Disappointed with distance

[Wrinkle249]

Oh good the other typical remark... "Yes I break one of the rules but it's okay because I'M qualified and have an extra piece of paper to boot. However, the rule YOU break, and I never do is the important and really dangerous one." Hahaha!

Honest question, what's more "dangerous", flying within a dome of approximately 700' or never going above 400' but routinely flying out 3 miles+? I'm seriously curious what everyone thinks. Both scenarios break the guidelines, so I'm not interested in what the "rules" are, just opinions.

Great topic for discussion Lon - it is probably on here already but here goes. I have only had my MP for a week so I am the least experienced here but the question is perfect for my situation. I live on a slope and oversee most of the city below including an unpopulated wild area about 1/4 mile from my house that runs miles to the base of our hills. I can see everything for 10 miles or more including any manned aircraft that would be flying in the area (usually Sheriff Helicopters - which do not stay 500 feet or more above ground level.) I did fly mine - even with all of the houses near - over a mile away, obviously beyond VLOS. I can see all manned aircraft with my eyes, people below (few and only on a trail I did not fly over) gimbal down, and at about 250 feet AGL (which was actually below my takeoff point). I know EXACTLY where it is based on the map and camera, but can't actually see the MP. If it was bigger I could. If it was trailing smoke I could, but the profile is just too small... I think it is safe. DJI has restricted their drones to 500 m up (other places allow it but not in the US) but advertise the 4+ mile range. Do you think DJI does a disservice by advertising the distance knowing that in the US it does not follow recreational guidelines even though they are definitely marketing to recreational consumers in the US?

AND they sell their FPV Goggles - - spotter expected but....

 

[davmcw]

If you go out to far or ignore battery warning too long and it lands, what methods are applied to locate it. I’ve read where some use the flight logs, but curious if other methods. If battery is low, then lands... you loose connection with MP correct? My greatest concern as new flyer is loosing MP and not knowing how to locate quickly.

Doug,

There is no reason to ever be in this situation if you don't want to be...that is, looking for a drone that has emergency landed on its way home because the battery has died. As a new flier you should not be operating anywhere near the edge of the operating parameters anyway. It is so easy to not cut it close. One poster on this thread did land it short when the battery ran out but he was intentionally pushing the limits in a remote area and fully aware of the risk of loss.

You can fly two miles out and back and still have 40% battery left...nowhere near the edge. I've flown over 3 million feet (568+ miles) and never had a close call getting home despite the fact that I constantly fly long range. The best insurance against a low battery forced landing is conservative decision making.

Relax and enjoy it in a conservative way. As you learn more your definition of conservative will change and you'll comfortably be doing things that now would scare the bejesus out of you.

 

[LongRifle]

Even if your Mavic is within VLOS and you take your eyes off it to look at your screen you're no longer flying with VLOS. I would argue that it's actually safer to fly while you're looking at the live feed and telemetry data than actually looking at your drone. How many warnings might you have missed (such as RC signal interference/loss imminent) if you were strictly flying VLOS? These machines are capable of unprecedented range. Just because you can't see them all the time doesn't mean you're being unsafe in their use.

 

[Lon Denard]

Great topic for discussion Lon - it is probably on here already but here goes. I have only had my MP for a week so I am the least experienced here but the question is perfect for my situation. I live on a slope and oversee most of the city below including an unpopulated wild area about 1/4 mile from my house that runs miles to the base of our hills. I can see everything for 10 miles or more including any manned aircraft that would be flying in the area (usually Sheriff Helicopters - which do not stay 500 feet or more above ground level.) I did fly mine - even with all of the houses near - over a mile away, obviously beyond VLOS. I can see all manned aircraft with my eyes, people below (few and only on a trail I did not fly over) gimbal down, and at about 250 feet AGL (which was actually below my takeoff point). I know EXACTLY where it is based on the map and camera, but can't actually see the MP. If it was bigger I could. If it was trailing smoke I could, but the profile is just too small... I think it is safe. DJI has restricted their drones to 500 m up (other places allow it but not in the US) but advertise the 4+ mile range. Do you think DJI does a disservice by advertising the distance knowing that in the US it does not follow recreational guidelines even though they are definitely marketing to recreational consumers in the US?

AND they sell their FPV Goggles - - spotter expected but....

Great answer! I thought a good discussion was in order. It's been kinda boring and I haven't gotten in trouble for awhile.

This is one of those debate that I find interesting because both sides are passionate about it. There are literally guys on here that will roast you the very second you post a video over 400' agl. I bump into them on YouTube occasionally. Yet the same guys routinely fly out of vlos. How do they reconcile this? Well one guy said he got a "waiver" so apparently, that suddenly makes it perfectly safe. Another will let all of the hours routine he has or how long he's been flying. So I guess that makes it safe. I've been riding for over 30 years and club raced as well, so I guess it's safe for me to ride at 3x the posted speed limit, right? Cool!

The part that always bothers me is the stated one. Why is it okay for you to fly out of vlos but it's a capitol crime for me to fly at 426' agl? I've been flying for almost a decade and have owned several drones. Why is it okay for you to break the rules and not me? I've never really heard a good answer to that question. So I fly my drone and take the risks that I believe I can handle and I defend the rights of anyone else to do the same.

 

[Wrinkle249]

Great answer! I thought a good discussion was in order. It's been kinda boring and I haven't gotten in trouble for awhile.

This is one of those debate that I find interesting because both sides are passionate about it. There are literally guys on here that will roast you the very second you post a video over 400' agl. I bump into them on YouTube occasionally. Yet the same guys routinely fly out of vlos. How do they reconcile this? Well one guy said he got a "waiver" so apparently, that suddenly makes it perfectly safe. Another will let all of the hours routine he has or how long he's been flying. So I guess that makes it safe. I've been riding for over 30 years and club raced as well, so I guess it's safe for me to ride at 3x the posted speed limit, right? Cool!

The part that always bothers me is the stated one. Why is it okay for you to fly out of vlos but it's a capitol crime for me to fly at 426' agl? I've been flying for almost a decade and have owned several drones. Why is it okay for you to break the rules and not me? I've never really heard a good answer to that question. So I fly my drone and take the risks that I believe I can handle and I defend the rights of anyone else to do the same.

Thanks for responding to that Lon. What about DJI being culpable for advertising the distance knowing it must be out of VLOS? And the Goggles, which, according to some on here, is not VLOS even with a spotter because they do not have control of the craft?

IMO we can extrapolate some of the "what ifs" to get a good opinion. For example what if the non-VLOS (not really BVLOS?) is just on my property, above my house merely to inspect the solar panels on my roof? Seems extremely safe, not putting anyone in danger and obviously will never come in contact with manned aircraft or other unsafe encounters? If we agree that said scenario is "ok" lets zoom out. If I am Ted Turner and own 2 million acres of land and fly below 400' on my property isn't that the same thing? How about flying 10 miles out with spotters along the way? Obviously not VLOS but someone has an eye on it ala the DJI Goggles?

Anyway, I just read some of the long distance guys info and at least one has a flight plan directly over a city - - or at least a suburban area with gridlines showing housing tracks.

Since I am new I will take it cautiously and if I see a manned aircraft where my MP should be I will drop its altitude quickly and do my best to stay away from people on the ground....

 

[Lon Denard]

My main, unbreakable rule is that I avoid flying over people at all costs. Most of my flights are over water, in fact. I won't even take off if a bunch of people are around. Second to that is that even when I operated a drone that had zero NFZ controls and there were no guidelines, I didn't fly near airports.

The guideline that I break on occasion is the altitude limit and of course, I always break VLOS. This thing is too dang small for me to keep track of it. I count on the camera and the map.

DJI is no more culpible for what I do with their products than Suzuki is for the way I ride my bike. Sure they advertise the number of horses and top speed but that doesn't relieve me of the responsibility to follow the rules or deal with the potential consequences.

 

[jdrn418]

I have only every seen people have this kind of issue when controlling the Mavic from inside and not standing out side and pointing the controller in the direction of the Mavic.

As for the question of rang 16800ft is my max flight range and I had no loss of image at all.

I'm impressed with the distance you weee able to get, one question I have were you on a ridge or completely open land I'm in Staten Island and I got close to 12,000 ft at a height of say about 210 agl.and I was ecstatic. I am always trying to push further so congrats to you on distance.

 

[Wrinkle249]

My main, unbreakable rule is that I avoid flying over people at all costs. Most of my flights are over water, in fact. I won't even take off if a bunch of people are around. Second to that is that even when I operated a drone that had zero NFZ controls and there were no guidelines, I didn't fly near airports.

The guideline that I break on occasion is the altitude limit and of course, I always break VLOS. This thing is too dang small for me to keep track of it. I count on the camera and the map.

DJI is no more culpible for what I do with their products than Suzuki is for the way I ride my bike. Sure they advertise the number of hours and to speed but that doesn't relieve me of the responsibility to follow the rules or deal with the potential consequences.

But you are allowed to ride your bike, so they sell you one despite what you do with it. (I ride a Suzuki as well, and rarely look at the speedo) You are not supposed to fly FPV, so they shouldn't sell you something that allows you to? They cannot sell you a device that you can add to your bike to make it ride on a Tesla-like autopilot.... Just throwin' it out there. Distance test this weekend - planning to stay away from people but also WAY away from me (hopefully)

Next research for me is Guidelines vs. Ordinances vs. Laws and fineable offenses....

 

[Lon Denard]

But you are allowed to ride your bike, so they sell you one despite what you do with it. (I ride a Suzuki as well, and rarely look at the speedo) You are not supposed to fly FPV, so they shouldn't sell you something that allows you to? They cannot sell you a device that you can add to your bike to make it ride on a Tesla-like autopilot.... Just throwin' it out there. Distance test this weekend - planning to stay away from people but also WAY away from me (hopefully)

Next research for me is Guidelines vs. Ordinances vs. Laws and fineable offenses....

So them selling you the goggles is the problem? Well selling me a motorcycle that will do 180 in a country that had a top speed limit of 70 mph. Not to mention that they'd happily sell me parts to make it go even faster... I see your point but I will maintain that no company is responsible for how their product is used. Look at the firearms industry.

The guidelines, regulations, laws, etc debate is one I've engaged in many times from either side. It's always interesting how far someone will go to try and prove either side. Hahaha!

Good luck with your distance tests! I've done about 13,000' which is plenty far for me! I rarely go beyond a mile since the point, for me, is to get video of an area or attraction.