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<\/p>\nI continue to have unpleasant encounters with low flying planes.<\/p>\n
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Recently I posted this photo of an aircraft flying extremely low over Antelope Island State Park ten days ago on April 19th.<\/p>\n
At this angle none of my photos showed the plane’s N-number so I couldn’t look up ownership registration on the FAA website but blog follower “Michael” said this in a comment:<\/p>\n
At the time I presumed that the two planes were one and the same and that N-number is registered to a US government agency (USDA-APHIS-WS) so I figured they were on official business and had good reason to be flying so low over the state park, noisy and annoying as it was.<\/p>\n
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Here’s a closeup of the first photo. I decided to include it for better detail in identifying the plane.<\/p>\n
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Then, six days later on April 25 I photographed this plane flying low over the island. Notice that it has the same N-number as the aircraft that Michael photographed flying “unusually low” over the causeway so there’s no question that they’re one and the same aircraft. And at first glance it looks very much like the one I photographed originally (1st photo).<\/p>\n
However, despite the very close similarities they’re apparently not the same plane. If you compare the wingtips of this one to the plane in the first photo you’ll notice that they’re painted different colors. If you look carefully there are other more subtle differences too.<\/p>\n
So even if I give the benefit of the doubt to N367CC and assume it’s a government plane on official and “righteous” business I have to wonder what the first aircraft was doing flying so low over a state park. And I also have to wonder about the coincidence of two nearly identical planes flying low over the island in less than a week. It was truly annoying and I’m sure the wildlife and birds didn’t appreciate it either.<\/p>\n
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I know for fact that the Burrowing Owl I was photographing at the time wasn’t pleased and some rogue pilots get their kicks by deliberately harassing wildlife, particularly larger mammals like bison and pronghorn.<\/p>\n
At this point you may be thinking I’m a little obsessed by low-flying planes, making a bigger deal out of them than I should. But in the ten years I’ve been photographing birds I’ve had many unpleasant encounters with them, especially in wild or remote areas where pilots think they can get away with such hijinks since they don’t know I have a high quality telephoto lens that can clearly document their nefarious activities.<\/p>\n
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Following is the most recent example. Two days ago as I was attempting to photograph birds in another remote area of northern Utah I suddenly heard the sound of a plane approaching fast and extremely low, I’d say dangerously so. I’d been shooting out my window but when I looked forward through my windshield I could see the plane coming directly at me as it skimmed very low over the shoreline flatlands of the Great Salt Lake. Within seconds that plane almost took up my entire windshield and I’m not exaggerating!<\/p>\n
I dearly wish I’d had the presence of mind to snap a cell phone photo through my windshield but I didn’t because I was simply stunned by what I was seeing. That would have been a helluva dramatic photo! It was extremely obvious that the pilot had seen my pickup from a distance and was deliberately buzzing me.<\/p>\n
The plane passed almost directly over me with a roar and disappeared to the south.<\/p>\n
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But several minutes later it returned, flying north about a quarter-mile away from me and not quite so low this time. At this angle it was badly backlit but I hopped out of my pickup and took some photos anyway because I was pissed off – birds I’d been trying to photograph took cover at the roar of the plane and it would be some time before they would come out again.<\/p>\n
It was a Piper PA-18-135 Super Cub with a pilot and a passenger sitting behind him. I’m almost certain they were hunting coyotes, a practice I abhor. Notice the object that appears to be a rifle directly behind and within easy reach of the passenger.<\/p>\n
I have a couple of questions for any of my readers who may be more aircraft-knowledgeable than I am:<\/p>\n
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I checked the FAA Registry and this last aircraft is registered in the same county I was in when I took the photo.<\/p>\n
The FAA has a rule called the “500 foot rule” that goes something like this:<\/p>\n
I was in a “sparsely populated area” to be sure but when this plane buzzed me I strongly believe it came significantly closer to me than 500′ but I can’t prove it with photos so I won’t be reporting the incident to the FAA (I know from experience that they won’t investigate without such proof).<\/p>\n
Personally I’m sick to death of these hotdog pilots who think they can do just about anything in remote areas just because they can get away with it. Given my track record with them it won’t be long until it happens again and next time I’ll be quicker with my cameras.<\/p>\n
Then the FAA can decide if they want to pursue the incident.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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PS – I can hear it already. If the pilot of this last plane ever gets wind of this post (he just might and that’s fine by me) he may claim that he was checking me out to make sure I was ok and not broken down. I won’t buy that, not ever. He came way too close for that, much closer than he needed too unless he was blind. Don’t think there are many blind pilots out there. He was just hot-doggin’ me.<\/em><\/p>\n Besides he was coming head on to me which as he got closer would put me in the pilot’s blind spot in front of and below him. Both pilot and passenger would have been able to see me much better at a more oblique approach angle.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I continue to have unpleasant encounters with low flying aircraft.<\/p>\n