<p>And I have decided that I am TOO old to have it rocked. Early this morning I heard the crop dusting plane flying closely over my house, I am surrounded by fields. While walking the dogs I watched it doing figure eights over me and my house. Noted its patterns, how close it was, marveled at the pilots ability and nerve… Even with all this observation, I apparently still failed to register its intention. So when I got into my car and made a right turn onto the small rural road in front of my house, the ballsy “red baron” made a spectacular entrance from behind the trees and swooped down upon my unspecting honda, moving so closely over me that it rocked (literally) my car and me! It took miles before my heart resumed normal rythmn. Pretty sure the pilot either messed himself or is still laughing at me…</p>
<p>No kidding!
H would think that was cool, I would have been completely freaked! You sound pretty calm about it.</p>
<p>BTW, I believe that the pilot is violating FAA rules by flying under 500 feet. (That is one of those things I used to know about, but I could be wrong. And of course, I can’t even remember the regulation at all. sorry for the lame brain.) If you can remember any identification on the plane, you could report it.</p>
<p>Oh I know who Red Baron is. AND that was sure under 500 feet! I am calm NOW but it took 12 miles for me to get calm! But I live in a rural area and crop dusting, and big road hogging tractors and farm machinery is common. Bless their souls all of them, we love them and support them. Except for those moments this morning when I was rocking and rolling…</p>
<p>My husband would have thought that was cool also. My mother would have made herself a cup of coffee and camped out on the porch to watch the airshow…</p>
<p>That is quite the story - are you willing to reveal the state you live in?</p>
<p>Lifestyles certainly are different in other parts of the country! :)</p>
<p>I live in Maryland.</p>
<p>I would have been scared by that Red Baron flyover. I think I would have been afraid there was a plane malfunction and that the plane was going to crash on my car.</p>
<p>Here is how we were awakened this AM at 6 AM: my H’s cell phone rang. My German shepherd woke up (on the bed–sleeps with us) and jumped off. The bed fell in. all in a few seconds. I was sound asleep when all that started! (Since a recent painting/floor replacement, we have been having trouble with the support braces under the bed sliding sideways and falling in, causing the mattress to shift sideways and fall in.)</p>
<p>Many years ago my grandmother’s house in Western PA used to get “rocked” so to speak by a helicopter coming to pick up her neighbor who was a Major League baseball manager. Apparently, a tennis court and a landing pad are one and the same. She never complained, but it scared the **** out of her every time.</p>
<p>bookiemom - lol! What a picture that paints in my mind! I assume no one was hurt.</p>
<p>sistersunnie - I guess if I knew the pilot I would have laughed at the stunt. I would have freaked out, but I would have laughed. Quite a day you’re having -</p>
<p>I had alittle helicopter land beside me at a McDonalds once. Seriously it was tiny and fit in a parking spot. It took me a minute to register what I was seeing.</p>
<p>^^^^^^</p>
<p>I guess the pilot must have been having a Big Mac Attack! :)</p>
<p>I am close to 100% certain that crop dusting are not required to stay above that 500 foot ceiling. There are good reasons for this exception. We have a 600-acre apple orchard located about 100 yards west of our place that is “dusted” a couple times a year. When they begin dispersing the chemicals they are usually no more than 50-60 feet above the apple trees. If they dispersed at 500 or more feet the prevailing winds would be carrying those chemicals right through the front door of my house and all my neighbors’ homes. On the other hand, they approach and leave the orchard at a very steep angle to avoid buzzing the rooftops of residences.</p>
<p>sistersunnie, I would have guessed Kansas or something… guess you don’t live in the Beltway…</p>
<p>In order to drop the load, cropdusters have to fly under 500 feet. They are some of the most fearless, and clearly talented, pilots I’ve ever met along with the pilots who fight fires. I know a few who are in their 60s who have been doing it since they were just kids on their own families farm! </p>
<p>I’d bet my house the pilot is still laughing about that. Pilots are a little odd.</p>
<p>If you had been carrying your gun you could have defended yourself and shot him down.</p>
<p>Our cottage on Lake Huron in Michigan occasionally gets “sonic boomed” by ANG jet fighter aircraft. We call, they deny. Ok, so how did all our stuff fall off the shelves???</p>
<p>Those crop dusters are something else to watch and yes, they get right down on the deck to drop the load on the crops but I assume there must be some rules that apply to flying over roads.</p>
<p>Although it looks like loads of fun I think it’s one of the most dangerous professions.</p>
<p>sistersunnie, you brought back such memories for me. I grew up in NJ and we had cropdusters flying overhead on a regular basis. They were amazing to watch, the acrobatics which I’m sure were against the rules, wow. I remember when I was visiting my mom when I had two babies, and she lived in a farmhouse but rented out the surrounding acreage, we had flyovers daily and we’d sit out on the front porch and watch this pilot have so much fun ‘bombing’ those cornfields. I often wondered what he imagined himself doing, I’m sure it was more exciting than dusting crops. :)</p>
<p>Sadly (but with relief) he has moved on to other fields not close to me. For days he buzzed around and now it seems too quiet. The old male schnauzer is exhausted, he fancys himself my bodyguard and was on constant alert to protect me from the Red Baron. My sweet little sentinel…</p>
<p>Now we gear up to watch all the huge prehistoric looking farm machinery crawl in and out of the fields. Cracks me up when someone who isnt used to it gets behind them on the road and honks for them to hurry.</p>
<p>NJres-</p>
<p>Why would I want to do that?</p>
<p>sistersunnie, I had forgotten…</p>
<p>When I moved to this state in the midwest 22 years ago, there was a field of crops just north of us. One day there is this low flying plane going back and forth and it is LOW. And I think its some daredevil screwing around so I call the police. <em>sheepishly</em> I find out it is a cropduster. Never saw one except in the movies before then 
It is incredible how low they do fly…</p>