Resident says helicopter flew too low

Many ambitious folks woke up early by choice Nov. 27 to take advantage of Black Friday bargains at local stores.

Brant Guillory and his wife were not among them.

"We were sleeping in," said Guillory, who lives on North Hills Drive near Crabtree Valley Mall.

But his family's slumber was interrupted about 6:50 a.m. when a WTVD-TV (ABC 11) news helicopter hovered over his neighborhood to record the shopping craze at the mall. The chopper angered other neighbors, too, Guillory said, and he thinks it was flying too low over a residential neighborhood.

John Idler, president and general manager of ABC 11, confirmed that the chopper was in the Crabtree area for 15 to 20 minutes on the morning of Black Friday. He said its altitude was within what the station considers a proper range.

The helicopter typically stays at 1,300 to 1,500 feet, Idler said, and it doesn't fly or hover below 750 feet. "That was the case that morning," he said.

The pilot changed location three or four times so nearby residents wouldn't have to deal with the noise for too long, Idler added.

Guillory, an Army veteran who said he's been on helicopters several times, thinks the TV chopper was actually flying below 500 feet.

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates all aircraft, including news helicopters. Usually, pilots for news choppers agree not to fly below 1,500 feet, said Kathleen Bergen, communications manager for the FAA's Atlanta office. But choppers are allowed to go lower as long as conditions are safe, she said.

The FAA says no aircraft can fly below 1,000 feet over congested areas and 500 feet over non-congested areas. Again, choppers can go lower if it's safe, Bergen said.

Idler said his station gets about 10 complaints a year about helicopter noise. "We're very careful over neighborhoods," he said.

Idler said he wouldn't be surprised if the ABC chopper flies above the Crabtree area more than some other neighborhoods. Traffic jams are common there.

If several residents in a neighborhood complained, Idler said, the station likely would let the pilot know. But it wouldn't necessarily mean the helicopter would avoid the area, he said.

Guillory, who has lived in his neighborhood about a year and a half, said he can recall at least two other times he was troubled by a news helicopter near his home. "My biggest problem is, I don't know who to complain to," he said.

On Black Friday, Guillory said, he sent three e-mails to ABC 11, and he admitted he used profanity in one message. He hadn't heard back as of late last week. Idler said his station gives complaints filled with profanity a lower priority.

The station didn't get any other complaints on Black Friday, he said.

Guillory said he also contacted the FAA office in Greensboro. A representative told him about helicopters' guidelines, he said.

If people suspect an aircraft is flying too low, they should contact the FAA, Bergen said.

The FAA will investigate complaints, she said, but investigators need to know the aircraft's identification number, which is printed on the aircraft. At the very least, she said, they need to know what company the aircraft is affiliated with.

Minimum sanctions for flying too low could include warning letters to pilots, Bergen said. But the FAA would need evidence.

The FAA got no complaints about low-flying aircraft in the Raleigh area on Black Friday, Bergen said.

Guillory said he wishes news choppers would linger less if they must be over his neighborhood. And he'd prefer they not show up on days his 6-year-old doesn't have to get up for school. "Unless you're the police looking for an escaped fugitive," he said.