Quote:
Originally Posted by Lakegeezer
Having been close to the 500 ft AGL limit a few times myself, I'm inclined to let them slide, however a Cessna wouldn't do the same kind of damage as a C-130 in an oops situation. You have me curious though about when the military is permitted to ignore civilian regulations (and which ones) when outside their military operations area.
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You're presuming first of all that the aircraft were lower than 500'. It's easy to see a large aircraft in the sky and think it's lower than it really is. The wingspan of a C-130 is 133'; compare that to a civilian bugsmasher. 500' is less than 4 wingspans for a C-130. I lived under the bounce pattern of a military airfield for more than 10 years where aircraft of similar size to C-130s were most frequently seen; the pattern altitude was 1,200', but when planes flew directly overhead, you would have thought they were at 500' or less. It can be very deceiving.
The military adheres to all applicable flying regulations. Some of those regulations apply only to military aircraft; in most instances FAA regulations apply to civilian and military aircraft alike. A military pilot violating regulations will get written up just as fast (probably faster) than a civilian pilot.
MOAs are not the only type of military training areas. There are also VR and IR routes, designated tanker tracks and restricted areas, to name a few. At one point, there was a VR route over Winnipesaukee; I don't know if it still exists. In the early 80s I remember watching a flight of three A-10s flying very low over Black Cat Island to the southeast and out over the Broads. I don't know how low they were, but it was impressive.