Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
#1780056
Hi All,

Hopefully not a stupid question, but could someone more knowledgeable than me give me a quick 101 on how the US differs from an aviation regulation (or more general legal) perspective to enable the sort of wild, amazing, bush flying that seems to be all over YouTube at the moment.

It might be easier to rephrase as a comment rather than a question - I'm asking purely out of jealousy:

Recently, I've really gotten into watching videos of STOL aircraft on Instagram, or YouTube, and the idea of just taking off and putting it down somewhere remote looks amazing. Many of the STOL videos show them landing on gravel bars in a river bed, or buzzing along a river at 100 feet, or even (as below) flying to some hot springs and then popping it down on a gravel road and parking with a bunch of tourists' cars.

For example, this was something I watched yesterday:



Now, I'm guessing (but have no idea) that the US must have some sort of equivalent rules to the 500 foot and land clear rules, but what's specifically different about the US that enables pilots to have such freedom as this?

Is it that they DON'T have a 500 feet rule? Is it that, unlike the UK, vast swathes of the country are 'unowned', so you can land many places without a landowner objecting? Is it broader than that - constitutional freedoms to go wherever you want, etc.

I can't help but watch these videos and lament that - for all of the USA's faults - it looks like an absolutely amazing country to be a pilot. If I had a kitfox or cub or similar I can just imagine how amazing it must be to live somewhere rural where flying is a really loose exercise of freedom, rather than quite a regulated way of getting from A to B.

And final question, is my biased perspective on this just because I live in the South-East? If I lived up in the Scottish Highlands, does this sort of flying take place everywhere? Can I just plonk it down on the shore of a remote loch without someone grassing me up to the powers that be?
#1780059
@flyingearly he's sold that aeroplane. Have a look at his series following delivery. You'll love him landing and pulling up at a filling station to fill up with MOGAS. :D

As a resident in the Highlands, I can confirm it is not like to US. At just short of a 6th the area of Florida, it's not as spacious up here as one would think. Consequently we don't have the vast areas of suitable flat land. There's a bit of a clue in the name…Highlands. :wink: :thumright: Start with the airfields in the Highlands, you won't be disappointed in the flying. :D
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By Iceman
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1780067
flyingearly wrote:And final question, is my biased perspective on this just because I live in the South-East? If I lived up in the Scottish Highlands, does this sort of flying take place everywhere? Can I just plonk it down on the shore of a remote loch without someone grassing me up to the powers that be?


There was a young German chap who, having indulged in such flying in Alaska, was operating a tundra-tyred Cub in the summer on the Scottish west coast, taking paying passengers on such adventures as landing on sand bars and remote mountain sides. Unfortunately, that came to an end when he found out the hard way that such flying is far from risk-free, fortunately being able to walk away, but the aircraft faired less well.

Iceman 8)
#1780123
Vancouver Island.

Me, as we cross a ridge to the next lake a few dozen feet above the treetops: "Don't you have some sort of 500' rule here?"

Instructor: "Yeah, if we get that high we get a nosebleed."

and later

"Anyway, we're landing in accordance with normal aviation practice [for bush floatplanes] - well, we'll be landing sooner or later, anyway."
#1780142
To answer your question on the actual FAA regulations:

FAR 91.119(c): "Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500ft above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vehicle, or structure
#1780147
Whilst not remotely close to how good the USA is, Scotland does have much more "bush" style flying opportunities without hassle. Flying in the South East is very restrictive in comparison.

Beach landings, waterassisted landings, and a number of interesting fields and landing sites are about, there are also some strips where the neighbours complain if they don't see enough aircraft come and go.
#1780994
Don't the flash cuts / everything's cool / music / speedup / fakery set your teeth on edge? She's gorgeous, he looks down his nose, the scenery's great. But, where are the mistakes, trials and tribulations, real world events that would make this informative useful and real?
I'm not jealous, but I think for different reasons. Other opinions are available.
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