate fee of course). There was a form I had to fill in for a poppy drop some years ago and it needed maps and all kinds of "stuff".

Why don't you rustle up a few mates and just do a fly past at a suitable height of course

[cockney steve]

Go to "Runryder" on the Net. It's a model R/c Helicopter site with members all over the world. There's a thriving Aerial Photography section.

These big"toys" can happily lift several pounds and can be manoeuvered extremely accurately.

Although some EXTREMELY large models have to obtain CAA dispensations to operate, they are the exception.

AFAIK, It's a perfectly legal way to do smoke and confetti.....you could also have an aerobatic display or a live aerial feed of the proceedings and optionally video it or take stills.