Had The Poop Scared Out Of Me

[Jagerbomb52]

Early morning road trip up the east shore of Lake Superior after I dropped my son off at school. Got to the spot I wanted to get some video of and started setting up. Its a conservation area and there was two cars of hikers getting ready for their venture. I could hear a small plane off in the distance. It was zig zagging around me but really could not see the darn thing. Got my cell phone out and started up Flight Aware app and sure enough he was right above me at 5000 feet. Waited on the picnic table for about ten minutes and it sounded like he was leaving the area. Got the pumpkin it the air and off I went down the lake at about 300 feet. All of a sudden there he was again but at about 400 feet and heading towards the pumpkin. Talk about what should my next move be. I dropped down to about 180 feet and hit RTH. That plane did a circle and at low Alt. and left and never came back. I was so shaken I just packed up and went home. It could have been a great morning getting some good video. Processing what I did get and will post later tonight.

 

[WildDoktor]

Yeah...pretty nerve wracking!

C-GZMW is a Cessna 172 registered commercially to The Confederation College Of Applied Arts And Technology. Not sure what the airspace is like in that area; wonder if they were supposed to be flying that low? I guess over water a low alt is probably fair game. Maybe they were just practicing scaring the crap out of their passengers. Could have been a different aircraft, too. Let's just hope a picture of your drone out the window of an airplane doesn't show up on the local news!! Totally wouldn't be your fault, but the world would of course go nuts. Sheesh.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

I think it was a student pilot. According to Airmap App I was in a area I could fly.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) 602.14-602.16, prescribes 1,000 feet as the minimum altitude that an aircraft may over-fly a built up area (500 feet for water), unless the aircraft is conducting a take-off, approach or landing (other exemptions may apply). This regulation is enforceable by Transport Canada Civil Aviation Enforcement.

 

[intrepidusa]

Same here Agustine, 1000 feet over populated areas, but these pilots love to fly at 300-500 feet coming off the everglades right over my house.

 

[Tufargon]

Wow Agustine, that is a little intense.
I know they fly around 300 feet here all the time over the Sacramento River which is 50 feet away from me. I can always hear them from a long ways away and when I fly here I don't go over 200 feet to be safe.

 

[Kcender]

Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) 602.14-602.16, prescribes 1,000 feet as the minimum altitude that an aircraft may over-fly a built up area (500 feet for water), unless the aircraft is conducting a take-off, approach or landing (other exemptions may apply). This regulation is enforceable by Transport Canada Civil Aviation Enforcement.

I'm with you buddy and agree with Tufargon on this. Planes are not supposed to fly below 500' in the US, but I see Helos doing it all of the time over the River (Sacramento). Guess different rules for different fools.

 

[Normex]

As a former private pilot I feel for you Agustine, I sometimes flew low level at 500ft agl but never over population and never below that alt.
A good pilot always had enough alt for the in case so 300ft over water is a big no no unless you want to be part of statistics. Gee.

 

[Cider Boy]

I should not let it bother you too much, as you will not want to go fly again..

C.B.

 

[Kcender]

Agustine, I have contacted Autel for the fourth time w/o response. Lost the luv w/ my issuse. If you had to move onto another drone, what would it be? Appreciate it. Respect your opinion.

 

[2flush]

Agustine, I have contacted Autel for the fourth time w/o response. Lost the luv w/ my issuse. If you had to move onto another drone, what would it be? Appreciate it. Respect your opinion.

Wow that's way off the topic folks are discussing here. PM works great.

 

[Kcender]

Wow that's way off the topic folks are discussing here. PM works great.

You are right and i apologize for that. I just bought another drone and moving on. Thanks.

 

[Old Bama Dude]

Augustine, did you get video of the plane?

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Augustine, did you get video of the plane?

No, I did have my little action camera with me so I guess I could have used that to video the plane but trying to fly the quad and doing something else was not high on my priority list.

 

[Goldenjet50]

Read this after seeing "Poop"! Thought it might be interesting. It was! It would have been interesting to have a read on your pulse and BP at the time .... I can imagine how I would have felt. Good going keeping your cool and landing the thing. I'm still paranoid about flying the thing off my property. I'm Canadian, but have a place in Montana and from what I have read, it is OK for us Canucks to fly state-side, but I still put on my camo underwear just in case (jk).

 

[QuadSquad]

What app u run to see the plane on the map?

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Flight Aware app

 

[QuadSquad]

Thank you.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I'm with you buddy and agree with Tufargon on this. Planes are not supposed to fly below 500' in the US, but I see Helos doing it all of the time over the River (Sacramento). Guess different rules for different fools.

Helicopters do not have to stay above 400' in many situations... they have different rules than fixed-wing aircraft.
Unmanned aircraft must always yield right of way to manned aircraft no matter where you are.