Man Cited For Landing Helicopter on His Lawn

http://www.newsradio610.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=122821&article=6059476


Man Cited For Landing Helicopter on His Lawn

Davie Police say the homeowner has to appear in court for unlawful use of his property.
Thursday, September 24, 2009


37-year-old Sean Wagner is in trouble with Davie Police after he lands his personal helicopter at his house along Southwest 145th Avenue and Southwest 14th Street.



Police Sgt. Greg Gasse says that this isn't the first time that Wagner has been caught with his helicopter on his lawn.



Wagner was cited for unlawful use of his property and now has an upcoming court appearance to make.



No word yet on why he did it. No one was hurt.


.

I'll bet it will be another Forced landing?:noidea:

Dumb pilot - ignoring local regs will never end well, especially as a repeat offender.

I used to work in that area about 20 years ago, the ordinance limiting helicopter takeoff/landings was already on the books even then - if my memory is correct, you had to have a minimum of 5 acres. From what I heard at the time it came into being because of an inconsiderate pilot who had a habit of coming & going at all hours from a small back yard & annoying the neighbors...

His neighbors are jerks!

His neighbors are jerks!

Probably just jealous. Around here all it would do is bring out the OOOHHH and AAAHHH croud.
I didn't think the FAA regulates where you can and can't land, but I could be wrong.
Ben S

It's not the FAA, although they like to throw out "careless & reckless operation" occasionally - it's a local ordinance, which are pretty common these days.

BEN S said:

I didn't think the FAA regulates where you can and can't land, but I could be wrong.
Ben S

Click to expand...

It's not so much the FAA as the LOCAL laws.

People that live on busy roads loud with harleys, trucks and cars are afraid of a helicopter landing in their neighborhood.

I know the type, retirees and busy-body housewives with nothing better to to then restrict the rights of others in the community... :drama:

.

as long as its not federal..

as long as its not federal..

this guys has money or he wouldn't be flyin an r-44.....around here all he would need to do is amake a donation to the local sheriff and joila' no more problemo!
ben S

I believe he flew in to Bensen days with his family. Nice folks, nice aircraft. I hope he can work it out.

Some people have noting better to do but complain about things. We used to get daily complaints for legally flying over gated communities! ??? They claimed the gated community is protected and we shouldn't fly over it. And again... this is Florida :der:

probally just jealousy like ben mentioned, I know I'd be jealous but I wouldn't be reporting you to cops or faa, what the hell? some people have so much time on their hands all they wanna do is bitch and moan over other peoples triump!

Homeowner's associations are taking over.

barnstorm2 said:

It's not so much the FAA as the LOCAL laws.
People that live on busy roads loud with harleys, trucks and cars are afraid of a helicopter landing in their neighborhood.
I know the type, retirees and busy-body housewives with nothing better to to then restrict the rights of others in the community...
.

Click to expand...

The FAA controls the airspace; States, Counties and Municipalities, the ground. In Pennsylvania you can land just about anywhere you want but in New Jersey, you have to have the owner's permission first.

Unlike "trucks and cars", helicopters both fascinate and frighten the non-flying public.

As for the "retirees and busy-body" crowd, there's probably a lot of truth to that statement.

Just my two cents.

tyc

This is why any discussion of "Fly/Drive" vehicles operating at any location other than a sanctioned airport is folly.

In the US, can anyone do whatever he wants on his property regardless of the neighbors? I would think that the noise of a helicopter can seriously degrade my peace if it happened frequently and next door to me.

If I had a heli that I wanted to use from my property I would first check with the neighbors. It's just plain courtesy.

-- Chris.

In the US, can anyone do whatever he wants on his property regardless of the neighbors?

Click to expand...

As far as aircraft, No. First are the Federal regulations. Which are mostly about about safety. They don't really care about your neighbors and noise.

But what really matters are the local regulations. And those vary widely from state to state and town to town. But most do have some kind of local law to prevent you from landing any where in a populated area.

I do see the sense of local regulations which prevent private front lawns from becoming helipads. Particularly with the majority of people not owning a heli and not wanting the noise and danger of a heli operating next door to them.

I don't understand why some posters here are denigrating the pilot's neigbor for not putting up with the helicopter noise next door. Is everybody expected to take the noise of a starting or landing helicopter next door for sweet music?

Why is it a sign that homeowner associations are taking over when helicopters are not permitted to land unannounced in a private front lawn?

Why is it a sign of jealousy if someone is bothered by the noise of a helicopter next door?

-- Chris.

ckurz7000 said:

Why is it a sign that homeowner associations are taking over when helicopters are not permitted to land unannounced in a private front lawn?

Why is it a sign of jealousy if someone is bothered by the noise of a helicopter next door?

-- Chris.

Click to expand...

If the photo is accurate, this guy has PLENTY of space.

The issue is making illegal not if it is a 'bother'.

I don't have a db meter for conformation but I have been a yard away from robbies plenty of times and it certainly was less noisy then the 2 guys with short pipe harley's 2 doors down from me.

And they come and go at 3am, and that is certainly "unannounced"

These issues should be handled on a case by case basis. If SEVERAL neighbors complain then the cops can call it disturbing the peace. No need to make an ordinance out of it

IHMO

.

Permitions, permitions . . .that is the name of the game. You register the area, get a permit and done.
Noise abatement is our main goal if we want to have that feature for our confort.
People will buy areas close to airports because they are cheaper and then will fitght to make it safer and calmer, for profit mostly.
Mybe that pilot knows what he is doing and will provoke jurisprudence on the matters.
Heron

barnstorm2 said:

If the photo is accurate, this guy has PLENTY of space.

Click to expand...

The photo doesn't show the area behind the photographer nor sufficiently far to either side. I don't think it's a good basis to judge the level of noise neighbors have to endure.

The issue is making illegal not if it is a 'bother'.

Click to expand...

The two issues are and should be linked. The question is how much does the convenience of a single individual weigh against the well-being of the majority. Laws are there to ensure everyone the maximum level of personal freedom by way of a compromise.

What would you say if your neighbor started to take up leather tanning in his front yard. The stink will permeate your every room in your house. Is that OK? Probably not. If he wants to operate a leather tanning business he should do it in an area that is zoned for that purpose and not in a residential neighborhood.

In Austria (as probably in many other countries) you can apply for permission to land your aircraft on your property. Among the deciding factors is also the question if neighbors are unduly impacted by your flying operation. I consider that a good provision which gives some measure of certainty what I can expect to be asked to put up with living in a residential neighborhood.

These issues should be handled on a case by case basis. If SEVERAL neighbors complain then the cops can call it disturbing the peace. No need to make an ordinance out of it

Click to expand...

Yes, I agree. That's why I find it very reasonable that anyone who wants to operate their aircraft outside of a designated airport should know exactly what conditions he has to fulfill in order to be granted such right.

In the aforementioned case I assume the houses were there before the helicopter. So the guy operating the heli should ask if it's OK.

That's the exact analogy to people buying property in the vicinity of an airport. If the airport was there first, tough luck for them. They have to live with the noise.

-- Chris.

I'm with Chris on this - and remember here it wasn't just a matter of talking to the neighbors & keeping them happy, the ordinance was already on the books. The first time might be ignorance, after that it starts looking like arrogance.

I've kept work helicopters at or near my home before, but only in rural areas. I wouldn't expect to in a residential neighborhood...

The reverse of this issue has happened to me before in Florida - people building homes next to working farms & then complaining about noise from helicopters/tractors/pumps. Guess what - Florida says if the farm was there first, too bad. It's nice to see a little common sense from the government every once in a while!