Do any of you know ways of making it easier to reacquire visual site of your drone after looking away from it for a bit? Try polarized sunglasses.

[Fizzbang]

It depends on which drone and which app.
I use the direction and attitude indicator along with the map view in the Go4App and the green line on the map indicating the home direction. All the information is there on your devise to allow you to point directly towards the drone, to maximize signal and to know what the drone attitude is.

[Video Removed - unhelpful and promotional - See Rule 11 of Guidelines]

Using all the information in your controller you should be able to bring the drone back to VLOS and of course you can turn on the landing light with the Mavic 2 pro.

 

[RobW01]

Thanks for that link... I haven't been able to find ones with clear windows in the bottom, but haven't spent much time on their website yet, just wanted to come back quickly and say 'thanks'!

Bifocal Ready Sports Sunglasses UK | 1.5 2.0 2.5 Add

UK Brand Rapid Eyewear's bifocal-ready polarised sunglasses are perfect for fishing, driving, cycling etc. Available in different strengths. You can buy them here today

www.rapideyewear.co.uk

Another solution, I use, is the Rudy Project Rydon frame with Sports Reader lenses. They are available in Australia, the UK, the USA and I imagine in most European countries.

 

[lensimages]

Polarizing sunglasses with clear area sounds great, but I would need that in a prescription. I use forward and rearward facing Firehouse strobes. Then I check the orientation and radar view to know the direction to look and check the altitude. I scan that area moving my eyes in small increments staring for a few seconds each time and almost always can pick out my drone. My drone is dark which shows up fine against a bright sky while the strobes are bright against a darker landscape.

Mine in the clear area , because I am short sighted have +2.5 lenses, you give the company your diopter needs and that’s what you get, cheers Len

 

[MavicFlyer2]

I take note of its position relative to objects in the background or DISTANT cloud formations.

I use this method also and it works very good. Also I've added strobe lights to my Mavic 2 Pro.

 

[Kmgcmk]

While shooting a video or taking photos, I noticed it's rather difficult to reacquire visual contact with my drone after looking at my remote monitor video feed for any length of time.

I've improved my ability to re-acquire visual contact by using polarized sunglasses. One day I had some polarized glasses with me. I looked up with my naked eyes, knowing my drone was somewhere just above me, but I couldn't find it. The day was so bright that the drone got lost in the brightness of the sky. I then thought, what would happen if I put my polarized sunglasses on to look for the drone. So, I put them on. I saw the drone almost immediately.

I tried this several times with the glasses on, then off, then on, then off, etc. etc. Every time I couldn't find the drone with my naked eye, I found it with the polarized sunglasses. I guess it reduces the blur around the drone caused by the sky's brightness. The sunglasses make the drone pop, if you will. I can find it almost immediately.

Do any of you have other ways of finding your drones quicker than just using plane eyesight?

I installed a bright orange skin on my drone, and that really helps. I got it from Decalgirl.com. If I still have issues I will turn on the bottom LED light and fly away from myself for a second. The drone will tilt away from you, and flash you with the light. Very easy to spot then, even in bright conditions.

 

[Capt KO]

I set one of my access buttons to satellite map view. You'll quickly know where and how high to look. Once located, return to camera view. Raising the screen to eye level in direction of drone while looking at the map is also helpful. Option 2..RTH

 

[Paul Stocum]

Turning your bottom LED light on and off could help.

 

[jephoto]

I'm another that found putting a white flashing strobe on the bottom of my M2P has solved that problem for me. I have a Firehouse Arc 2 strobe on the bottom for my benefit and a Firehouse Arc V for night flying to mount on the top. There is a company called Aerial-Pixal that makes and sells very nice and light laser printed mounting devices for these strobes to fit various drones.

Where do you attach it on the bottom?

 

[jephoto]

Where do you attach it on the bottom?

The M3 is pretty much the same form factor right?

 

[Dawnvt]

While shooting a video or taking photos, I noticed it's rather difficult to reacquire visual contact with my drone after looking at my remote monitor video feed for any length of time.

I've improved my ability to re-acquire visual contact by using polarized sunglasses. One day I had some polarized glasses with me. I looked up with my naked eyes, knowing my drone was somewhere just above me, but I couldn't find it. The day was so bright that the drone got lost in the brightness of the sky. I then thought, what would happen if I put my polarized sunglasses on to look for the drone. So, I put them on. I saw the drone almost immediately.

I tried this several times with the glasses on, then off, then on, then off, etc. etc. Every time I couldn't find the drone with my naked eye, I found it with the polarized sunglasses. I guess it reduces the blur around the drone caused by the sky's brightness. The sunglasses make the drone pop, if you will. I can find it almost immediately.

Do any of you have other ways of finding your drones quicker than just using plane eyesight?

Hi, I recently turned on the down facing white LED, and it makes it easier to reacquire as I am looking for what triggered the ADS-B notice too pop up on my controller. ( I found the turning it on at about 10ft is easier than 150') Best wishes for VLOS

 

[DARKSeifer]

I never look at the drone unless I need to, like for example during take off to check it's flying OK and during landing, and ofc if I fly close to obstacles, which I rarely do.

I sometimes try to find it in the sky, but just as an exercise, because when I'm flying alone I know that past 150-250m I'm BVLOS anyway. Maybe some day I find someone that enjoys staring at my drone for 30 minutes in exchange of nothing, but haven't found it yet

PS: I was talking during daylight conditions ofc, at night it's impossible not to see that flying christmas tree at more than 2Km.

 

[Galeforce1]

I use photochromic sunglasses from a company called rapideyewear.co.u.k they are polarised but with two oval clear windows in the bottom half of the lenses to enable you to see your remote screen, cheers Len, will find leaflet and post a photo

Which model name do you have?

 

[jimages]

I use this tape on all four arms of the drone, and find it very easy to find again in most lighting conditions, if I can't see it, I just turn the drone very slightly, and will see it move

 

[KurtpH]

Thank you for the info on the glasses. That may help me or my spotter.
Sort of on a related note, but I love taking videos at just over or below tree level. Up in the sky, above the height that I usually fly, the drone is a dot I can follow. but get it several hundred feet away over a pasture at 30 feet up and it becomes almost impossible. Is anyone at any level of our sport working on amending legislation so that VLOS would not apply in a forest, for instance, or below 100 feet, or something logical where it is impossible to interfere with aircraft? Or am I just hoping for too much? This especially applies to having a person working with you trying to follow the drone if you are wearing goggles with an FPV. The instant they can't see it, but you know you are in or under trees, you are technically in violation but you have to come home at the same height as you can't zip up into the branches. Sigh.

 

[Don Testme]

I use this tape on all four arms of the drone, and find it very easy to find again in most lighting conditions, if I can't see it, I just turn the drone very slightly, and will see it move


View attachment 157350

That's a great idea. Reflective tape. I suppose if you started rotating the drone on a bright day, the light would glint off. Is it a truly reflective tape you are using, or mor like a gloss laser etched tape? I wonder if actuall reflector tape might work.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

That's pure holographic tape, and yes, it does shine well in sunlight, even bright cloudy type light it's not too bad.
Also as it's used as a bird deterrent0( vineyards and crop growers use tape like this to scare off birds), you can get an extra benefit.

 

[jimages]

That's a great idea. Reflective tape. I suppose if you started rotating the drone on a bright day, the light would glint off. Is it a truly reflective tape you are using, or mor like a gloss laser etched tape? I wonder if actuall reflector tape might work.

I tried truly reflective tape, but the laser etched tape is far better