Re: Helicopters

Thank you for the news. The Yuba County Sheriff’s office is unresponsive to citizens complaints of dangerous helicopter flights.

Last week during very gusty high winds, a helicopter made an extremely low flight, estimated to be 150 feet just above the trees over my house. It was traveling 30 to 40 miles an hour and made an extremely steep turn directly over my house. The blades were slapping the wind at an incredible, ear-splitting volume. With the wind blowing the chopper sideways and it being banked so steeply, I was certain it would crash. To my relief, it slowly recovered from its turn and continued off in an easterly direction gaining altitude.

This was clearly an irresponsible maneuver on the pilot’s part, endangering himself and any passenger in addition to myself and my animals and property.

My assumption is this was a surveillance flight for marijuana gardens. I learned later others in the neighborhood observed the same behavior at other locations.

This must stop as there is no reason for a helicopter to make such low passes. Normally, aircraft are to keep a 500-foot altitude, which is plenty low enough to observe gardens and get plant counts; in fact, flying lower would make this job more difficult, if not impossible. My suspicion is that this is done to intimidate.

I have emailed the sheriff twice about this matter and have received no reply. This is not acceptable, and I would ask the Appeal-Democrat have one of its reporters call the sheriff to get a statement.