Ken beat me to the punch by quoting the regs, although I think 91.13 pertains to "Careless or reckless operation" which, now that I think about it, could also apply in the case of dropping bowling balls. <g> Oh, and note that the reg reads "No pilot in command of a *civil* aircraft" which means the aforementioned F-16s as government aircraft can drop whatever they may. Since we don't seem to be getting a lot of firm numbers posted here I'm going to post the same question on one of the science geek listserves I'm on and will pass on any answers I get there. Clear skies! Patrick :-) Ken Warner wrote:
Yes, actually it is legal to drop things from airplanes. Here is what the FAA has to say:
Sec. 91.13 Dropping objects.
No pilot in command of a civil aircraft may allow any object to be dropped from that aircraft in flight that creates a hazard to persons or property. However, this section does not prohibit the dropping of any object if reasonable precautions are taken to avoid injury or damage to persons or property.