How good are you...

[Fozzer]

...at judging the heights from the ground, of various aircraft types, passing overhead?

I am probably hopeless, even at guessing the heights of various cloud types!

I try to estimate the heights of these aircraft types, which occasionally pass over my back garden....from lowest to highest>>>

(a) Helicopter...bleedin' annoying.
(b) Microlight/Flexwing....2-stroke buzzers.
(c) Cessna 152/172....sailing merrily along.
(d) Beech Baron twin....going places.
(e) Military jets....noisy things.
(f) Boeing 737, etc...close to Heaven.

..and probably fail miserably!

Can you judge their heights fairly accurately?

Paul.... gazing skywards..and falling backwards!... ..!

...similarly....Judging your height from the ground in the Flight Sim...without looking at the Altimeter!... ...!

[aussiewannabe]

Paul,

Commercial jets that fly by/over my house are generally at 2,500 to 3,000 feet before turning towards Houston Intercontinental Airport.

As to Helicopters, I'd rather hear them buzz over/by than hear a car passing by with their stereos blasting to the point that that vehicle is vibrating, the windows ready to shatter.

[Fozzer]

Paul,

Commercial jets that fly by/over my house are generally at 2,500 to 3,000 feet before turning towards Houston Intercontinental Airport.

As to Helicopters, I'd rather hear them buzz over/by than hear a car passing by with their stereos blasting to the point that that vehicle is vibrating, the windows ready to shatter.

Without being used to their flight pattern, Chris, can you accurately estimate their height as they pass over?

Helicopters....For me...they just insist on hovering overhead, beating the air and rattling my teeth and crockery, until I rush out into the garden and make interesting signals for them to...."go away"!... ...!

I can guess distances horizontally; landmarks, etc, ...but not vertically; looking up...there is little to compare it with, in a cloudless sky!

Paul....Time Traveller... ...!

[SaultFresh]

People in general just aren't very good at predicting height above ground, for both scenario's. I find, the closer I am to the ground, or the closer the clouds are to the ground, the more accurate my estimation, but without the use of an altimeter, or some form of measuring equipment, it'll always just be "my best guess"... which is not something I would rely too heavily on unless I really had to

[aussiewannabe]

Without being used to their flight pattern, Chris, can you accurately estimate their height as they pass over?

Honestly, no!
I'm too busy watching them, especially the ones that fly from across the pond (KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, Qatar, Emirates).

[Brian Z]

Well... I can only guess altitudes because I know how high they "should" be as they come over my house. I'm right under the downwind leg for 9G3's runway 7, and I know they're 1,000 feet above the ground. Then the executive jet I saw screaming past heading for Buffalo looked to be the same height-- seems kind of dangerous, going over 200 knots right at pattern height, and either through or very close to the small airport patterns.
But anyway... I only know they're at 1,000 feet because I know that's how high they fly the pattern, and then there's the skydiving plane that operates here-- he's the faintest speck in the sky at 10,000 when the jumpers go. And I only know they jump at 10,000 because the pilot told me so.

[Fozzer]

Well... I can only guess altitudes because I know how high they "should" be as they come over my house. I'm right under the downwind leg for 9G3's runway 7, and I know they're 1,000 feet above the ground. Then the executive jet I saw screaming past heading for Buffalo looked to be the same height-- seems kind of dangerous, going over 200 knots right at pattern height, and either through or very close to the small airport patterns.
But anyway... I only know they're at 1,000 feet because I know that's how high they fly the pattern, and then there's the skydiving plane that operates here-- he's the faintest speck in the sky at 10,000 when the jumpers go. And I only know they jump at 10,000 because the pilot told me so.

.... ... ... ...!

Most Factory chimneys are around 100 feet high...

So when trying to guess a height, I try to imagine how many factory chimneys would be placed end-to-end to reach the aircraft above me... ....

...but most of them topple over before the final calculation...buggar!.... ...!

My back garden is about 25 yards long, so to judge a horizontal distance, I try to imagine how many of my back gardens would be placed end-to-end to reach the object I am looking at....

...but the grass grows too high and I cant see it...buggar.... ...!

Life is full of little difficulties...

Paul.... ... ...!

P.S...Note that all my calculations are based upon; "Imperial" Measurements.....if its "Metric"...then forget it!... ...!

[Apex]

For at least 2 years now, usually twice a week, a Beechcraft A-65 twin King (or Queen) Air flies more or less directly overhead at an altitude of [my estimate] 500ish feet, always at the same time of day, between 9am-9:30am, and usually the same flight path. A very precise schedule, and always a low flyover. My estimate is purely visual, but it's low enough for me to term these flyovers "My Private Airshow". I can always hear the aircraft approaching, you can't miss the sound of those twins.

OK, so what's with this? Last year I took pict after pict and finally got two that clearly showed the aircraft number, both different numbers. Both aircraft are the same livery, so I was surprised to find two different aircraft.

With the numbers, I checked them out on the FAA's site somewhere, and tracked their owners to an aircraft leasing company in Virginia. I contacted that company, and they told me that the Dept of Agriculture was dropping
sterile medflies in order to control fruit fly infestation.

From that point on, I've always been careful to keep my mouth closed when looking up at these aircraft.

Back in the early 60's they sometimes used an all-silver B-25 for mosquito spraying. Tree top altitude, roaring overhead, what a sight that was. Hagar was able to track the actual plane online for me, dubbed "Lucky Lady".

Several months ago, late afternoon, a huge jetliner flew over at an altitude much, much lower than usual. Unfortunately, no camera out as this is most unusual. It would have made a great pict.

And of course there's the usual choppers sometimes, but not too close.

[Fozzer]

...... control fruit fly infestation.....

From that point on, I've always been careful to keep my mouth closed when looking up at these aircraft.

.... ... ... ...!

Paul.... ...!