Narrative:

During this yr's air show wkend, another aircraft and I were practicing a formation routine and low approachs to the airport for the show. The other aircraft, an small transport, led my aircraft, a fresh small transport B restoration, in a first pass in right echelon making an approach down to 250 ft and 750 ft from the crowd line at a speed of less than 200 KTS, as was the program for the air show. The small transport then flew on my wing for a couple of passes and I followed the same exact pattern in order to familiarize ourselves with the air traffic area and approach configns. We did this after several other aircraft had been observed by us practicing their routines with low approachs as described above. We flew as we had briefed believing that the air show waiver was in place for this purpose on the time and date in question as shown above. Upon landing, we found there was no waiver in effect at the time which we had been led to believe by various comments from other pilots. Because it was not totally clear when the waiver was in effect (it turned out to be later in the morning), confusion arose resulting in our making lower than 500 ft passes. A recommendation to avoid similar situations would be to have signage at the common taxiway or runway departure point for such events each day listing the waiver times and the non-waiver altitude requirements. It would be a simple addition to the air show preparation procedure and would clearly inform all pilots of the operating parameters. Supplemental information from acn 218579: perhaps an aid to preventing such situations would be a notice of waiver dates and times to be posted at pilot registration for the event.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 SMTS PRACTICING FOR AIR SHOW BELIEVE WAIVER IS IN EFFECT AND FLY BELOW 500 FT. WAIVER NOT EFFECTIVE AT THE TIME.

Narrative: DURING THIS YR'S AIR SHOW WKEND, ANOTHER ACFT AND I WERE PRACTICING A FORMATION ROUTINE AND LOW APCHS TO THE ARPT FOR THE SHOW. THE OTHER ACFT, AN SMT, LED MY ACFT, A FRESH SMT B RESTORATION, IN A FIRST PASS IN R ECHELON MAKING AN APCH DOWN TO 250 FT AND 750 FT FROM THE CROWD LINE AT A SPD OF LESS THAN 200 KTS, AS WAS THE PROGRAM FOR THE AIR SHOW. THE SMT THEN FLEW ON MY WING FOR A COUPLE OF PASSES AND I FOLLOWED THE SAME EXACT PATTERN IN ORDER TO FAMILIARIZE OURSELVES WITH THE ATA AND APCH CONFIGNS. WE DID THIS AFTER SEVERAL OTHER ACFT HAD BEEN OBSERVED BY US PRACTICING THEIR ROUTINES WITH LOW APCHS AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. WE FLEW AS WE HAD BRIEFED BELIEVING THAT THE AIR SHOW WAIVER WAS IN PLACE FOR THIS PURPOSE ON THE TIME AND DATE IN QUESTION AS SHOWN ABOVE. UPON LNDG, WE FOUND THERE WAS NO WAIVER IN EFFECT AT THE TIME WHICH WE HAD BEEN LED TO BELIEVE BY VARIOUS COMMENTS FROM OTHER PLTS. BECAUSE IT WAS NOT TOTALLY CLR WHEN THE WAIVER WAS IN EFFECT (IT TURNED OUT TO BE LATER IN THE MORNING), CONFUSION AROSE RESULTING IN OUR MAKING LOWER THAN 500 FT PASSES. A RECOMMENDATION TO AVOID SIMILAR SITUATIONS WOULD BE TO HAVE SIGNAGE AT THE COMMON TAXIWAY OR RWY DEP POINT FOR SUCH EVENTS EACH DAY LISTING THE WAIVER TIMES AND THE NON-WAIVER ALT REQUIREMENTS. IT WOULD BE A SIMPLE ADDITION TO THE AIR SHOW PREPARATION PROC AND WOULD CLRLY INFORM ALL PLTS OF THE OPERATING PARAMETERS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 218579: PERHAPS AN AID TO PREVENTING SUCH SITUATIONS WOULD BE A NOTICE OF WAIVER DATES AND TIMES TO BE POSTED AT PLT REGISTRATION FOR THE EVENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.