Legalities with using roads?

[Niko182]

I've dedicated quite a good chunk of time to figuring out if it is legal to land on roads. Most of the answers I've found fall under the "Don't ask, Don't tell" rule but I figured I'd ask for some opinions. I myself have already landed on a road, and I probably will continue to do so, but I figured I'd ask for some opinions.

[PT20J]

Well, roads are made for motor vehicles and an airplane would seem to qualify 

No one's going to care unless you have an incident. Then the local police will have some ordinance to cite (you must have violated something since you had an incident) and the FAA will hit you with "careless and reckless" (you must have been careless and reckless otherwise you wouldn't have had an incident).

Just be careful.

[carusoam]

MS has a few LEOs that may have insight on what rules are at risk of being broken...

Helicopter pilots may be most familiar with trying not to annoy the neighbors, when not using an actual airport...

John, is both... Helicopter flying LEO Mooniac...

-a- 

[rbridges]

I'm sure there's more to it, but a plane isn't registered to use public roads. Much like my polaris ranger, not street legal.  

[201Steve]

Yeah, I don’t think you have to look very far. No turn signal, no tag, no auto insurance, illegal dimensions, failure to maintain lane, no mud flaps, and on and on and on. But, I’m sure there’s plenty of friendlies out there. Best to ask forgiveness and don’t wreck anything while your there. 

[A64Pilot]

Depends on where you are, in Alaska and the NWT it’s common and normal. there are even restaurants on the side of the Alaska Highway as you fly by that will have aircraft in the parking lot, and a few gas stations with extra long hoses that you land and taxi in and fill up with car gas.

‘There used to be a Marina in the Panhandle of Fl that was out on the end of a causeway, you would call them on the VHF and a VW van would run out and place a saw horse across the road and you would land and taxi in and park to eat, when you went to leave the process worked in reverse.

‘I’ve stopped and stayed here several times, you don’t land on the road but you do taxi down it to park the airplane in the grass just across the street from the Motel, be sure to stop at the stop sign before you cross the main street.

https://www.funplacestofly.com/funflydetails.asp?id=411.

But most other places the local LEO will ticket you for operating a motor vehicle in an unsafe manner and the FAA will get you for being reckless and dangerous.

 

In flight school in the Army we had a classmate that just disappeared one day, turns out he had run his Piper out of fuel and landed successfully in the parking lot of the Super Bowl. The FAA apparently got upset when he got some car gas in a can and flew it out of there. At least that was the story that was going around.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

I think the FAAs position is you can land anywhere it is safe.

But the owner or operator of the road may have other priorities. Once your wheels hit the ground at a non-airport, I think you are out of their jurisdiction and must deal with whatever laws govern that road. If it is a public road, you must obey the traffic laws. If it is private land you could be guilty of trespassing. It seems that any road that allows OHVs would be fair game. 

[RobertGary1]

It’s up to whomever owns the road. 

[Will.iam]

43 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

It’s up to whomever owns the road. 

My dad would fly us up to see his dad in iowa on his farm. He would buzz the house and they woukd come out with their cars and block off the road for about a mile to make sure no traffic came down the road while we landed. There was a power line on the left side of the road so make sure you don’t drift off centerline. Once down we would park the plane in the yard in front of the corn field. People driving by would stop and ask how did that plane get there. I never thought anything of it but in today’s video capturing society I personally won’t  do it. But i used to fire bottle rockets out of the window of the car while going down the road when i was a teen that i will not do now either. 

[EricJ]

Fields Station in OR is accessible only by landing on the highway.   I think they sell avgas there,  so folks must fly there enough to make that worthwhile.

Although there's a dirt runway, and the highway is likely too busy to land on, anyway, it is pretty common to taxi on the highway to park in front of the buildings at Amboy, CA.

If you look online there are a few vids about landing at Fields Station.   Matt Guthmiller did one a while back:
 

 

[Niko182]

Just now, EricJ said:

Fields Station in OR is accessible only by landing on the highway.   I think they sell avgas there,  so folks must fly there enough to make that worthwhile.

Although there's a dirt runway, and the highway is likely too busy to land on, anyway, it is pretty common to taxi on the highway to park in front of the buildings at Amboy, CA.

If you look online there are a few vids about landing at Fields Station.   Matt Guthmiller did one a while back:
 

 

I have actually done both fields and amboy, and will most definetely be going back to both of them. I'm asking because next im thinking of panamint springs and the runway looks like garbage, hence the highway is in question. If anyone wants to go to amboy let me know. I love going there. As for fields, i'll be back on the the 7th of may.

[Niko182]

 

Pictures of both just for funsies.

Edited March 19, 2021 by Niko182

[RobertGary1]

In Mexico i’d buzz the town and they’d come to the old road to pick me up. In Mexico when a plane flies over town at 50 feet it means “hello”. 

[A64Pilot]

Many Ag aircraft will use roads or fertilize trees etc.,but they are most often old and or abandoned farm roads.

Fertilizing trees means you empty the hopper in a very short time, so if you can cut ferry time you can get a lot more work done

[air cooled dad]

Just watch out for stop signs!!!  Almost hit one in a Cub. Who puts a stop sign on an old dirt road in the middle of nowhere.  Lol.  Landed on a dry lakebed instead.  Lake was not dry after that.  Ahhhhhh much better...

[GeeBee]

Check your insurance policy. I am sure you will be surprised.

I had to get a special clause for my PA-18.

 

[Danb]

11 hours ago, EricJ said:

Fields Station in OR is accessible only by landing on the highway.   I think they sell avgas there,  so folks must fly there enough to make that worthwhile.

Although there's a dirt runway, and the highway is likely too busy to land on, anyway, it is pretty common to taxi on the highway to park in front of the buildings at Amboy, CA.

If you look online there are a few vids about landing at Fields Station.   Matt Guthmiller did one a while back:
 

 

very cool, other than him having quite a bit of skill, major league balls....especially flying low in the valley over the river..

[Immelman]

11 hours ago, Niko182 said:

I have actually done both fields and amboy, and will most definetely be going back to both of them. I'm asking because next im thinking of panamint springs and the runway looks like garbage, hence the highway is in question. If anyone wants to go to amboy let me know. I love going there. As for fields, i'll be back on the the 7th of may.

Let us know what you figure out about Panamint.

With the NPS' proposed closure of Stovepipe Wells, I flew out there (And to a bunch of other places in the Mojave) a couple weeks ago and was tempted - very temptet to do a touch and go on a road out there but I held off. I flew nearby on my way to Trona... part of the land at all CA airports project