Chinnok Helli's and the MOD

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Rosehip

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Can I complain to the MOD about Chinnoks low flying?

They (and other smaller copters) seem to use the hills where my girls are as a low fly zone, and generally they arent too low and the ponies arent bothered.
Today a massive chinnok went so low over the field that they had to shoot up quick to avoid hitting the power lines..Needless to say my neds werent impressed and took off across the field, unfortunately I was under my broodmare picking her feet out at the time. I think she used my thigh as a spring board to get over the top of me, then Mels, my big cripple, fell over - whole back end went out from under her - so all in all Im not the biggest fan of the flying part of the army at the moment!

Both girls fine thank god, and Im just a touch bruised so all is well, but still could have done without it!!
 
Hah try living around here - the Chinnooks have been practising their low flying over the Malverns for the past week, with figher jet and Hercules support of course!
 
Yep you can complain, I keep my boys not to far away from an airbase and if you get in touch with your local one they are usually quite helpful, at least they were round me. My old yard was right on the doorstep of the base and they agreed to phone if something particularly big or noisy was likely to be coming over low so we'd have some notice to get people off horses who were likely to react (it was a riding stables) or not be doing something that would result in you getting squashed.
 
Oh, Ive been moved ??? ok!
Ill follow that link, thanks for that!
I dont tend to think about needing to be lit up like a christmass tree when picking my horses feet and feeding, mine arent bothered in the slightest if the planes/copters/whatever are at their allowed height, however when they are close enough to pat the neds they arent so keen!x
 
I would call up and report I believe that you can request that pilots are briefed to avoid low flying in certain areas.
I have also been told (don't know whether true or not) but if you call in a show or similar a week before they make sure they don't fly over.

Hope your girlies have settled back down and don't know feel every aircraft is a good reason for a party!
I have never had any problems with horses and aircraft but have had privite display from the red arrows on a hack ;) and hercs flying low regularly making things fall of shelves and used to wave to squaddies in helicopters going to salsibury. I am such a dawk. :o
PS going to live in CareyR's back garden...how cool!
 
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Llewellyn said:
I would call up and report I believe that you can request that pilots are briefed to avoid low flying in certain areas.
I have also been told (don't know whether true or not) but if you call in a show or similar a week before they make sure they don't fly over.

Hope your girlies have settled back down and don't know feel every aircraft is a good reason for a party!
I have never had any problems with horses and aircraft but have had privite display from the red arrows on a hack ;) and hercs flying low regularly making things fall of shelves and used to wave to squaddies in helicopters going to salsibury. I am such a dawk. :o
PS going to live in CareyR's back garden...how cool!
Click to expand...

:) Both girlies are fine thanks, they settled down after I'd scraped myself and Melly off the floor and produced polo's!
Normally they really arent bothered, even when we have the zoomy pointy planes over, but this copter was almost landing in our field it was that low!
Ive sent an email - waiting on 15 day response!
 
Definitely complain.....but I wouldn't get your hopes up of anything being done!!

I complained about 3 Merlin's flying at minimum height directly over a large livery yard causing all sorts of chaos and got in response a pretty arsy response saying that they have to train therefore they will be flying where the hell they want and it would cause more noise if they suddenly diverted when they saw horses therefore they are more than likely to be flying over the yarda t that height again in the future!! :mad: :mad:

From what articles i've read in H&H I was expecting at least a "sorry for any problems" caused response but instead i felt like i had effectively been told to do one!!!
 
I live Very Very high up and in the practice flight area , so high that when im out hacking the fighter jets etc fly past below me !!! and i wave to the guys in the helicopters, and yes they have waved back to me lol ! , and the Hercules are just fabby i love seeing them going overhead .

lucky for me my horse does not blink an eye ! as shes used to it.
 
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i used to keep my horses at my mums and we had chinooks, sargo planes and jets all the time, they would use the beaches and cliffs for low flying exercises and firing out to sea. The planes would actually circle our field and beach as apparently the undulating terrain was brilliant. The horses were so used to it they wouldnt bat an eyelid when the jets roared perhaps only 100m above them, the farriers shoeing them at the time on the other hand would TOTALLY freak! we've never had a problem with our horses and quite often with the helicopters the pilots were close enough to wave back to us. I have heard though that there isnt much you can do about it - you cant stop them from doing it but you can possibly find out their flying timetable.
 
Flippin 'eck!! I'd poop me frilly panties I would!!!!

Yes we seem to get allsorts living not that far from an airport and also not far from Wilts Air Corps (or whatever they are). We also get balloonists.

Balloonists are the scourge of the sky I would say. Horses seem used to Chinnooks, jets, low flying pleasure craft but can't seem to get the hang of these silent massive slow things which breathe fire at intervals. They get ever so low.
 
We quite often get low flying chinnocks and some tornados over ours, they just about skim the top of trees usually. They are good about lifting up if wearing reflective gear but as they come over top of a hill and down over fields its not always much notice. Only good thing is you can hear them coming a fair while before they arrive and the horses are now getting used to them
 
oooh im so glad i don't live where you guys do! The worst we get is the odd red arrows display when something is on at Goodwood.

I have a really wierd fear of things flying low over me and can't watch the red arrows unless i am indoors, parking the car at the long stay car park at Gatwick terrifies me when the jumbos come in low to land so my husband now pays extra to get it valet parked as i am such an embaressment to him and my daughter, shrieking and clinging on to him like a moron :(
 
Yes you can complain and the lot at RAF Odiham which is the home of the Chinnok are very good, they are taught to move away if they see horse or rider, and if they see horses going mad in a field, they may not have seen you until the last minute.
Not good that you got hurt and glad you are all ok.
I used to work with them when I was in the Army, I was in the Joint Helicopter Support Unit, and they are very aware of all the things they are to avoid but not always easy.

I'd rather they did there training to become the best they can so that are boys are as safe as they can be out in Afan and Iraq, if they didn't practice the low flying and getting out of situations fast then there will have been a lot more Helicopter related accidents.
I know from experience that if they land in a field the land owners are asked before the flying shedule goes out, the only time they don't is on an emergency landing but i'd rather they landed out of the blue in my field then crashed in to it.
 
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