Best Strobe Color for day time flying.

[Dronecation]

There is some confusion here. Some are suggesting that white is “brightest” when in fact all colours emitted with the same power output are of equal “brilliance.” It is the colour spectrum and how we see it that makes a difference.

On the light spectrum, colours to the red end have shorter wavelengths and to the other end, the wavelengths are longer, so given the same power output, the higher the wavelength are more discernable to the human eye.

White light is an amalgam of all the colour spectrum and has a wider wavelength and this is why it is easier to see,

There are further complications with human eye perception and that is CVD (colour blindness) which is a deficiently in the rods and cones of the eye which are unable to discern various wavelengths (usually along the red/green access) and whilst a small proportion of the population have a pronounced CVD, we all have varying degrees of non sensitivity to parts of the colour spectrum. This is why white light seems “brighter.”

What Are The Most Visible Colors From A Distance?

Color travels in waves, which are loosely divided into short, medium and long in length. Because colors travel at different wavelengths, some are easier to see than others, but the amount of light is also a factor. In general, however, green is the most visible color from a distance.

www.sciencing.com

 

[Dale D]

Received my Air 3S 10 days ago but with the rain, wind an me having the flu I have been unable to fly it. It’s not replacing my Mini just adding to my fleet.

Question that I have is I want to add a small Firehouse strobe to the underside and wondering what would be the best color for daytime flying?

I have white strobes for night, but they don’t seem noticeable enough for daytime flying.

I've been using white flashing Firehouse for years. It really only helps on a dark day, (clouds) . I do not fly at night. For regular Florida sunny days it is not much help at all.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

As others have said the lights make little difference in the Day, but you might consider getting a Rescue Jacket for the Air 3S as that will give you up to 2800 ft of VLOS . I rarely fly without it.


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Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2s in the Rain . Increase your VLOS

 

[Tman1265]

I do mine orange, easy to see in a tree...........

I can attest to that

 

[AMann]

I use white Arc III’s, even in daylight because they work. But the elephant in the room is being ignored- it’s saying that a pilot and any VO’s must be able to visually discern the location, attitude, altitude, and direction of the aircraft’s flight without reliance on anti-collision lights. So I do my best to not fly out that far even with them.

Just saying…

 

[msinger]

it’s saying that a pilot and any VO’s must be able to visually discern the location, attitude, altitude, and direction of the aircraft’s flight without reliance on anti-collision lights

107.31 really states the following:

"With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight"

So you, for example, cannot cover your eyes with binoculars to watch the aircraft.

 

[AMann]

107.31 really states the following:

"With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight"

So you, for example, cannot cover your eyes with binoculars to watch the aircraft.

Thanks. Yeah, I studied that for my part 107 certificate also. I didn’t really mean to quote the entire rule, I just paraphrased that part as it applies to strobes…

 

[msinger]

Thanks. Yeah, I studied that for my part 107 certificate also. I didn’t really mean to quote the entire rule, I just paraphrased that part as it applies to strobes…

Which part applies to strobes?

 

[AMann]

Which part applies to strobes?

“With vision that is unaided by any device”

Strobes are a device that extend your vision…

 

[mavic3usa]

“With vision that is unaided by any device”

Strobes are a device that extend your vision…

Except that's not what it says or means.

Luckily I'm a recreational pilot and we don't have to abide by all that part 107 mumbo-jumbo. My CBO speaks to me clearly in regular language we all can understand.

 

[msinger]

“With vision that is unaided by any device”

Strobes are a device that extend your vision…

That means you cannot use devices like goggles or binoculars to enhance your vision. However, wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses is allowed.

If you're unsure about how to interpret the rules, it's best to contact the FAA directly. While I'm offering helpful guidance, I'm not an official FAA authority and thus can't definitively interpret any rules that may seem unclear.

 

[msinger]

Luckily I'm a recreational pilot and we don't have to abide by all that part 107 mumbo-jumbo. My CBO speaks to me clearly in regular language we all can understand.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), you must also follow the same rule when flying recreationally as it's a requirement in 49 USC 44809 too. It's just worded even more vaguely since it doesn't mention anything but corrective lenses are prohibited. CBO rules don't override 49 USC 44809.

 

[AMann]

I still use them during the day wether I’m flying for work or fun, they do help increase visibility, especially when flying in front of a distant mountain or other high contrast background, just always read that part about maintaining VLOS without a device meant strobes as well.

 

[msinger]

just always read that part about maintaining VLOS without a device meant strobes as well

If that were an issue, the FAA would also have to prohibit things like adding a bright skin to a white drone to make it easier to see in the sky. But clearly, that's not prohibited either.

 

[mavic3usa]

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), you must also follow the same rule when flying recreationally as it's a requirement in 49 USC 44809 too. It's just worded even more vaguely since it doesn't mention anything but corrective lenses are prohibited. CBO rules don't override 49 USC 44809.

I'm not trying to override or contradict 107, I'm just saying when I read my CBO sensible language, I am allowed to follow it. We have videos and clear text, I follow the instructions in the video; am I not allowed to? It won't be confusing and mistaken like the language being discussed in the last few posts where clearly we have two part 107 pilots who see it and interpret differently. And you guys aren't the only ones, it's the topic of discussion everywhere. On the recreation side, we don't encounter that because it makes sense to us.

Here's a different but somewhat related topic for example from here: https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/documents/100.pdf
or

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"For night flying, AMA requires that aircraft be equipped with anti-collision lighting that can be seen from 3 statute miles away unless it poses a hazard or distraction to the operator. Other lighting must be used in such a way that allows you to determine attitude and direction of flight. Hand-held illumination systems by themselves are inadequate for night flying operations. Night flight presents visual perception challenges. Since your vision and depth perception can be altered in darkness, night flying requires training through AMA."

I can turn off my strobe lights, can you? For the record, I love my strobes, I use them always; they're great!

 

[msinger]

I'm not trying to override or contradict 107, I'm just saying when I read my CBO sensible language, I am allowed to follow it.

Sure, you're allowed to follow CBO rules in addition to everything else mentioned in 49 USC 44809, since following CBO guidelines is part of that law. However, when it comes to VLOS, which is the topic you replied to above, the same rule applies regardless of whether you're flying recreationally or not.

If you're flying under Part 107, you could potentially apply for a waiver, but that opens up a whole other can of worms.

 

[AMann]

If that were an issue, the FAA would also have to prohibit things like adding a bright skin to a white drone to make it easier to see in the sky. But clearly, that's not prohibited either.

Red herrings really doesn’t have anything to do with it, strobes are active devices, the skin or drone color is not. Batteries run down and the strobes don’t work anymore, leaving the drone unseen.

 

[AMann]

Sure, you're allowed to follow CBO rules in addition to everything else mentioned in 49 USC 44809, since following CBO guidelines is part of that law. However, when it comes to VLOS, which is the topic you replied to above, the same rule applies regardless of whether you're flying recreationally or not.

If you're flying under Part 107, you could potentially apply for a waiver, but that opens up a whole other can of worms.

I did get a 107 waiver approval for flying at night back when they required it, I had to show that I would know the orientation of the drone using strobes as well as a contingency plan should they fail, which was to cover the drone with highly reflective material and use a very bright hand-held spotlight to relocate the drone in case the strobes failed (which was highly unlikely), so they accepted it. Anyways, part of writing that paperwork might have also bled into my understanding about using drones during the daytime, I just simply don’t rely solely on strobes during the daytime to maintain appropriate VLOS, and my drones are still covered with that reflective tape.

 

[msinger]

Red herrings really doesn’t have anything to do with it, strobes are active devices, the skin or drone color is not. Batteries run down and the strobes don’t work anymore, leaving the drone unseen.

Anything that prevents you from seeing your drone with your unaided eyes means you're flying beyond VLOS. I don't think the FAA is concerned with why that happens, whether it's dead strobe batteries, sunset, an approaching storm, etc. It's the pilot's responsibility to plan ahead and fly safely.

It seems we've shifted to an entirely different topic. Dead strobe batteries have nothing to do with the rule that prohibits covering your eyes with anything other than prescription lenses to help you see your drone.

 

[AMann]

Anything that prevents you from seeing your drone with your unaided eyes means you're flying beyond VLOS. I don't think the FAA is concerned with why that happens, whether it's dead strobe batteries, sunset, an approaching storm, etc. It's the pilot's responsibility to plan ahead and fly safely.

It seems we've shifted to an entirely different topic. Dead strobe batteries have nothing to do with the rule that prohibits covering your eyes with anything other than prescription lenses to help you see your drone.

I agree with you, that’s why strobes should not be relied on to extend VLOS with your unaided eyesight.