A French helicopter pilot caused panic when he flew low over an English seaside resort, a court heard yesterday.
Children on the beaches of Blackpool screamed and the town's famous donkeys stampeded in fright.
Thierry Leygnac, 45, a highly-decorated former French navy pilot, flew so low that at one stage his Squirrel helicopter was seen beneath the 250ft gantry of a bungee jump attraction.
Geraldine Riley, prosecuting on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority, told Blackpool magistrates' court that Leygnac, 45, had been working for a French film company when he buzzed Blackpool last August. "The operator said that if a bungee jump had been taking place, the jumper would have fallen into the helicopter blades," she said.
The next morning Leygnac was back, this time hovering near several groups of donkeys on the beach. Many of the donkeys, some with children on their backs, were so frightened that they ran along the beach towards the esplanade's tram lines. The children were screaming.
Leygnac, of Questembert, Brittany, should have been flying no lower than 500ft above the highest structure on the seafront. He did not attend the hearing but pleaded guilty to two charges of low flying.
Nicholas Parton, defending, claimed that his client was so skilled that "there was absolutely no danger to the public". Leygnac served in the French navy for 22 years before becoming a civilian pilot two years ago.
"He has saved countless lives and is an incredibly skilled pilot who can hold a helicopter utterly motionless or go up and down at the same rate as a ship."
The magistrates fined Leygnac £2,800 and ordered him to pay £611 costs.