Minimum flight ceiling

[Gasplug]

I was just wondering what the minimum flight ceiling for air corps planes is, as my house is underneath the flight path, because about five minutes ago what i am guessing to be 3 pc-9s flew about 150-200ft from the ground over my house, definitely the lowest i have ever seen them fly in this area! I am not complaining about it, i find it quite interesting to watch them fly in formation, and am just curious!

[ackack]

i would have thought the min ceiling would be the lowest height the pilot has the balls to fly at.

[Stinger]

I remember being at the Mosney Holiday Camp a few years ago (before it became refugee accomodation) and reading the numbers off the underside of one of the cessnas as it approached Gormanstown Airfield. Some of the guys ther were even good enough to give my father and myself a tour of the place. I remember they were busy doing a parachute course, ther was even a mention of rangers being around the place but I didn't meet any of them, at least not as far as I know.

[Gasplug]

I could clearly read the numbers from the bottoms of the planes, and i live a good twenty miles from baldonnel!

[Bosco]

safety safety safety
thats all there is to it
SOP will dictate what is min FL for normal flight
but then training might include low level runs
it also depends what the ATC tell the pilot to do.
ATC tells the piolt how to approach for landing.

[hptmurphy]

Minimum heights are controlled by SOPs in the aircorps and in the event of entering contrlled airspace ,CTAs,the pilot is obliged to conform to published flight proceedures which are formally flight checked and approved by the Irish Aviation Authority. This was a contributory factor in Dauphin crash in Tramore in 1999.
The pilot had exhausted the options under the published approach plates which if memory serves me correctly was a 300 foot minimum on the 03 runway...it was higher on the 21 approach so that was out of the question. His limited fuel obliged him to attempt a visual landing but as the Airports published visual minima were not applicable he was attemping something drastic which under the circumstances was in his opinion ,his only option.

Again unfortunately due to a lack of local knowledge this proved fatal.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Any Air Corps pilot flying that low is taking the piss! There are no authorised low-flying areas in the State,unlike in the UK. For civvie pilots, the downside of having the Donners in the same part of the sky as you, is that they are often only tuned into Bal's frequency and not to that of the nearest airfield. In reality, the only places where Don pilots can do as they please is in the Restricted airspace such as the R15 and R16 and the Danger areas.Outside that, they are in civilian-controlled airspace and have to do what the law says. Anyone below 500' is breaking the law,pure and simple, except in the case of an aircraft taking off or landing or engaged in emergency or State work. A Donner doing 250 knots in a grey PC-9 is a hard thing to see and avoid, especially if he's down low.
regards from a slow-moving aircraft
GttC

[Bosco]

Any Air Corps pilot flying that low is taking the piss! There are no authorised low-flying areas in the State,unlike in the UK.
GttC

Didnt know that!

[Gunner Who?]

One friend of mine was thrown out of the Aer Corps for flying down the Naas road and wheel touching a car driven by some other mad pilots.

Another was out because he flew under the Boyne Bridge. both were prop driven aircraft .

Both of them ended up in the Artillery Corps, their story was taken at face value . A mad bunch but very good men to have with you in a tough spot.

[The Joker]

153.—Every person subject to military law who flies a service aircraft at a height less than the minimum height authorised in the circumstances is guilty of an offence against military law and shall, on conviction by court-martial, be liable to suffer imprisonment or any less punishment awardable by a court-martial.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA18Y1954S153.html

I knew it was there somewhere.