BREAKING RULE 5 WERE WE???????
I am a PPL and work in Milton Keynes.
Today during my lunch, I popped out to enjoy the glorious weather we are having. On walking out of my building my attention was immediately drawn to the sound of a L/A overhead (possibly Cessna 172)circling between 400-500 feet AGL pretty much over the Centre of Milton Keynes! To my astonishment, I observed this Aircraft for a further 10 mins doing anti-clockwise circuits over the same location. On returning to my desk, about 10 minutes later a colleague approached me saying that there was a Plane outside circling over the city. On looking out of the window, there was the same Plane again, in the same location, this time doing clock-wise circuits.
Furthermore, I am quite confident, that had I been underneath this Plane, I would have easily been able to read the registration.
Whilst I appreciate that there may well be a valid reason for this, such as filming or maybe something for the Ordanance Survey,I I am truly appalled that a Pilot would continue to fly in such a manner for such a long period of time. I think I was given sound instruction by my training school, and Rule 5 was drilled into me at every occasion.
Furthermore, lets be fair to those on the ground, if people want to circle over their homes etc.... may I respectfully suggest the following;
1. Fly at a sensible height, allowing for that worse case scenario.
2. Just do one, may be two circuits at the most and bugger off, because folks on the ground get kind of edgy with low flying aircraft above them. At my flight training school, our CFI/ Instructors would well and truly B*ll**k anyone who had been reported by members of the public for low flying, and quite rightly too.
In the final analysis, I am sure many of you will agree that this sort of flying really doesn't help the reputation of us PPL's or indeed General Aviation in the main. Also knowing Milton Keynes very well, and knowing exactly where this aircraft was positioned today, it would have been curtains in the event of Engine Failure or a loss of control, because there's not many fields left in good old MK thesedays!.
Just making a point.
Kind regards and happy flying to all.
C.N.
[This message has been edited by Captain Numpty (edited 30 May 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Captain Numpty (edited 30 May 2001).]