LAA Permit non EASA/CofA aircraft have been able to overfly settlements for a few years now. No safety case against it.
EASA 500ft AGL was not taken up by CAA and kept the original system.
Or so I am led to believe?

It's worth recalling that the decision you make as to the height you will fly (be it for regulatory compliance, or other motive) affects your safety. These rules are not just there for the people on the ground. If you're cruising along at 200 feet, your only possible forced approach are is right in front of you - it is suitable?

I've cruised at 100'.

In a floatplane, with a suitable landing area right in front of me throughout.

Not forgetting those military chaps you are probably imagining yourself being have bags of excess speed, and their response to a low level engine failure is to pull up, gaining thousands of feet in the process. Can't do that in a SEP...

tmmorris,

Well, sort of. When I was blasting around the Cheshire Plain or the Fens at 250’ AGL (or so!) and 90 kts in an RAF Chipmunk, we were taught to convert excess speed into height in the event of an engine failure.

Of course, reducing speed to 70 kts probably would probably only gain me 100’, but every foot helps!

Has no-one noticed that this thread is over ten years old? Sharpend dug it back up at post 34.

I too...

Though consider my recent post about lifejackets. from 100 feet, to on the water is a very short time, and the water surface may not be as smooth "out there", as the sheltered water you took off from....

It really is a question of being sensible and considering the consequences of what you are doing. If you are flying ultra low across crops you will do little harm, but what about the horse rider that gets her horse startled, falls off and breaks her neck, or cattle or sheep stampeded into wire fences.
If you are over a built up area, when the engine stops can you land clear or will you crash into the local primary school, just like driving if you cause death by dangerous flying you will go to jail, yes it was an emergency but why were you there in the first place. Get your thrills by all means but don't put others at risk or even annoy them.

Nice sermon:ok:

So what? The laws of physics haven't changed for the last few decades - or, if they have, nobody told me.

With SERA coming in, the laws of aviation do have changed so we may as well be aware.

It was meant as a reminder about safety margins and recognizing what might develope, the Shoreham inquiry is no better example, a low loop entry, reduced power, and failure to recognize the situation. So many air crashes are the result of low, slow and failure to recognize the danger, if the loop entry had been at 500ft as specified no harm would have been done. An insignificant 315 ft was very important !.