AOPA will be closed Monday, January 20th in observance of the holiday. We will reopen Tuesday morning, January 21st at 8:30am ET.
Get extra lift from AOPA. Start your free membership trial today! Click here

The view from down low

Flying there requires extra care

 

There are many reasons for choosing to fly high. Some airplanes, however—like this Rearwin Sportster, built before World War II—were designed to be flown low and slow. And there’s nothing wrong with that, if you plan carefully. Review the minimum safe altitude rules set forth in FAR 91.119; while you always should fly high enough to make an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface, the minimum altitude over congested areas is 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot horizontal radius of the aircraft. Elsewhere, it’s 500 feet above the surface—except over open water or sparsely populated areas, where you must remain at least 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure. Carefully check your route for antennas, wires, and any other obstructions, then enjoy the view
from down low.

Click the image to download a hi-res version.

Mike Collins
Mike Collins
Technical Editor
Mike Collins, AOPA technical editor and director of business development, died at age 59 on February 25, 2021. He was an integral part of the AOPA Media team for nearly 30 years, and held many key editorial roles at AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, and AOPA Online. He was a gifted writer, editor, photographer, audio storyteller, and videographer, and was an instrument-rated pilot and drone pilot.

Related Articles