Narrative:

On this date of jan/xa/98 I departed the airport on my annual flight. At approximately XA10 local time, I departed vgt on a left downwind departure from runway 7. Departing to the west towards lone mountain, and clear of the vgt air traffic area, I take up a heading towards the northwest in the direction of the local practice area. Proceeding on course and climbing to approximately 3500 ft MSL, ahead and to my lower right, I observed a helicopter in a slow right turn, as the helicopter came around in his right turn and facing my direction, I banked my wings in hopes he would see me, and continued on my way. About this time vgt tower made a call to a metropolitan police helicopter, informing them that there was another helicopter west of them heading to lee canyon northwest of las vegas. Metropolitan police helicopter acknowledged and said also that they had a super cub in their vicinity (which was me). Vgt tower called me advising me to the 2 helicopters. I responded tallyho on both. Being that this was a flight with no known destination in mind, I proceeded to make some casual turns to the left and right and partaking of the beautiful scenery below. After some time I take up a heading toward the south in the general direction of lone mountain. As I was proceeding on course to the south, I again observed a helicopter to my lower left moving in a westerly direction. As he went astern, I made some turns to the left and right hoping to see where and what he was doing. I lost sight of him and proceeded south and passed just to the east of lone mountain. Coming abeam of lone mountain and then following the newly installed power lines along the western side on the new las vegas belt way, staying at 3700 ft MSL, knowing that the class B airspace of 4000 ft MSL lay ahead if I were to continue on this southerly heading. Abeam of red rock canyon, I turned west following the highway that led to the red rock canyon area, spending a few mins there and satisfied all is well, turned around, proceeded in an easterly direction for the return flight to vgt. I listened to the ATIS at vgt and then called the vgt tower, received clearance to land on runway 7, and to call at three lakes for a straight-in to runway 7. A couple of mi out, I called vgt tower with a request to make a right turn at runway 12 intersection. Vgt tower's response was approved as requested. Landing was executed successfully and returned to the hangar area, parking the aircraft in front of hangar door. Shortly thereafter, a white truck pulls up alongside of my aircraft and 2 metropolitan helicopter police officers exit from the white pickup truck. The metropolitan helicopter police officers said that I was flying too low when abeam of sun city summerlin community area, which is adjacent to the pwrline and the belt parkway just south of lone mountain. The metropolitan helicopter police officers asked if I have a pilot license, and would I show it to them. And with the same great panache, I too produced my pilot license. The license is examined and information is noted on a writing pad. License is returned to me, the metropolitan helicopter police officers inform me not to fly low in the sun city summerlin area in the future, and depart. My aircraft is a 1937 J2 cub built by taylor aircraft company of lock haven, PA.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A J2 CUB PLT WAS ACCUSED OF FLYING TOO LOW BY A METRO POLICE HELI PATROL. THE RPTR DISPUTES THIS.

Narrative: ON THIS DATE OF JAN/XA/98 I DEPARTED THE ARPT ON MY ANNUAL FLT. AT APPROX XA10 LCL TIME, I DEPARTED VGT ON A L DOWNWIND DEP FROM RWY 7. DEPARTING TO THE W TOWARDS LONE MOUNTAIN, AND CLR OF THE VGT ATA, I TAKE UP A HDG TOWARDS THE NW IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LCL PRACTICE AREA. PROCEEDING ON COURSE AND CLBING TO APPROX 3500 FT MSL, AHEAD AND TO MY LOWER R, I OBSERVED A HELI IN A SLOW R TURN, AS THE HELI CAME AROUND IN HIS R TURN AND FACING MY DIRECTION, I BANKED MY WINGS IN HOPES HE WOULD SEE ME, AND CONTINUED ON MY WAY. ABOUT THIS TIME VGT TWR MADE A CALL TO A METRO POLICE HELI, INFORMING THEM THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER HELI W OF THEM HDG TO LEE CANYON NW OF LAS VEGAS. METRO POLICE HELI ACKNOWLEDGED AND SAID ALSO THAT THEY HAD A SUPER CUB IN THEIR VICINITY (WHICH WAS ME). VGT TWR CALLED ME ADVISING ME TO THE 2 HELIS. I RESPONDED TALLYHO ON BOTH. BEING THAT THIS WAS A FLT WITH NO KNOWN DEST IN MIND, I PROCEEDED TO MAKE SOME CASUAL TURNS TO THE L AND R AND PARTAKING OF THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY BELOW. AFTER SOME TIME I TAKE UP A HDG TOWARD THE S IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF LONE MOUNTAIN. AS I WAS PROCEEDING ON COURSE TO THE S, I AGAIN OBSERVED A HELI TO MY LOWER L MOVING IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION. AS HE WENT ASTERN, I MADE SOME TURNS TO THE L AND R HOPING TO SEE WHERE AND WHAT HE WAS DOING. I LOST SIGHT OF HIM AND PROCEEDED S AND PASSED JUST TO THE E OF LONE MOUNTAIN. COMING ABEAM OF LONE MOUNTAIN AND THEN FOLLOWING THE NEWLY INSTALLED PWR LINES ALONG THE WESTERN SIDE ON THE NEW LAS VEGAS BELT WAY, STAYING AT 3700 FT MSL, KNOWING THAT THE CLASS B AIRSPACE OF 4000 FT MSL LAY AHEAD IF I WERE TO CONTINUE ON THIS SOUTHERLY HDG. ABEAM OF RED ROCK CANYON, I TURNED W FOLLOWING THE HWY THAT LED TO THE RED ROCK CANYON AREA, SPENDING A FEW MINS THERE AND SATISFIED ALL IS WELL, TURNED AROUND, PROCEEDED IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION FOR THE RETURN FLT TO VGT. I LISTENED TO THE ATIS AT VGT AND THEN CALLED THE VGT TWR, RECEIVED CLRNC TO LAND ON RWY 7, AND TO CALL AT THREE LAKES FOR A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 7. A COUPLE OF MI OUT, I CALLED VGT TWR WITH A REQUEST TO MAKE A R TURN AT RWY 12 INTXN. VGT TWR'S RESPONSE WAS APPROVED AS REQUESTED. LNDG WAS EXECUTED SUCCESSFULLY AND RETURNED TO THE HANGAR AREA, PARKING THE ACFT IN FRONT OF HANGAR DOOR. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, A WHITE TRUCK PULLS UP ALONGSIDE OF MY ACFT AND 2 METRO HELI POLICE OFFICERS EXIT FROM THE WHITE PICKUP TRUCK. THE METRO HELI POLICE OFFICERS SAID THAT I WAS FLYING TOO LOW WHEN ABEAM OF SUN CITY SUMMERLIN COMMUNITY AREA, WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE PWRLINE AND THE BELT PARKWAY JUST S OF LONE MOUNTAIN. THE METRO HELI POLICE OFFICERS ASKED IF I HAVE A PLT LICENSE, AND WOULD I SHOW IT TO THEM. AND WITH THE SAME GREAT PANACHE, I TOO PRODUCED MY PLT LICENSE. THE LICENSE IS EXAMINED AND INFO IS NOTED ON A WRITING PAD. LICENSE IS RETURNED TO ME, THE METRO HELI POLICE OFFICERS INFORM ME NOT TO FLY LOW IN THE SUN CITY SUMMERLIN AREA IN THE FUTURE, AND DEPART. MY ACFT IS A 1937 J2 CUB BUILT BY TAYLOR ACFT COMPANY OF LOCK HAVEN, PA.

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.