I note it was first registered on 7th August '97 - was he out celebrating:confused:

Makes you wonder what he does to wash the salt water off:confused: touch & go's on rivers;)

I understand that he had to ditch his previous (non amphibious) aircraft off the Channel Islands, which may explain his apparent concern for those in peril on the sea (no, not the swimmers and paddlers on Hayling beach!)

I was going to comment on this bloke's flying but I've just spotted a drug runner outside my window...

False alarm - it was a pigeon.

Nice one BRL, But I suspect that he probably looks more like this:

http://www.muppets.com/images/kermithead.gif

:D ;) :D ;)

If I'm right this is the guy who was flying down to the south of France in a Gardan Horizon and in order to save a few pence took off with minimal fuel intending to refuel at Jersey and then ran out off fuel off Guernsey. Not content with that he then went out and bought the Lake and then promptly landed wheels up at Popham.
Apparently the police unit at Lee have been inundated with phone calls complaining about this low flying aircraft which of course is not based at Lee but Farley Farm near Winchester (I suspect not for much longer though........)

To those who state that the evidence couldn't convict him.....

WHO B:mad:Y cares. Its people like this that give the rest of us a bad name. We have enough on our plate already with people complaining about our hobby without "Walter Mitty" types like that ballsing up all the good PR that various organisations put out about GA.

The public don't give a toss what we think, they're just going tar us all with the same brush. Its just another nail in the coffin for our hobby, especially with all the EASA stuff coming in soon.

I hope the CAA take away his licence. Someone needs to open his eyes.

I mean, its bad enough when you get a complaint for accidently flying your circuit over someone house, but to get it into 2 national newspapers and the local paper is really going above and beyond...........

A fine example of 'listening to the correct pressure setting'!

I was on the beach on Hayling Island on Thursday 14th when I saw a small helicopter - R22? - doing a similar thing, running parallel to the shore at considerably less than 500 feet.

Difficult to tell how far off the shore line it was, though. I didn't see any swimmers or boats near where I was so it is possible that the pilot was legal, but it doesn't help the cause as others have already said.

He didn't have the excuse of having floats, either! Maybe he was looking for drug runners or swimmers in distress as well!

SD

Please don't let us confuse antics among swimmers and yachts with the thought that all low flying over the sea is either illegal or unwise.

I quite often return (in my Aztec) from Denmark or The Netherlands at very low level (say 150-300') because I am fighting a strong westerly wind and want to tackle the 25kts at low level rather than the 50kts at 1000'. I keep a careful eye out for boats and rigs and steer to avoid them. I admit that I would never see anyone swimming the North Sea, but Hey!, I would be the least of their risks!

Apart from being intercepted once, nothing untoward has ever arisen. Even the interception was a bit odd. It was a Dutch Coastguard Orion (or something like that) and I was expecting a welcoming committee at Fairoaks, but not a bit of it, EGTF was as quiet as a grave when I arrived.

W

Please tell me this is a joke, right? :\

Why would it be a joke?

If you can get a higher groundspeed why not fly low over the ocean?

We do it quite frequently, especially in the ITCZ for turbulence avoidance.

Chuck

Because, these days, anything below 30,000 seems a little low to me! ;)

Oh well at least down low we actually get to fly em. :O :O

Do you get to fly through the ITCZ much?

Oh, no, I have to work much harder to be funny.

Nope, no joke, it's what I do when necessary; and it's legal, economical and fun. What more could you ask?

Which is preferable, 200' over the North Sea, constantly monitoring the engines and the horizon, swerving to avoid boats, or sitting at F350 on A/p, doing the Telegraph crossword, picking the nose and making lewd suggestions to cabin crew?

I've done both and I know which I prefer! :}

W

HOW DARE YOU!

You've gone too far this time, Collins.

I would NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER read the Telegraph! I'm a Times man through and through! ;)