Low-flying helicopter terrifying my chickens

[Windy Ridge]

There's nothing to be done about this. I have called the FAA. I have seen, with my naked eye, 2 out of the three identifying numbers on the helicopter, and from my description, the (very nice) FAA person says it sounds like a police or Federal vehicle.

It is not even as high as the tops of the trees, and my chickens are terrified. I tried calling the state police--I found the number of the aviation division, but there is no answer. (Perhaps they are all out in the helicopter). The chickens are terrified, and I am terrified and furious.

They keep flying low in the valleys, and then popping over the house so that I can actually feel the wind on my face from the blades. It's outrageous. If the chickens were penned, they might have hurt themselves against the walls trying to get away--I'm afraid for the neighbor's horses, too.

FAA Mike is trying the state police, too, but I haven't much hope, and now I have a migraine.

 

[Jenski]

Best take care ~ they could be involved in a manhunt of some sort. You might want to check your local news.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I'd be calling someone until someone listens!! They might be looking for pot--tis the season, but still--so low you can feel the wind?!! I would be extremely concerned for my horses!!!

An explanation is in order, and perhaps they need to fly a little higher!!!

 

[dogzrule5]

Pot hunt expedition is what first comes to mind. Even so - they don't need to fly that low with all the technology they have. I'd make complaints to the media until attention brings action.

Good luck - can you keep your birds inside till he quits the hunt?

 

[LoneCowboy]

Hey, if they are looking for pot or whatever they can use binoculars to see that kind of stuff. They don't have to fly that low.

I used to live in CA and they were always doing manhunts in my neighborhood (a gang neighborhood) and still they never flew that low.

Call them in as peeping tom's

 

[Windy Ridge]

Yes, they don't need to fly THAT low, it's crazy.

I called the FAA, the state police, state police aviation division, the sheriff's office and three different National Guard numbers. (Talk about being the crazy chicken lady.)

Finally someone acknowledged that there is some law enforcement activity going on in the area, with the National Guard helping. Of course, I don't know what they're looking for--drugs or people. Either way, if they're actually ruffling the feathers of my chickens who are huddling terrified under the forsythia, it's a little much.

Mike at the FAA is calling the National Guard to ask to speak with the commander and let him know about the extreme low flying. He says he'll tell them if it continues, they'll file a formal complaint. He also said I could complain to my congressman, which is good to know.

I still have a migraine, though, and the poor babies are panting even though it's only 75.

The thing is, this isn't the first time we've had low fliers. This is the LONGEST time they've hovered around, though. I guess because we're out in the boonies, they think they can do whatever they want and don't have to worry so much? I can't imagine they'd feel free to do this in a town. They'd get tangled in the wires.

un

 

[texaschickmama]

Is it possible that they are looking for a crop of that wacky weed? I know around here they have found so many fields of this and it is just amazing to me that they can grow it in these quantities. Just a thought.

 

[Windy Ridge]

Is it possible that they are looking for a crop of that wacky weed?

Possibly, but the point is that they needn't fly so low (and directly over my house and my coop) to look for it. My lawn is... clearly lawn. There may be lots of chicken poop there, but nothing that could be mistaken for pot. It certainly wouldn't take them two hours to tell chicken poop and tomatoes and peach trees are not illegal, anyway-- and they're STILL HERE. If they want to look in the woods, they should fly over the woods, not my house.

You should see the detail you can get from google maps (try typing in your address to see). I think those are satellite pictures, taken from space. To fly so low that you can read the writing on the aircraft from the ground? They can probably count my freckles doing that. And it's loud. When they were overhead I couldn't even hear the people on the phone I was trying to complain to.

I hope the neighbor's horses weren't spooked--they could have broken their legs on the cattle grates if they got to running. The hens will be off laying for days.​

 

[Oblio13]

Brings back fond memories for me. When I was young and pretty I knocked a TV antennae off somebody's house and blew a bunch of furniture and their young son off a deck with an F4. Nowadays I probably would have lost my wings, but back in the good old days they just yelled at me a lot.

 

[Windy Ridge]

... so long as you didn't hurt their chickens.

You may have been flying a little low, hm. However, I'm guessing you did this in one pass, and probably didn't go back and forth, trying to knock off each piece of furniture you'd missed the first time...