Mavic 2 Enterprise - Now VLOS takes on a whole new meaning

[Cookedinlh]

Just got my Mavic 2 E and took it out for a spin with the search light on it. It is quite the LIGHT!! . . . at 30% brightness it shows up quite well at over a mile and I guess it should be visible for up to 3-4miles at full brightness. Here is an overhead of the track I followed and a view from the Mavic back to where I was standing over 7000 feet away(2050meters). This takes VLOS to a whole new level as it is likely visible at 2-3 miles plus even under bright light conditions. It's always "in sight" with the light on. And the x2 Optical and 3x Digital zoom means I can read a license plate at over 300ft. Yes that's a police car but no he was not stopping me for Drone operations. Just happened to be there.
I think I'm going to really like my Mav2E despite DJI not offering any Refresh yet. ( the RED Line is my track over 7000ft long)

 

[Tbredhed]

Just got my Mavic 2 E and took it out for a spin with the search light on it. It is quite the LIGHT!! . . . at 30% brightness it shows up quite well at over a mile and I guess it should be visible for up to 3-4miles at full brightness. Here is an overhead of the track I followed and a view from the Mavic back to where I was standing over 7000 feet away(2050meters). This takes VLOS to a whole new level as it is likely visible at 2-3 miles plus even under bright light conditions. It's always "in sight" with the light on. And the x2 Optical and 3x Digital zoom means I can read a license plate at over 300ft. Yes that's a police car but no he was not stopping me for Drone operations. Just happened to be there.
I think I'm going to really like my Mav2E despite DJI not offering any Refresh yet. ( the RED Line is my track over 7000ft long)
View attachment 55166View attachment 55168

View attachment 55167

Just a quick reminder that in Canada the drone must remain in VLOS AND no more than 500 meters from the pilot.
Not saying I haven't flown beyond 500 meters but its always been over lakes and forest, dozens of miles from the nearest town.

 

[Cookedinlh]

Just a quick reminder that in Canada the drone must remain in VLOS AND no more than 500 meters from the pilot.
Not saying I haven't flown beyond 500 meters but its always been over lakes and forest, dozens of miles from the nearest town.

That's interesting . . I'm pretty familiar with Transport Canada current (proposed) rules and do not see that. I have seen it referenced to Model Aircraft for recreational purposes. Published in the Gazette Part II in June this year.
As for UAVs I do not see that within the definition here on the Transport Canada website or in the Staff Instructions SI 623.001 which is the only legal regulation to follow . . other than an SFOC . . .until the new Chapter IX of Canadian Air Regs is published ( and that may be this month) according to an announcement from Oct 18.

I have pioneered the procedures for FVLOS ( Forward Visual Line of Sight) as adopted in my SOPs ( Standard Operating Procedures) and approved by Transport so I continue to experiment with ways to fly further legally and safely. Can you point me to your reference.? Thanks

 

[Tbredhed]

That's interesting . . I'm pretty familiar with Transport Canada current (proposed) rules and do not see that. I have seen it referenced to Model Aircraft for recreational purposes. Published in the Gazette Part II in June this year.
As for UAVs I do not see that within the definition here on the Transport Canada website or in the Staff Instructions SI 623.001 which is the only legal regulation to follow . . other than an SFOC . . .until the new Chapter IX of Canadian Air Regs is published ( and that may be this month) according to an announcement from Oct 18.

I have pioneered the procedures for FVLOS ( Forward Visual Line of Sight) as adopted in my SOPs ( Standard Operating Procedures) and approved by Transport so I continue to experiment with ways to fly further legally and safely. Can you point me to your reference.? Thanks

The relevant section is

(h) Visual Line-of-Sight

(i) A person operating a model aircraft must ensure that it is operated within VLOS at all times during the flight.

(ii) No person shall operate a model aircraft at a lateral distance of more than 1640 feet (500 m) from that person’s location.

The whole interim order can be found here; Advisory Circular (AC) No. 600-002 - Transport Canada

Not to say any or all of this won't change when the actual regulations are released, but who knows when that might be the way our government works.
[emoji20]

 

[Cookedinlh]

You are correct . . but that is only referenced in the new "Model Aircraft rules" . .see my first reference. In that case it does not apply to general UAV operations. My current 73 paragraph SFOC is VERY detailed about exactly what I can do. It has no reference to this 500m limit and the only reference to VLOS is the official definition which says "Visual-line-of-sight means keeping your device in sight at all times. This means not flying into clouds or fog, or behind trees, buildings or other (even partial) obstructions." so I think we're good.

2 Nov 18 rules are here

I think you must be referring to This IO 600-002 section 4 is all about "Model Aircraft" . . sub para 4.3(12) says (12) No person shall operate a model aircraft when the aircraft is at a lateral distance of more than 1640 feet (500 m) from the person’s location (a) The pilot must maintain visual line-of-sight at all times and must not fly the UAV further than ¼ nautical mile from their location. On any given day, the distance at which the aircraft is considered to be within visual line-of-sight (VLOS) away from the pilot will vary and it may actually be less than ¼ mile, therefore, the lesser of the VLOS requirement or ¼ nautical mile distance must not be exceeded.

even though is uses the term UAV in a couple of places it only applies to recreational use of model aircraft. . . so get an M2E with a BIG light is all I'm suggesting . . . and fly safe! . . ps . . that's not the SUN behind me!

 

[Tbredhed]

Interesting, I just hope the new regs are released soon so there is no further confusion.
I'm curious what kind of flight time you get with that setup?

 

[Cookedinlh]

Interesting, I just hope the new regs are released soon so there is no further confusion.
I'm curious what kind of flight time you get with that setup?

I'm sure that's when the confusion will only BEGIN since now everyone will be "interpreting" the actual rules and arguing over meanings . . there are still several holes in the official published definitions that raise some interesting legal arguments. Like who is a "pilot" or a "Pilot in Command" and what does "Crew" mean? Normal aviation definitions don't work.

That first flight was 19 min and I landed with 5:47 min left and battery 24% , . . so it did quite well covering 4756m during the trip

 

[rmb]

I’m sure the answer is no, but is there any chance that that light would be compatible with a non-enterprise addition Mavic 2 Pro ?

 

[Starz]

I was wondering if the lights that the “e” has would entice someone. I have so far been happy with the lights I have been using. Based on your flight time, I’m going to stick with the pro and zoom that I have and a little Velcro.

 

[Starz]

I’m sure the answer is no, but is there any chance that that light would be compatible with a non-enterprise addition Mavic 2 Pro ?

This?https://www.pgy-tech.com/gear-extensions-led-for-mavic2

 

[Cookedinlh]

I was wondering if the lights that the “e” has would entice someone. I have so far been happy with the lights I have been using. Based on your flight time, I’m going to stick with the pro and zoom that I have and a little Velcro.View attachment 55373

I’ve used STROBONs with Velcro a lot and they work great ... there is really very little impact on flight time with the search light.

 

[Cookedinlh]

I’m sure the answer is no, but is there any chance that that light would be compatible with a non-enterprise addition Mavic 2 Pro ?

I think not because you need to connect to the power port in the M2E and the Pro does not have the port or the software to operate it. I dare say someone with figure out a way to hack it though

 

[Cookedinlh]

I was wondering if the lights that the “e” has would entice someone. I have so far been happy with the lights I have been using. Based on your flight time, I’m going to stick with the pro and zoom that I have and a little Velcro.View attachment 55373

The light and speaker was the attraction alright but not for the purpose of VLOS ... that’s just a nice bonus... the search light can illuminate a good sized target area at night... and just unfortunate you can’t have both light and speaker on at the same time

 

[ColinF]

I was wondering if the lights that the “e” has would entice someone. I have so far been happy with the lights I have been using. Based on your flight time, I’m going to stick with the pro and zoom that I have and a little Velcro.View attachment 55373

Does that strobe affect your pics and vids?

 

[Cookedinlh]

Does that strobe affect your pics and vids?

The M2E light is hands down the answer to VLOS. Compared to STROBON . . no contest. I did the compare video today and will post it tomorrow. I've said elsewhere that if you already have aP4P then having a M2Pro is only for photographers who care about 10bit colour. . . for any missions over 300m distance especially in daylight M2E with the zoom offers much better versatility that is way more useful than strap-on STROBON.

 

[Starz]

Does that strobe affect your pics and vids?

Answered on the other thread also.
Have not seen any issues.
As long as the subject that is being shot is far enough away that there is no light being cast on it from the strobe, you will be fine. I have not seen any issues so far.

 

[ColinF]

Answered on the other thread also.
Have not seen any issues.
As long as the subject that is being shot is far enough away that there is no light being cast on it from the strobe, you will be fine. I have not seen any issues so far.View attachment 55670

Excellent. Thanks!

 

[ColinF]

The M2E light is hands down the answer to VLOS. Compared to STROBON . . no contest. I did the compare video today and will post it tomorrow. I've said elsewhere that if you already have aP4P then having a M2Pro is only for photographers who care about 10bit colour. . . for any missions over 300m distance especially in daylight M2E with the zoom offers much better versatility that is way more useful than strap-on STROBON.

Can the light be retrofitted to a standard Mavic 2 Zoom?

 

[Cookedinlh]

Can the light be retrofitted to a standard Mavic 2 Zoom?

No not the way it installs on the Enterprise Zoom. There is a special new PORT on the top of the M2E that accepts these accessories. No doubt there will be more of them . . hoping for a pan tilt IR camera someday. . . but you have to have that port and the screws to make it a proper install . . It is just another USB port so likely someone will try and hack one.

 

[ColinF]

No not the way it installs on the Enterprise Zoom. There is a special new PORT on the top of the M2E that accepts these accessories. No doubt there will be more of them . . hoping for a pan tilt IR camera someday. . . but you have to have that port and the screws to make it a proper install . . It is just another USB port so likely someone will try and hack one.

From DJI’s perspective, that makes sense. Gotta buy the E version.