# Could you fly a private plane on isolated private land without a pilots lucense? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2017, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915 "2017-06-02T05:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/21 "2017-06-02T15:24:35Z")
> [@dude\_robert](#): > > …you inherited a massive farm with poor roads and you couldnt be bothered walking across. Luckily, there is an old rusted helicopter on a cornfield, and although you can’t afford a license, its your land so you fire it up and give it a whirl. I’m dating myself, but this sounds like a line from an Infocom text adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/22 "2017-06-02T15:41:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Broomstick** : > > Getting a pilot’s license isn’t that hard - heck, I’ve done it myself. Plenty of farmer’s have licenses. And a certain number don’t, but either fly something to which Part 103 applies (or something close enough it would require a pretty close-up inspection to find the differences), or yes, some are flying illegally but, as I said, if you aren’t too obnoxious and don’t piss off the neighbors you might get away with it for some time. Or the farmer might not have a license himself, but pays his neighbor who does to do his crop-dusting or whatever else he needs a plane for. **GusNSpot** , the FAA might have decided that it wasn’t worth their time to go after your friend with the J-3 Cub, but they could have. That’s a pretty light plane, but not light enough to fit underneath the regulations. ---
**Author:** ![joema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@joema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joema)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/23 "2017-06-02T17:23:51Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > …The government does not own all the air clear to the ground. Seems it is 365 AGL over private land that is not in a class airspace such as an approach to an airport… There is a difference between positively controlled airspace vs who owns and regulates that airspace. Class G airspace is uncontrolled (from an ATC standpoint), but not unregulated. It extends from the surface to the overlying Class E airspace: [https://www.faa.gov/regulations\_policies/handbooks\_manuals/aviation/phak/media/17\_phak\_ch15.pdf](https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/media/17_phak_ch15.pdf) The FAA definitely owns uncontrolled air space down to the surface, not the property owner. Hot air balloons periodically fly over my house at an altitude of about 150 feet. As a private property owner I don’t have the authority to regulate that airspace – only the FAA does. Likewise helicopters are except from minimum altitude regulations. They can fly over your house or hover 200 ft above your back yard. > [@GusNSpot](#): > > …As a pipeline patrol pilot I was shot at by chicken & turkey farmers on a new route at times… I don’t know what year that was, but today the laws are extremely severe. Shooting at or interfering with the fight of _any_ aircraft, whether helicopter, balloon or drone, is a felony and could result in 20 years in prison. Even _verbally threatening_ the operation of _any_ aircraft – whether helicopter, balloon or drone – is a felony which could result in five years in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/24 "2017-06-02T19:19:07Z")
> [@tom tildrum](#): > > i’m dating myself, but this sounds like a line from an infocom text adventure. \>LOOK You are in a cornfield. Very poor roads lead N, S, and E. There is a rusty old helicopter here. \>FLY COPTER The helicopter is too rusty to work \>USE OIL The helicopter is now shiny and useful \>FLY COPTER ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/25 "2017-06-03T00:17:56Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > \>LOOK > > You are in a cornfield. Very poor roads lead N, S, and E. > > There is a rusty old helicopter here. > > \>FLY COPTER > > The helicopter is too rusty to work > > \>USE OIL > > The helicopter is now shiny and useful > > \>FLY COPTER You successfully start the helicopter and begin to rise above the ground. As the scrub-land recedes beneath you, your euphoric exhilaration is short lived and you realize you have no idea how to fly a helicopter. The helicopter begins to pitch to sideways, ever more quickly, and you crash into the ground. You are dead. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/26 "2017-06-03T02:23:19Z")
As a matter of enforcement, Alaska is a good model. The FAA can’t possibly oversee an area that large and difficult to reach. Aviation has been a big part of Alaska for decades. The first time I went there I was told, “Alaska has thousands of pilots, and a few of them even have licenses.” But if the feds do happen to look in your direction while you’re doing something naughty with an aircraft, the outcome isn’t usually good. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/27 "2017-06-03T02:45:21Z")
A few points: All my info is pre 9 11 The BS regs after 9 11 have totally ruined general Av IMO. I never said regulate the airspace, just use it without fear. Haven’t looked at a sectional in years but I do not think every inch of the US of A is controlled to the surface. If it is, I am sad for you all. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/28 "2017-06-03T04:16:01Z")
Don’t worry **GusNSpot** , the US has a lot of class E airspace, which is uncontrolled for VFR but controlled for IFR, and is held up as a model for VFR friendly airspace around here. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/29 "2017-06-03T05:22:08Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > You successfully start the helicopter and begin to rise above the ground. As the scrub-land recedes beneath you, your euphoric exhilaration is short lived and you realize you have no idea how to fly a helicopter. The helicopter begins to pitch to sideways, ever more quickly, and you crash into the ground. > > You are dead. Helicopters are pretty crashworthy. People have crashed three of the helicopters I’ve flown, and they all survived. And then there’s [this guy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAwwKoz8Diw). He survived, be the footage will let you see what **OldOlds** said. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/30 "2017-06-03T13:45:07Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Don’t worry **GusNSpot** , the US has a lot of class E airspace, which is uncontrolled for VFR but controlled for IFR, and is held up as a model for VFR friendly airspace around here. Thank goodness. 😃 Had me worried about flight without radios and ATC to tell you when to breathe so you can be safe. Can’t do that on your own, 😉 … I still want to know about flight under 300 feet over your own property that has no mortgage and you never cross the property line. Have never taken flight lessons, have no license, etc., etc… Do not need FAA permission to erect a 300 foot or less tower on your property. ( not talking about approach corridors or such, just out in E class country ), no warning lights, no reporting position to the feds, etc… Something else that would pop up overnight along PLP routes. I can ( if I am kinda sure of my ability ) fly on the end of a high pressure water hose 1-2-3 hundred feet off my large pond out in “E” country & the FAA has no jurisdiction, so I build a devise that is not tied to the water hose, I am still legal over my property, under 300 feet. My devise has wings, so what? I never carry another living being. It never leaves the property. It does not like the restaurant I do so it ALWAYS stays home. I take my car, all tagged, insured & I have a gooberment license to operate it on public roads. I say that even if the FAA man stands at my property line, he can do nothing about me & my cardboard box with wings as long as I stay inside my property line & below 300. I am not trying to restrict or regulate the helicopter chasing piggies, the pipe line patrol from going through this space nor anyone else. I am free to use it also as I describe. I do not need permission. 😛 All the other things folks are talking about, I am not trying to do. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915/31 "2017-06-03T16:24:07Z")
Is the OP trying to ask what’s physical possible, what’s strictly legal, or what really happens out in the world? Those are three very different things. And where in the world is he? Laws (and their enforcement) differ by country and region in a country. I thought **dude robert** was Aussie although maybe I’m confused. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-fly-a-private-plane-on-isolated-private-land-without-a-pilots-lucense/787915.md?page=1)