Narrative:

Today I had a call from a friend who on occasion shoots videos of events, homes, parties, etc. He asked if I would fly him over a new business that was having an open house and I agreed. We got permission from dover tower 123.65 to depart with bell helicopter to work in the class D airspace for the video shoot around 4:30 P.M. Everything went fine 6 or 7 orbits within a safe altitude of helicopter regulation and the shoot was over. I called tower and informed them I was landing at that location and did so to drop off the video. While there, I had a couple approach me, and ask if I would give them a ride. They had never flown before and were interested in a flight with me after observing the quality of my flying characteristics and flight behavior. The 10 years I have been flying, it has always been my pleasure to provide anybody interested enough to express an interest and desire to experience aviation with a free ride, and I did so. The couple wanted to see their home which was at a new development still under construction a quarter of a mi away from the landing spot where I dropped off the video. We found the house with no problem, and I made a few slow orbits at approximately 500 ft and at a safe forward air speed to execute an automatic rotation safely to touch down in any of the numerous vacant lots that surrounded the area. The ride was over and I returned my passenger to the open house. After I departed and informed dover tower that I was landing at my hangar, the controller informed me that someone had called dover approach and reported that I was flying too low. I thanked the controller and made my frequency change and put the helicopter away. I'm having a hard time understanding how I can be evaluated from the ground on my safe altitude. I am constantly judging my safe automatic rotation position airspeed and altitude. I could understand it if it were a noise abatement problem, but nothing was said of the noise, which if I were at an unsafe altitude that would be the first thing that would come to mind.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA PVT HELI RECEIVED COMPLAINT BY A GND OBSERVER OF A LOW FLT OVER A NEW RESIDENTIAL AREA.

Narrative: TODAY I HAD A CALL FROM A FRIEND WHO ON OCCASION SHOOTS VIDEOS OF EVENTS, HOMES, PARTIES, ETC. HE ASKED IF I WOULD FLY HIM OVER A NEW BUSINESS THAT WAS HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE AND I AGREED. WE GOT PERMISSION FROM DOVER TWR 123.65 TO DEPART WITH BELL HELI TO WORK IN THE CLASS D AIRSPACE FOR THE VIDEO SHOOT AROUND 4:30 P.M. EVERYTHING WENT FINE 6 OR 7 ORBITS WITHIN A SAFE ALT OF HELI REG AND THE SHOOT WAS OVER. I CALLED TWR AND INFORMED THEM I WAS LNDG AT THAT LOCATION AND DID SO TO DROP OFF THE VIDEO. WHILE THERE, I HAD A COUPLE APCH ME, AND ASK IF I WOULD GIVE THEM A RIDE. THEY HAD NEVER FLOWN BEFORE AND WERE INTERESTED IN A FLT WITH ME AFTER OBSERVING THE QUALITY OF MY FLYING CHARACTERISTICS AND FLT BEHAVIOR. THE 10 YEARS I HAVE BEEN FLYING, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY PLEASURE TO PROVIDE ANYBODY INTERESTED ENOUGH TO EXPRESS AN INTEREST AND DESIRE TO EXPERIENCE AVIATION WITH A FREE RIDE, AND I DID SO. THE COUPLE WANTED TO SEE THEIR HOME WHICH WAS AT A NEW DEVELOPMENT STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION A QUARTER OF A MI AWAY FROM THE LNDG SPOT WHERE I DROPPED OFF THE VIDEO. WE FOUND THE HOUSE WITH NO PROB, AND I MADE A FEW SLOW ORBITS AT APPROX 500 FT AND AT A SAFE FORWARD AIR SPD TO EXECUTE AN AUTO ROTATION SAFELY TO TOUCH DOWN IN ANY OF THE NUMEROUS VACANT LOTS THAT SURROUNDED THE AREA. THE RIDE WAS OVER AND I RETURNED MY PAX TO THE OPEN HOUSE. AFTER I DEPARTED AND INFORMED DOVER TWR THAT I WAS LNDG AT MY HANGAR, THE CTLR INFORMED ME THAT SOMEONE HAD CALLED DOVER APCH AND RPTED THAT I WAS FLYING TOO LOW. I THANKED THE CTLR AND MADE MY FREQ CHANGE AND PUT THE HELI AWAY. I'M HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW I CAN BE EVALUATED FROM THE GND ON MY SAFE ALT. I AM CONSTANTLY JUDGING MY SAFE AUTO ROTATION POS AIRSPD AND ALT. I COULD UNDERSTAND IT IF IT WERE A NOISE ABATEMENT PROB, BUT NOTHING WAS SAID OF THE NOISE, WHICH IF I WERE AT AN UNSAFE ALT THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING THAT WOULD COME TO MIND.

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.