AirTalk.org Aviation discussions newsgroups   Archives   FAQ   Search   Memberlist   Usergroups   Register   Profile   Log in to check your private messages   Log in  Aerial Photos under a class C shelf          AirTalk.org Forum Index -> Aviation (Students) View previous topic :: View next topic   Author Message buzz Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:04 pm    Post subject: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. Back to top Jon Kraus Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf Call up approach and get a squawk code adn tell them what you want to do. Better safe than sorry... Have fun... Jon Kraus PP-ASEL-IA buzz wrote: Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. Back to top EL Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf I concur with John. I don't spend much time in C, but a lot in D here in southern Florida, and you'd be amazed how many radio calls I hear from people doing photo shoots. Most of the time tower seems quite happy to accomodate, and from the tone of the converstation it doesn't sound like they're prearranged. Eric Law "buzz" <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. Back to top Andrew Sarangan Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf buzz <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote in news:Xns9511666A3FC9acdcncrrcom (AT) 130 (DOT) 133.1.4: Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. Call up approach and tell them you are doing a photo shoot. Even if you are staying out of the class C area, just staying in radio contact will help you avoid other traffic. Back to top C J Campbell Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf The best procedure is to simply call approach and tell them of your intentions and monitor your radio closely. I often do aerial photography and sightseeing inside class B airspace. The most they ever do is ask you to do things like "stay west of the shoreline" or "stay below 4,000 feet." Even then, if you tell them you need to go beyond those limits they will simply work you in. The biggest problem I have encountered in aerial photography is hearing the radios over the noise when the windows are open, even when wearing an ANR headset. This is particularly a problem when slipping the airplane to move the strut out of the photographer's view. As you are a new pilot, I have a few suggestions for aerial photography. First of all, don't look at what the photographer is shooting. Your job is to fly the airplane and you mostly need to be looking straight ahead. Second, fly the airplane. Third, fly the airplane. Back to top TTA Cherokee Driver Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:53 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf buzz wrote: Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. I asked a similar question on this newsgroup several months ago and a CFI who flies out of RDU answered that the RDU controllers are pretty accomodating if you call them up and tell them what you are doing. He said he'd done photo flights right over the airport parking deck with help from RDU controllers. It probably helps if you do it during off-peak traffic times. I'd rather talk to RDU control and not worry about staying under the class C shelf, especially on the TTA side where there are few tall pointy things under that shelf that I'd just as soon make sure I am well above. Back to top SD Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 3:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf On 23 Jun 2004 14:04:04 GMT, buzz <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote: Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. I take pictures in Class C all the time. In fact one of the clients that we take photos for is about 1 1/2 miles directly on the approach end of 17R which is the most common runway used. All I do is call up clearance, tell them my intentions ie: photo mission at this location and how long I am going to need to be on station etc. Then they will usually give me some instructions as to what they want me to do. In this instance, they usually will have me fly a modified downwind a little further out from the normal pattern, then they shift all traffic over to 17L, it is usually about that time that I am abeam of my target. I will call them up ( I stay with the tower here because we are so close to the airport) and let them know that I am abeam, they will usually tell me to proceed to my target or give me instructions to do a left 360 so that they can get all traffic out of my way. Then once I get the go ahead, I get on station, let the photographer do his thing and then in about 5 minutes we are done, I usually try and make my last turn to the south so that I am lined up directly with 17R approach, I tell the tower we are done, and that I will be landing full stop, they approve the landing and at about .5 on the hobbs, the mission is over. It is really no big deal. Hope this helps. Scott D. Back to top lance smith Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 7:33 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf I've done this for my friends- they all want a picture of their house : ) I'm near a D and radio up the tower to tell them what we're doing. We're not in their airpace but it's always good to be good to tower- they can route incoming traffic away and they don't get suspicious/freaky over aircraft doing doughnuts near the airport. -lance smith buzz <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. Back to top Steven P. McNicoll Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 7:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf "buzz" <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. I assume you're departing from an airport other than RDU, that would be the only reason to call the tower via any means. As long as you stay outside the Class C airspace proper there's no need to call ATC at all, but there's no downside to calling approach and it's easy to do. The worst they can do is tell you to remain outside Class C airspace. If they do that you're no worse off than you were before. Back to top NW_PILOT Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 7:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf When I take a first time flyer as a passenger the first thing that they want to do is see ware they live from the air usually in the surface area of class C call PDX tell them that would like to enter and orbit around XXX area at XXX altitude for X amount of time, I usually get proceed as requested or they tell me to not descend or go above a certain altitude. Just call them and ask they are usually very nice people but plan ware you would like to go first if you have a GPS make a waypoint of the general area first so you can tell them precisely ware you want to go you don't want to request to be doing circles on their final or upwind to close to the airport that will get you the responce you want to do what? "buzz" <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. Back to top Mark Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 8:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf buzz <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Now that i'm on my own, i have a friend that wants to get some overhead photos of his neighborhood. Problem is that this neighborhood is under the class C shelf of RDU, which starts at 1700. What's the best procedure for doing this? Talking to approach and telling them your intentions? staying at 1500msl? Should you call the tower from a landline first to discuss intentions? I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. I was an aerial photographer in a past life. It's easy to get approval for this stuff (we once got cleared to fly circles over Boston Logan airport (pre9/11)for 5 -10 minutes at 4,000.). Call up the approach controller and tell them you want to do some photography at location X (give VOR radial or someother known geographical location). If it's close to the departure or approach end of the runway, or near a busy nav aid, you might want to call the tower via land line before takeoff and see when is a good time to work you in. Usually the controllers will appreciate the advance notice, esp near airline rush hour. Back to top Maule Driver Guest Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2004 8:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf As others have said, RDU is very accomodating. I hear people doing photo shoots all the time. Look on the sectional for the appropriate app freq (132.35 for west and north) and just tell 'em. More importantly, I'd practice my aerial photography somewhere else just to figure out what you are doing without the C-floor and radio work distracting you. Dust off your turns around a point, try it with your passenger, do it with the windows in proper config, etc. Figur out how you will brief the photog - plan to do a preflight brief. You'd be surprised how things that seem manageable turn out to be challenging distractions. Passengers with a mission being high on that list. fly the plane, fly the plane, fly the plane "buzz" <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote Quote: Hi, i am a very new Private Pilot. Back to top gatt Guest Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 9:21 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf "Jon Kraus" <jkraus (AT) indy (DOT) rr.com> wrote Quote: Call up approach and get a squawk code adn tell them what you want to do. Better safe than sorry... Have fun... I heard somebody do this at PDX on Sunday. He wanted to fly up the river for a photo shoot and requested clearance at 1,200 or something. Told the tower, they approved his request, gave him a squawk code and off he went. -c Back to top gatt Guest Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 9:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf "buzz" <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote in message Quote: I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. One other thought is to consider when you're doing this. They'll be more accomodating and you'll get vectored around less if you do it off-peak times. For example, we stay clear of PDX airspace during weekday afternoons and evenings because that's the busiest time for them and they can be a bit crabby. On Saturdays and Sundays most of the traffic out there is people working on IFR ratings so PDX is noticeably more relaxed and helpful. -c Back to top Steven P. McNicoll Guest Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2004 9:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Aerial Photos under a class C shelf "gatt" <gatt (AT) livefromtheclocktower (DOT) com> wrote Quote: "buzz" <wvueer (AT) nc (DOT) rr.com> wrote in message I would think that staying under the shelf at 1500 would be fine, i would just like to let them know what i am doing, if they care.. One other thought is to consider when you're doing this. They'll be more accomodating and you'll get vectored around less if you do it off-peak times. If you stay under the shelf and never call them you can't be vectored at all. 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