Low-flying helicopter terrifying my chickens

[DrakeMaiden]

Sorry about your frightened chickens and your migrane.

Sounds like you are doing the best you can . . . finding out who to complain to.

I hope they leave off soon!

 

[Western Chick]

Are there power lines or other utilities in the area?

Where I live the power company uses helicopters to perform maintenance on the power lines (we're talking the REALLY big ones- the poles look like the eiffel tower). If you didn't know what was going on you'd be pretty freaked out. They hover above the towers and lower a guy down on a rope to do the work. Unfortunately I have yet to get a picture of this but it's crazy!

 

[go-veggie]

Our next door neighbor has a helicopter, a small plane and a fighter jet (like straight out of Top Gun). It would be different if he wasn't showing off all the time and dive bombing people's houses or being nosey and taking pictures!!!!!!!!!! :| Hopefully your problem goes away...ours won't unless we move or he forgets to hit the eject button!!!!!!

 

[JohnL11935]

This is a constant issue in my area.

People with more money than time take charter helicopters from Manhattan (NYC) to the Hamptons. From mid-May to Halloween it isn't unusual to see 15-20 helicopters per day fly over my house, even more on weekends.

When they are especially low it will make the dishes rattle.

The FAA doesn't have rules governing flight paths nor specific flight altitudes.

Numerous meetings with town officials have ended with "guidelines" but when the customer wants to fly over the local vinyards and not the water, they generally get their way.

 

[Windy Ridge]

Edited to add quote:

Where I live the power company uses helicopters to perform maintenance on the power lines (we're talking the REALLY big ones- the poles look like the eiffel tower). If you didn't know what was going on you'd be pretty freaked out. They hover above the towers and lower a guy down on a rope to do the work. Unfortunately I have yet to get a picture of this but it's crazy!

You must mean the transmission lines, rather than the distribution lines. There are some a few miles away, however we've identified this as the National Guard. (Aren't they supposed to protect citizens...?). It was not the power company.

(My rooster has never seen such a horrifying hawk before.)

As I said, the FAA is complaining about the low-flying to the commander. When my migraine goes away, I will write a letter of complaint to my congressman. Actually, I will probably write it next week when I can sound less outraged and more reasonable. Talking to people exhausts me, and I had to talk to numerous people today trying to find out who in the world was flying this helicopter. It's a further strain to remain nice when you're on hold and transferred and given many different numbers to call for people who may possibly know something and may possibly think you're a crazy chicken lady. Being nice usually helps, though. However, it is exhausting. It would be more immediately satisfying to scream profanities, but I think it wouldn't be as effective in the end. I'm looking for long term satisfaction: this should not happen again.

Having my "space" invaded is profoundly upsetting, especially when it also causes my chickens to be terror-stricken. I think I need some chamomile tea.

I had things to do today...​