Low flying helicopter complaints?

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ironhorse

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Hi does anyone know the number of the MOD helpline (or is it a website?) for info/complaints about low flying helicopters.

We are near a civilian airfield so our horses are well used to aeroplanes and small helicopters, but yesterday a Chinook flew over us twice while I was hacking round the farm, the second time so low I could clearly see his headlights.

Horsey is pale grey so he must have seen us, and she was frightened the first time and terrified the second time!

I'm very fortunate that she didn't bolt - she is essentially an obedient horse and I sat and held her, but she was shaking like a leaf afterwards. She's a show horse and we're mid season, so if she got injured unnecessarily I'd be furious!

If the owner's wife had been out on her horse which is a bit more sensitive, he would have flipped his lid and they could have been badly hurt

We've got a massive light coloured outdoor surface so its obvious there are horses on the farm even from an aerial view. Haven't seen military helicopters that close to us before so need to know if they're going to make a habit of it and suggest they don't come so low!
 
you can find it if you google.

Good luck with the complaint.

My OH flies Helos and often lands in our fields so horses are used to them. One day a raf one came over so low and so fast it spooked the horses, one was injured. The MOD couldn't care less, they just say they have to practice so they can fly in war situations.
 
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you can find it if you google.

Good luck with the complaint.

My OH flies Helos and often lands in our fields so horses are used to them. One day a raf one came over so low and so fast it spooked the horses, one was injured. The MOD couldn't care less, they just say they have to practice so they can fly in war situations.

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I don't think that's true, they're usually very open to constructive criticism about their flying tactics and areas and always appreciate it when you contact them to ask them not to fly near your horses, as opposed to just complaining. Maybe different Airfields have different policies though...
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I agree with garysdb, i too had a problem once and MOD didnt give a monkeys and said it had to practise somewhere and enclosed a leaflet as to why.! Nevermind me and my kid aged 3 being injured !! Disgusted.
 
Thistle, after that I did ask them not to fly directly over us but after a week or so avoiding us they just continued which they do still to this day and that was about 4 years ago when Heather Bell died.
lUCKILY, i THINK ALL MINE ARE PRETTY MUCH USED TO THEM NOW.
 
Sorry but they will do absolutely nothing. I have had problems in Yorkshire (where a horse injured itself in the stable because the helicopter was flying so low!!) and in Shropshire (when two helicopters were so low they had to fly higher to clear the house and then went right over the arena, terrifying a completely bombproof hack). They will be very polite, but they will tell you that they can't stop, they can't warn you, they can't move to another area, it's all necessary for training and you have to live with it. They have a website where they list flying exercises, but both times I was told that they fly so often "it's not worth putting on the website", so it looks like a useless PR exercise.

Would be really interested if you get anything more useful out of them!
 
This argument will rumble on and on forever and suffice to say that it will probably will always result in conflict. To say 'disgusted' and 'doesn't give a monkeys' I think is grossly unfair...You had a problem once....and they bothered to enclose a leaflet. I would say that showed some level of care for something that happened 'once'.
.....and I am sure you were wearing maximun high viz and your horses were. Yes I agree it happens but a car or truck or motorbike or plastic bag could cause the same effect and they really don't seen to get half as much grief as the MOD. Complaints are dealt with and investigated.
My husband is a RAF pilot and I am a horse rider with my horse living near one of the most busy operational front line stations.
I am truly relieved to hear both you and your child were uninjured.
 
Now you've reminded me, I think I've seen an RAF training video about what to do when you see a horse....suffice to say, the aircraft might seem close to you, but to the pilot you are tiny and they may not see you unless you are wearing hi-vis. They are taught to avoid horses and riders when they see them, i.e. when they are wearing hi-vis. I guess you can't always be prepared but if you are in an area you know they are flying then it would be good practise to always wear it.

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IMO, before I cause an argument.
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For what it is worth I was wearing high-viz in the school exactly because of the low flying helicopters. They went past the house, then the stables and then flew down the centre line of the school, which has black rubber on it and should be visible from miles, so I don't buy it.

I do, in fact, feel as seriously annoyed when drivers endanger my life as when helicopter pilots do so. A driver who goes too fast and puts other people's lives in danger can be prosecuted. I just don't buy it that military personel are allowed to endanger others with impunity because they are training. The MOD owns huge amounts of land, they should practice there or they should spend more money on computer simulators, or find a solution. Saying "we have to do it even if it kills you" is not acceptable.
 
Yeah, because MoD helo pilots really want to distress horses and cause injuries [roll_eyes]
 
I've come to the conclusion that mine must be absolutely bomb-proof then. I've got two yearlings and we often get very low flying helicopters including Chinooks (very close to Marchwood Military Port) - in fact one was so low a couple of weeks ago I could wave to the pilot . . . . . mine didn't even look up from grazing . . . . .
 
Edited because there will always be blinkered fools, no matter how angry I get.
 
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Sorry but they will do absolutely nothing. I have had problems in Yorkshire (where a horse injured itself in the stable because the helicopter was flying so low!!) and in Shropshire (when two helicopters were so low they had to fly higher to clear the house and then went right over the arena, terrifying a completely bombproof hack). They will be very polite, but they will tell you that they can't stop, they can't warn you, they can't move to another area, it's all necessary for training and you have to live with it. They have a website where they list flying exercises, but both times I was told that they fly so often "it's not worth putting on the website", so it looks like a useless PR exercise.

Would be really interested if you get anything more useful out of them!

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Very similar to my experience, and also several other people at my old yard. The people we spoke to were very polite but not overly helpful. However, I have found that with frequent exposure (I keep my horse on the edge of Salisbury Plain), that horses do get used to them.
 
Knowingly doing something that endangers other people and then saying that they did not intend to do harm does not make sense. If I drive my car really fast to get to my job because I think my job is more important than your life, when I kill someone I can't really get out of it by saying that I did not intend to do it - it's irrelevant really.
 
That's a non argument in my opinion BooBoos.... I could alternatively say riding your horse in a public place where it is possible it might spook, or bolt into a road is the same. In fact by the very nature of horses being flight animals... you could say that knowing a horse is a flight animal and riding it it tempting fate a little too far!!!!
Of course that is an extreme example that is slightly on the ridiculous level....but used to illustrate a point.
Driving a car is potentially dangerous at 20 mph. Yet most of us drive cars. A car can kill at 20 mph. Now your argument that if you drive dangerously you can be prosecuted is fair comment. So will you be if flying dangerously. There are legal limits set and adhered too and if broken will become a legal matter.
How many people have now been killed by alleged/proven military flying activity in the history of flying? How many people have been killed by cars or other horse related activities (competitions) etc. were no flying occurred?????
 
Anyone who is kicking up a fuss about this kind of thing should come and live with me for a few days. We have Hercules planes flying over us that sometimes seem just above our chimney pots, they're that low. We live just half a mile from one of the biggest RAF camps in the UK; low flying is something that I have always lived with, never had a problem with and, if I'm honest, always admired for the sheer skill and accuracy involved. Ellie spooks now and again; the Hercs dont bother her, but occasionally they have a big jet come in, and they are so loud that the stables and house start to shake!

Do you know, there is nothing more poignant than seeing one of those magnificent planes on its way in to land, and knowing that on board are the bodies of servicemen who have lost their lives abroad. Sure, the plane is loud; yes, it flies low, and yes, occasionally, my horse has a bit of a gallop round the field when it wakes her from her midday snooze. The thing is, this kind of voyage has become a regular occurence - two planes with such a cargo have come into this particular base in the past month. I for one would never dream of complaining about them.

You wouldnt complain about the emergency services carrying out fire drills/practice police chases/staging major RTAs, would you?
 
Firstly you can contact them and make them aware that there are horses on the premises and they will then try to avoid you in the future.

Secondly always wear Hi-Viz on you and your horse even on your own property and then at least they have a chance of seeing you.
 
Was the OP wearing reflective gear? If not, then I wouldn't count on them seeing your horse just because he was grey.

As for people who say 'they don't care'....
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Is that why the MoD started a huge campaign to give away free Hi Viz clothing to people who live near bases?

Helicopters often have to fly on set routes and follow the contours of the land, so if one goes over you once, and they haven't seen you then expect them to come back. They HAVE to do low level flying and because they cannot do this over a city for obvious reasons, then they will come into contact with riders in the countryside. If you contact the MoD and alert them to a stables in the area then they will place an avoid on their maps. All the livery yards near here have 'No fly' avoids.

If you are wearing Hi Viz clothing then they are much more likely to spot you and avoid you. If you aren't, don't expect them to see you! YOU may think you are easily seen, but trust me, you aren't!
 
They didn't offer me any of those things..I still get lots fly over but I think my horses are used to them now except for the odd low jet which comes from nowhere over the hill behind them suddenly, not much we can do really.
I asked them to avoid our place in writing and they said sorry we can't, we have to practise somewhere..
I am on the Linc / Notts./(newark) boarder.
Mondays are the worse here I reckon.
Although I am sure you can ring them to ask if they will be flying in your area today, so i Read somewhere.

I Always have Hi Vis on riding!
 
I have a big air base about 45mins from me and Salisbury Plain about 20mins away. We get all sorts of aircraft fly over us. Only once have I had a horse react to them and that was when two hercules flew round a tree (too low to go over) one either side and I was behind the tree in the field, wearing hi viz, my pony reared and panicked. The planes straight away climbed so they were a bit higher when the went over the top of me, I'm sure they must of seen me and did their best to get away from me.

I have had a rescue helicopter land about 50 feet from me at a show. A rider had come off and was hurt, the air ambulance landed next to the arena and I was stood by the fence on my mare. She moved to look at it but wasn't really bothered, even when it took off again.
 
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