Man arrested for flying his copter out of his back yard.

He’s now charged with one count of serving as an airman without an airman certificate and one count of making false statements to federal agents.

If convicted he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
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Not your average FAA enforcement action...

But in what world did he dream that he wouldn't attract scrutiny?
 
Dana said:
Not your average FAA enforcement action...

But in what world did he dream that he wouldn't attract scrutiny?
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I'm thinking it probably wasn't registered or current with it's maintenance. He didn't have a license so he either avoided airports or would stop for a fill up and high tail it out. Good decisions don't seem to be his forte. Don't know why the neighbors didn't go talk to him rather than rat him out, but probably a good thing they did.
 
If I understand the story correctly, he was not arrested for flying his copter out of his back yard.
 
Why can't you fly a helicopter out of your backyard? I thought that was the purpose of a chopper????
I have friends that fly their Cubs out of the backyards. Obviously the guy can fly it. How did the neighbors know he didn't have a license?
 
pigpenracing said:
Why can't you fly a helicopter out of your backyard? I thought that was the purpose of a chopper????
I have friends that fly their Cubs out of the backyards. Obviously the guy can fly it. How did the neighbors know he didn't have a license?
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NIMBY... Not in my back yard folks will spoil anyone's fun.
 
Sac Arrow said:
If I understand the story correctly, he was not arrested for flying his copter out of his back yard.
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Correct. He was arrested on flying with a revoked license...the backyard aspect and complaints is just what led to him being caught.

I hate misleading journalism and false click bait headlines.

pigpenracing said:
How did the neighbors know he didn't have a license?
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Probably didn't. Likely scenario is some NIMBY complained to the FAA and with a simple database search looking up the pilot they found the revocation and then opened a full investigation.
 
Fiveslide said:
NIMBY... Not in my back yard folks will spoil anyone's fun.
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Back when I used to race cars, I usually parked the truck and trailer on the street in front of my house after getting home from a race weekend. Several times during the season the police would show up saying someone reported me either racing up and down the cul-de-sac, or just running the engine at night. I never ever once started the engine at home. It was only tow of the neighbors. They could not stand that I had a truck, trailer and race car that cost twice as much as their house parked on their street.

Even after I sold my race operation people would still complain. Then some new neighbors moved in and their kids had a little mini bike. I would still get calls about racing my car up and down the street..... :sigh:
 
When your neighbors don’t like you, their going to complain about anything that will cause you problems, at least he didn’t steal this copter.
 
I'm more curious about the theft back in 2000.
 
Oddly, he does have a current medical!
And he lives in Podunk on a road called Podunk (plenty of room to operation a helicopter, see google maps.)
Edit: It is implied that he lied to get the medical.
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Sac Arrow said:
If I understand the story correctly, he was not arrested for flying his copter out of his back yard.
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pigpenracing said:
Why can't you fly a helicopter out of your backyard? I thought that was the purpose of a chopper????
I have friends that fly their Cubs out of the backyards. Obviously the guy can fly it. How did the neighbors know he didn't have a license?
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That's what attracted me to the story, the local news teased it as man arrested for flying helicopter out of back yard. I didn't think that was illegal.

I was surprised to see he took the time to get a medical. He should have carried it further directed that same energy to getting his certificate back, it probably would have succeeded. Once a rebel always a rebel.
 
I actually saw an R22 land in a residential neighborhood a couple years ago, in a back yard. It surprised me because I didn't think there was enough room in that area to land a helicopter.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I actually saw an R22 land in a residential neighborhood a couple years ago, in a back yard. It surprised me because I didn't think there was enough room in that area to land a helicopter.
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Unless all your neighbors really, really like you it's not something I'd do. And I wouldn't do it often.

My first helo cfi told me once about landing in the parking lot of a pizza joint near a college campus here in town to impress a girl. Even as a nube I thought that's gotta attract a lot of negative publicity. I went through a couple more CFIs before I found one who clicked and this guy was very much about not annoying people, and that's always stuck with me.

Every now and then I'll find an article about pilots who own quite a bit of acreage and their neighbors miles away throwing legal daggers to keep them from flying off their own property. I can't help but to think some common sense, and maybe a friendly knock on the door before the first flight would have kept their problems at bay.
 
Gerhardt said:
Unless all your neighbors really, really like you it's not something I'd do. And I wouldn't do it often.

My first helo cfi told me once about landing in the parking lot of a pizza joint near a college campus here in town to impress a girl. Even as a nube I thought that's gotta attract a lot of negative publicity. I went through a couple more CFIs before I found one who clicked and this guy was very much about not annoying people, and that's always stuck with me.

Every now and then I'll find an article about pilots who own quite a bit of acreage and their neighbors miles away throwing legal daggers to keep them from flying off their own property. I can't help but to think some common sense, and maybe a friendly knock on the door before the first flight would have kept their problems at bay.
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I thought the same thing myself.
 
Gerhardt said:
Unless all your neighbors really, really like you it's not something I'd do. And I wouldn't do it often.
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Neighbor Karl Bjorklund said, “... It’s was loud, very noisy." ...

They concluded that Santonastaso took more than 50 flights between April 28, 2018 and November 11, 2018.​

This. Me thinks that 50 flights from his back yard over the summer may have had something to do with the neighbor's annoyance.

And whatever other disputes were going on there.


Antonio Santonastaso is accused of flying this helicopter out of his backyard in East Brookfield. (Courtesy image)​

https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/05...io-santonastaso-helicopter-pilot-charged-faa/
 
I would think the closeness of neighbors would have a lot to do with whether it is common sense or not. If your neighborhood is half acre lots, that would not be very smart. But if you have a few acres, and you are coming and going a reasonable distance from neighbors' homes, that's a different story.

The definition of "reasonable distance" regarding helicopters could obviously be up for debate.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
And he lives in Podunk on a road called Podunk (plenty of room to operation a helicopter, see google maps.)
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"IF" he was actually operating it out of that address, it is a 7 1/4 acre lot that would seem to be large enough to fly out of the "back 40" and not disturb the neighbors.


However, that sure looks like a basketball hoop on the left side of the photo.

And the neighbors were complaining about proximity and noise.

massachusetts-man-charged-with-illegally-flying-helicopter-out-of-his-backyard.jpg
https://i2.wp.com/weatherinternal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/massachusetts-man-charged-with-illegally-flying-helicopter-out-of-his-backyard.jpg?zoom=2&resize=643,343&ssl=1
 
That's how Bridgehampton racetrack got closed... people complaining about the noise. Even on weekends when there wasn't races. Also the town wanted a golf course in town in stead of a racetrack...
 
Dana said:
Not your average FAA enforcement action...

But in what world did he dream that he wouldn't attract scrutiny?
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I’d be willing to bet they passed this off to the US Attorney for breaking US Code and they took it. Must have had a pretty strong history against him.
 
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