would you be alarmed ?

[RPM AWARE]

...if you were flying at 1000ft above terra firma and came almost face to face with a kite ???

[handysnaks]

Yes! But not surprised, they are regularly NOTAM'd (grammar and lexicology buffs please accept my humble apologies)!

[RPM AWARE]

Aaah...anyone got a moment to retro check...Sat 1st Dec 2012, approx 15.45, Tilbury, Essex area ???

[jayteeto]

Was someone naughty, not reading Notams. There are bloody hundreds of them, up to some mahoosive heights as well!!

[g-mady]

flew right past one at about 600ft a couple of years ago near brands hatch! Very lucky that we missed it as it zipped down the side of the aircraft... looked to be tethered to a Land Rover too?!

MADY

[RPM AWARE]

"Was someone naughty, not reading Notams"
I couldn't say...I was a passenger :cool:

[ShyTorque]

I once flew in a 4 ship close formation of Pumas for a flypast during a "Freedom of the Town" ceremony.

When we returned to base, the aircraft next to me in the formation had about 400 metres of Terylene kite braid wrapped tightly around the tail rotor pitch change rods. The pitch rods had begun to bow inwards. There was no sign of either a kite or a small boy.

Another worrying episode was a large radio controlled aerobatic aircraft that shot right across the front of my aircraft, only a few yards in front, same height. I was crossing Northolt's main approach, at 1100 feet, well inside the Heathrow CTR, under radar control.

[Camp Freddie]

Model aircraft for me as well v.v.close above chobham common at 1000ft inside Heathrow CTR, it would probably have brought down my R22 but carried on flying had there been contact !!

[TipCap]

Used to have to dodge kites regularly when flying down the Norfolk coast from Bacton to North Denes in the Wessex 60 in the early 70's :eek:

[CharlieOneSix]

I hit a kid's kite at 800ft north of LHR back in the 70's - the line wrapped itself round the M/R pitch change rods but I didn't know until I landed at Battersea. Fortunately it was a Bo105 with sturdy short rods but I seem to remember a 206 somewhere in the world around that time was not so lucky and the rods were pulled in tight with catastrophic consequences.

[MightyGem]

Another worrying episode was a large radio controlled aerobatic aircraft that shot right across the front of my aircraft, only a few yards in front, same height.
Went over a ridge in Germany once, at about 50', straight over someone holding a radio control unit. :eek:

[Agaricus bisporus]

I heard first hand from someone who, on a powerline patrol in Essex came over a ridge, or what passes for a ridge in Essex at maybe 50ft right over four legs, two buttocks, one back an two very surprised faces. At 10 in the morning.

Apparently it took the linemen some time recover and get on with the job!

[John R81]

Helium balloons (kid's variety) are my personal dislike. Met my first whilst still training, solo at 2200 ft, east of EGKK. Dot in the distance.... what is it?.... Balloon down the RHS 110knt!

Less dangerous than kite strings - I suspect - still would not like to gather one up into either rotor.

[hoistop]

Hi,
Years ago I had a privilege to be on board of Met Police helicopter, flying over central London. About 700ft AGL we had a near miss with a kite - but with video turret on board the offender (not a little boy) was quicky spotted in the park below and two bobbies - happend to be nearby - were dispatched - I was explained that it was an offense so crew responded promptly. It took us two or three minutes of orbiting.

Also I remember an incident wher during preflight check of our B-412 I found about 10 metres of fishing line wrapped around tail rotor controls-counterweights on pitch change mechanism. Luckily nothing was bent or otherwise damaged, hovewer it remained a mystery how this line came there, as crew from previous day could not remember anything unusual.

[homonculus]

700 feet......near miss

Another dangerous offender locked up and another statistic for the boys in blue.

I wonder if the miscreant had a clue what he had done

[MightyGem]

I wonder if the miscreant had a clue what he had done
Probably not until told. I believe 180' is the highest you can normally fly a kite.

[RVDT]

Small change!

When you lurk around the southern borders of the US you need to pay close attention so you don't run into one of these.

TARS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethered_Aerostat_Radar_System)

Up to 15,000' !!!

http://wanderingairstream.com/ontheroad/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/marfa-zeppelin-22.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2771/4259661233_52159f5933_z.jpg?zz=1

[Sir Niall Dementia]

One Sunday last year I scanned the NOTAMs and set off for North Norfolk. Talking with London Info I found I had mis-read one about kite flying, I saw it as 1300' it actually went to 13 000!

Hd a near miss with a radio controlled plane at Kew Bridge at 800' eight years ago.

SND

[Cornish Jack]

Akrotiri, early '70s, Whirlwind10. Low level past the sailing club and just before reaching Ladies Mile saw a flash of something past the window. Suggested an immediate landing. On shutdown there were yards and yards of terylene type cord wrapped around the main and tail rotor pitch rods and both were banana shaped.:eek: The remaining cord stretched away out of sight and took a lot of recovering. Fortunately, there was no-one on the end! Needed some major engineering before we could recover it.:ooh:

[pilot and apprentice]

Probably not until told. I believe 180' is the highest you can normally fly a
kite.


Not even close! The afghans would get their bamboo and tissue kites regularly to at least 1000'.

Amazing how much damage a little 'string' can cause.

The aerostats themselves are even hard to spot, they blend into the sky remarkably well, but the cables are VERY hard to see unless the baloon tips you off.

[espresso drinker]

I used to live near the flight path of a large grass airfield used almost exclusively by rotorcraft. Late one afternoon from the bedroom window I spotted a string of helium ballons (probably numbering about 10-15) tied equi distance along some sort of cord. This looked to reach about 150-200m in height and was directly in the flight path. As it was soon to get dark I phoned the telephone number for the local police station to report this potential hazard. Instead of the local police station with their local knowledge I was put through to the regional control centre. Needless to say they just thought I was some complete idiot and couldn't see the problem!:hmm:

I should have phoned the airfield and I'm sure that they would have sent out the security team to investigate. I'll know next time.

[MightyGem]

I believe 180' is the highest you can normally fly a
kite.
I meant legally, in the UK anyway.

[piggybank]

Denpasar (Ngurah Rai) Airport and that area used to have a lot of kites flying around. More so in the 70's but even now there are a few in the windy weather June/July.

Quite a few were big, say 3 metres and more in length with a huge coloured flat tail that could be 10 metres. It took quite a few men to run with the kite to launch it. To make take off more certain the rope of about one cm would be wrapped round a coconut tree and three men would run with that as well, later the tree would be used to tie the rope.

I remember flying as passenger on a DC3 of Jamrud Airlines to Lombok and the pilot (an American called Jack) had to do some 'exciting' moves of the plane to miss the kite ropes. No idea of the heights.

The kites are still around and will cover the back of a big truck in some cases. Nowadays flown more in the Tohpati area for any kite hobbyists among you.

[pilot and apprentice]

my error, I'll pay more attention next time