Originally Posted by
Gordy
It means exactly that. If the FAA has published a route, for example, New York has specific routes for helicopters, or if the FAA control tower gives you a specific routing or altitude, then you must follow that. If not, then you can fly any altitude you wish, 20 feet if you wish.
Ahh yes, the Dorcey Wingo accident. When working on movie sets or even for documentaries etc one can be issued a waiver. Where I work we have a set waiver that allows us to go as close to people/property as needed to get the shot under certain circumstances. We have listed pilots, aircraft and have to produce a "production call list" along with each shot and the FAA will issue a specific waiver. All people inside the "shot area" must be signatory to the waiver etc. Details here:
Form 7711
Dorcey wrote a good book BTW,
Rise and Fall of Captain Methane
Additionally, one form of a 7711 waiver often comes in the form of a Motion Picture Manual, which, once approved, can simplify the waiver process and FSDO notification for frequent wavered work. See
FSIMS Document Viewer