Could anyone help with a minor neighbour dilemma?
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: australia
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There is no proof that it is 'the same pilot'. If it is a large business, as claimed by the OP, then it is almost certain that there would be a number of pilots who would fly whichever helicopter is allocated to them by the company for that flight. Multiple flights of the same helicopter on the one day could easily involve more than one pilot: let's stop the 'blame the pilot' line unless there is some incontrovertible proof.
cs, does your horse paddock finish at the tree line in your pictures? If so then the helicopters would appear to be well clear of your property and this could be much ado about nothing. The different approaches by different pilots in different helicopters, to (probably) different landing pads would not be unusual.
cs, does your horse paddock finish at the tree line in your pictures? If so then the helicopters would appear to be well clear of your property and this could be much ado about nothing. The different approaches by different pilots in different helicopters, to (probably) different landing pads would not be unusual.
Have you invited the Chief Pilot over to have him watch the approaches? Have you talked to anyone at the helicopter business, rather than just an exchange of emails? That would undoubtedly be far more productive than discussions on a (generally) anonymous internet forum: you have my name and if you want to contact me for a direct Australian input then please feel free to do so.
Instead I am seeking input from precisely a generally anonymous internet forum who have knowledge of these sorts of things and could maybe offer their thoughts on the different flight patterns by the different helicopters. It will help me decide whether I'm reading too much into what's happening. If yes, I'll leave things be and just keep an eye out. If no, I'll consider contacting the company again. I won't apologise for that, I don't think I am doing the wrong thing by asking people here for their thoughts.
Chickensniffer, I think it's great that you're trying to get a better idea of the factors affecting the types of approaches that helicopters do. It's a lot better than what a lot of people seem to do - complain strongly in the first instance and in so doing immediately kill any chance of a meaningful dialogue between themselves and the helicopter operator.
The videos of the helicopter approaches that you've put up show normal and benign activities, and certainly don't seem to be indicating any directed attempts to do anything that might adversely affect your horses. From what you've said of the response from the company after the first approach, they've taken quick and appropriate action as evidenced by the normal-looking approaches on the videos you've put up.
Helicopters will often circle a landing area to assess the wind (which they should almost always land into, or close to) or to check the landing area for obstacles, loose items, wires etc, so if you see a helicopter doing that, it would be my first guess as to what it was up to.
That first approach may even have been someone initially mis-identifying the landing point, and realising when on approach that it wasn't the exact right spot (i.e. a horse paddock rather than a clear landing area!), and aborting the landing, leading to a lower-than-normal overflight of your place.
Regarding putting in a clear request not to fly over your place for a good reason (not scaring the stock), you certainly can do that as Hueyracer said - any decent helicopter operator would inform their pilots of the issue and brief them to avoid your place by as large a margin as is practicable and safe.
Helicopters need to be able to operate without undue restriction and landowners need to be able to protect their interests with respect to noise and stock, but if everyone is adult and reasonable about it, the two can co-exist happily. If the helicopter operator doesn't do the right thing or the property owner takes the tack that the very sight or sound of a helicopter is a personal attack, that's when things get out of hand.
Horses and cattle get used to helicopters pretty quickly too, and now the company knows where you are and that you have horses, it would seem unlikely there'd be further problems. Helicopters sometimes get a bad rap because they're something out of the ordinary, but with all the motorbikes, trucks, chainsaws etc around the place they are just another factor in the overall picture.
The videos of the helicopter approaches that you've put up show normal and benign activities, and certainly don't seem to be indicating any directed attempts to do anything that might adversely affect your horses. From what you've said of the response from the company after the first approach, they've taken quick and appropriate action as evidenced by the normal-looking approaches on the videos you've put up.
Helicopters will often circle a landing area to assess the wind (which they should almost always land into, or close to) or to check the landing area for obstacles, loose items, wires etc, so if you see a helicopter doing that, it would be my first guess as to what it was up to.
That first approach may even have been someone initially mis-identifying the landing point, and realising when on approach that it wasn't the exact right spot (i.e. a horse paddock rather than a clear landing area!), and aborting the landing, leading to a lower-than-normal overflight of your place.
Regarding putting in a clear request not to fly over your place for a good reason (not scaring the stock), you certainly can do that as Hueyracer said - any decent helicopter operator would inform their pilots of the issue and brief them to avoid your place by as large a margin as is practicable and safe.
Helicopters need to be able to operate without undue restriction and landowners need to be able to protect their interests with respect to noise and stock, but if everyone is adult and reasonable about it, the two can co-exist happily. If the helicopter operator doesn't do the right thing or the property owner takes the tack that the very sight or sound of a helicopter is a personal attack, that's when things get out of hand.
Horses and cattle get used to helicopters pretty quickly too, and now the company knows where you are and that you have horses, it would seem unlikely there'd be further problems. Helicopters sometimes get a bad rap because they're something out of the ordinary, but with all the motorbikes, trucks, chainsaws etc around the place they are just another factor in the overall picture.
No, it extends a further 5 acres as an open field but it's lower and unable to be seen by the camera.
No, I haven't contacted the company since the first contact 6 months back. I'm not going to as I don't want to create tension where none is justified.
Instead I am seeking input from precisely a generally anonymous internet forum who have knowledge of these sorts of things and could maybe offer their thoughts on the different flight patterns by the different helicopters. It will help me decide whether I'm reading too much into what's happening. If yes, I'll leave things be and just keep an eye out. If no, I'll consider contacting the company again. I won't apologise for that, I don't think I am doing the wrong thing by asking people here for their thoughts.
No, I haven't contacted the company since the first contact 6 months back. I'm not going to as I don't want to create tension where none is justified.
Instead I am seeking input from precisely a generally anonymous internet forum who have knowledge of these sorts of things and could maybe offer their thoughts on the different flight patterns by the different helicopters. It will help me decide whether I'm reading too much into what's happening. If yes, I'll leave things be and just keep an eye out. If no, I'll consider contacting the company again. I won't apologise for that, I don't think I am doing the wrong thing by asking people here for their thoughts.
Second, I'd strongly recommend contacting the company Chief Pilot and ask him around for a coffee and polite chat, preferably when he knows there will be helicopter movements into the landing site with the wind such that helicopters are approaching as shown in your photos and video. With other wind directions they would be coming in from another direction and not the issue that you are showing.
I've been there as a Chief Pilot and usually there is a simple fix: and I always took my neighbours for a ride to get both sides of the issue. You may get a flight, too
