Finals,
First of all, the general rules about low flying and unlicensed strips:
Because this field is not a government or a licensed airfield, you must comply with all of the low flying rules except for the 500' rule, from which you are exempt any time you are making an approach at any airfield whether licensed or not.
This means that you must comply with the following rules:
- Failure of a power unit - you must be able to make a safe emergency landing if a power unit fails.
- The 1000' rule over a congested area
- The land clear rule over a congested area (in addition to the failure of a power unit rule)
- The 1000' rule over an assembly of 1000 people. (Note that there is also a specific prohibition on taking off or landing within 1000m of such an assembly, except an an aerodrome in accordance with procedures notified by the CAA).
In practice, since the field you are talking about is already in use as a private strip, it's probably a reasonable assumption that it's quite possible to make an approach whilst complying with all these rules, since other users of the strip do so regularly - but of course that doesn't exempt you from ensuring that you do comply with them.
Now, the bit about your possibly not landing at the field.
In order to make an approach, you will require an exemption from the 500' rule. Rule 6a(ii) states that:
6. The exemptions from the low flying prohibitions are as follows—
(a) Landing and taking off
(ii) Any aircraft shall be exempt from the 500 feet rule when landing and taking-off in accordance with normal aviation practice or air-taxiing.
So what you need to decide is whether what you are suggesting is "normal aviation practice". If you think it is, then go for it. If not, then you must not break the 500' rule.
Hope that helps!
FFF
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