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Mini 2 3.8 mile flight came home with some flavor

usmc6154

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I flew for around 20 minutes on this flight the other day and came home with some bug remnants on the back. Best thing I’ve ever bought was this drone, the mini 2 really does everything And keeps going so far about three weeks has equated to about 39 miles of flying
 
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I flew for around 20 minutes on this flight the other day and came home with some bug remnants on the back. Best thing I’ve ever bought was this drone, the mini 2 really does everything And keeps going so far about three weeks has equated to about 39 miles of flying
Hope that was a circuit of flying, as no way on VLOS. As what seems to be a newbie - there are many rules from FAA you need to learn to fly safely and within those rules.

TRUST TEST will greatly help in that area and is a requirement - even for rec flyers.
 
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Hope that was a circuit of flying, as no way on VLOS. As what seems to be a newbie - there are many rules from FAA you need to learn to fly safely and within those rules.

TRUST TEST will greatly help in that area and is a requirement - even for rec flyers.
Help me understand VLOS. DJI is very strict with the Geozone restrictions. Why do they have controllers and batteries that allow miles of flight? . Also, why all camera gear? I hear the Mavic 3 is going to have a super camera. Finally. even with the best sight, you can't see a drone more than a few hundred feet out and at that it's just a spec in the sky. . Even worse with a mini.
 
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Help me understand VLOS. DJI is very strict with the Geozone restrictions. Why do they have controllers and batteries that allow miles of flight? . Also, why all camera gear? I hear the Mavic 3 is going to have a super camera. Finally. even with the best sight, you can't see a drone more than a few hundred feet out and at that it's just a spec in the sky. . Even worse with a mini.
VLOS - simply means "visual line of sight." Very different for each pilot and their flying conditions; so for you it may be 500 feet while for another it may be 1/4 mile. Adding strobes may help extend that range some - but very doubtful to 1/2 mile or more unless in lower light where the strobe would be more visible.

DJI makes a product for someone to use. Your automobile can go 120 mph, but do you drive it that fast - LEGALLY. No, because rules are implemented for safety or so they say. The US has the FAA and they govern all things airspace related. Some countries have no such rules or more lax than the US, so they can legally fly their drone as far as the drone will go and hopefully have enough battery to come back home. In the FAA's infinite wisdom, they came up with VLOS for RC / UAV craft to fly under. Again, VLOS is very dependent on pilot and flying conditions - so a person with great eyesight can supposedly fly in a flat zone with no obstacles about 1/4 - 1/2 mile. No way you can do that when flying around a lot of trees or obstacles and REMAIN in VLOS. It does help to have a spotter right there with you, so they can fully watch the drone every second of flight, while the pilot can monitor the screen for whatever they are videoing / picture taking.

The FAA's TRUST TEST explains it some. It is also a requirement for ALL drone pilots to take the test and have the Cert document on your person when flying.

I'm sure there are many areas in CA that you could go fly in and not be a safety issue and fly outside of VLOS. But, that is your call if you want to do that. If you do, don't brag about it. Many do and you can see the posts that reflect the VLOS question.

I have both the Mini and Air2 and I can't see either a 1/4 mile away - which I typically never fly anyway unless with other drone guys who help spot for me. The Mini is smaller, so harder to see for sure.

Suggest buying strobes if you want to see your drone better and with more VLOS. Many posts on this subject and yes, the better ones do cost far more than some cheap ones.
 
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VLOS - simply means "visual line of sight." Very different for each pilot and their flying conditions; so for you it may be 500 feet while for another it may be 1/4 mile. Adding strobes may help extend that range some - but very doubtful to 1/2 mile or more unless in lower light where the strobe would be more visible.

DJI makes a product for someone to use. Your automobile can go 120 mph, but do you drive it that fast - LEGALLY. No, because rules are implemented for safety or so they say. The US has the FAA and they govern all things airspace related. Some countries have no such rules or more lax than the US, so they can legally fly their drone as far as the drone will go and hopefully have enough battery to come back home. In the FAA's infinite wisdom, they came up with VLOS for RC / UAV craft to fly under. Again, VLOS is very dependent on pilot and flying conditions - so a person with great eyesight can supposedly fly in a flat zone with no obstacles about 1/4 - 1/2 mile. No way you can do that when flying around a lot of trees or obstacles and REMAIN in VLOS. It does help to have a spotter right there with you, so they can fully watch the drone every second of flight, while the pilot can monitor the screen for whatever they are videoing / picture taking.

The FAA's TRUST TEST explains it some. It is also a requirement for ALL drone pilots to take the test and have the Cert document on your person when flying.

I'm sure there are many areas in CA that you could go fly in and not be a safety issue and fly outside of VLOS. But, that is your call if you want to do that. If you do, don't brag about it. Many do and you can see the posts that reflect the VLOS question.

I have both the Mini and Air2 and I can't see either a 1/4 mile away - which I typically never fly anyway unless with other drone guys who help spot for me. The Mini is smaller, so harder to see for sure.

Suggest buying strobes if you want to see your drone better and with more VLOS. Many posts on this subject and yes, the better ones do cost far more than some cheap ones.
Well certainly driving a car and flying a drone is a poor analogy at best. You can see your drone 1/4 mile away? I put my Mavic 2 350 feet over my head and I can't see it or even hear it and my eyesight is just fine. Even if you could, see that far are you just going to fly around in circles? A spotter? Seriously? No flying today because I can't find someone to stand there and watch. No, the FAA VLOS is just another example of government's inability to have common sense. Which is what we are lacking here..common sense.
 
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Well certainly driving a car and flying a drone is a poor analogy at best. You can see your drone 1/4 mile away? I put my Mavic 2 350 feet over my head and I can't see it or even hear it and my eyesight is just fine. Even if you could, see that far are you just going to fly around in circles? A spotter? Seriously? No flying today because I can't find someone to stand there and watch. No, the FAA VLOS is just another example of government's inability to have common sense. Which is what we are lacking here..common sense.
Well, did not you ask the question and guess what "I" answered it. Whether you can only see 500 ft or 1/4 mile is only relevant to you and you alone. That is called VLOS! If you actually read some of the posts concerning VLOS - many claim they can see it a 1/2 mile out or more. I don't make such claims as I know that is BS.

Your problem on spotters - I go out with other drone buddies and we all spot for the other, as we won't fly at same time in the typical locations we fly. So no issues there.

The FAA - the governing agency over airspace and VLOS. Their rules not mine! I don't live in flatland America with no obstacles for a 1/4 - 1/2 mile or more; but many do and they themselves claim they can see the drone. Some have added strobes to enhance that VLOS aspect - which is well should if they are very bright on a not bright sunny cloudless day. Maybe you should direct your issues towards them, since if they cannot see the drone that far and are breaking the current rules - they are the ones who make it tougher on all of us who drone by causing stricter rules. Every single drone pilot has far different flying conditions than you or I; so making "***"umptions on your part - mean diddly.

If you can only see the drone "X" distance and that's it - then that is YOUR VLOS - not mine or somebody else. To those that claim 1/2 mile or more - maybe they need to prove they can see the drone that far, but that is the job of the governing agency - you know - the FAA. All they have to do is look at flight logs to tell how far a drone has flown out - not on some 1 mile circuitous route.

As for the "Irish" pilot calling us the VLOS Police, that's BS as well. Most of those posting their long range flights are new pilots and they are enamoured that DJI says their drone can fly 3 miles out and back - thus they should be able to fly 3 miles out legally. We, the pilots on this forum simply want to "educate" these new folks so they understand current rules / laws / etc so we all can continue to fly without more restrictions. Rogues will always be rogues and do what they want, when they want, how they want - they don't care about the rest of drone pilots and what they may cause in future restrictions.

The auto analogy is on point - simply stating per you that DJI advertises a long range limit and why would they build, sell, and state such info - when not possible. Guess your auto only has a 70 mph speedometer or the speed limit in your state / area that keeps you legal.

Maybe "common sense" is in short supply in CA! Many of us think that is 100% true.
 
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No one knows if the OP flew a circuit / total flight of 4.8mi, or 1.9mi out and back.
They may not be aware of the basic drone regs there, so let's give them a chance to learn, not tear strips off them and scare them off the forum . . . where they can learn so much from others, and become the best, safest pilot possible.

Recalling the recent bee attack thread on this forum, the material on the mini looks a bit bulky to be bee venom, probably general bug guts.
 
Your not saying you flew you 3.8 miles out are you ?
No just flight distance for that flight, I don’t think this thing would go anywhere near that far with the trees around me here. Yea I follow all the rules trust test registration number use aloft and be for you fly etc. I’m next to an airbase I’m not gonna mess around like that
 
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No one knows if the OP flew a circuit / total flight of 4.8mi, or 1.9mi out and back.
They may not be aware of the basic drone regs there, so let's give them a chance to learn, not tear strips off them and scare them off the forum . . . where they can learn so much from others, and become the best, safest pilot possible.

Recalling the recent bee attack thread on this forum, the material on the mini looks a bit bulky to be bee venom, probably general bug guts.
Yea thanks man, it wasn’t 3.8 out it was flight distance travelled
 
Hope that was a circuit of flying, as no way on VLOS. As what seems to be a newbie - there are many rules from FAA you need to learn to fly safely and within those rules.

TRUST TEST will greatly help in that area and is a requirement - even for rec flyers.
I have the trust test, that was flight distance ,like a circuit I guess, not distance away from me
 
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Help me understand VLOS. DJI is very strict with the Geozone restrictions. Why do they have controllers and batteries that allow miles of flight? . Also, why all camera gear? I hear the Mavic 3 is going to have a super camera. Finally. even with the best sight, you can't see a drone more than a few hundred feet out and at that it's just a spec in the sky. . Even worse with a mini.
Thus far I’ve flown at farthest visual line of sight at about 1700 ft , it’s a speck like Horton heard but it counts, because I can see it. Only on day with blue skies though. Over cast days or whiter sky days I’m limited to a couple hundred feet
 
The range is made as good as possible to avoid / mitigate signal problems from trees, buildings, terrain such as hills and gullies etc interfering as much as they would if limited to say a km or so.
It's up to pilots to stay in VLOS, just like obeying sensibly posted speed limits on our roads . . . ooookaayyyy, whatever the posted speed limit is, even if one feels that it is somewhat lower than it could be.

If I'm fling any sort of distance, I use FHT ARCII strobes to help me find it in the air when composing photos or video, that's when the outer limits of seeing the drone can make it hard to pick up again, when looking back up to find it.
 
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