Don't laugh... noob question

[rjwmorrell]

I want to attempt to film some local terrain features (awesome rockfaces on an escarpment). The features are located on conservation authority land, from which drone operations are generally not allowed.

I can get "close" sort of, about 500m away, from public roads. The route in and out is direct and I can maintain VLOS. I want to attempt this with an Air 2S and other than overflying private property (farms, houses) it should be a piece of cake on a day with low winds.

So my noob question is this: is this a realistic distance for a flight mission, and what overall risk level would experienced pilots put this at? It's farther than I've flown before. I'm using the basic controller, and I'm sure the range is fine, but I'm nervous because I lost connectivity with my Mini SE the first day out after going about 150m and flying it behind the tops of some trees.

Any special considerations I should think about that maybe I haven't considered?

Context: Canadian location (Mt Nemo, Rattlesnake Point in Halton Region, Ontario), I am Basic RPAS pilot certified and this falls within basic operations in Class G airspace.

Thanks!

 

[Jagerbomb52]

As long as you are taking off and landing on public land and you can have VLOS with the Air 2S this should not be a problem. I would make sure you know the area well so you don't run into obstacles such as trees. Remember having VLOS also means being able to control your drone just not being able to see it.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

I over fly a provincial park from my deck. It is 1800 feet to the where I take video and photos. The problem comes in at about 1000 feet if I am just above the tree line. It gets hard to keep VLOS so I have to make sure I am up high enough to see my drone. This is a Air 2S. 1800 feet is pushing it I admit but it can be done.

 

[rjwmorrell]

Ok, thanks. That's reassuring... I am looking at about 1600 feet of transit from launch to shoot, at max. speed in N mode that's about 33 seconds one way, so a minute of transit time total with no wind. Assuming I can maintain VLOS and the connection is stable, this gives me plenty of time to film the terrain features.

Thanks again!

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Something else I forgot to mention. I also run these on my Air 2S. Even during daylight hours they will help you spot your drone.

STROBON Cree® Standalone

This product is compatible with the latest FAA and CAA anti-collision lights rules for drones. It can be seen from at least 3 miles at night. Strobon Cree® Standalone is the brightest navigation strobe solution for enclosed drones like: DJI (Phantom, Inspire, Mavic, Spark, Mavic Air, Mavic...

store.flytron.com

 

[rjwmorrell]

Thanks!

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

My eyes are not what they were and with a Mavic Mini, against a good background, the absolute limit of my VLOS is around 600m, over water. I imagine it would be more with the Air2s.
Points to take into consideration,
1) ensure the failsafe action is RTH, it should be if you have not changed it.
2) Be sure to set an adequate RTH height. If, as you are flying, you decide it needs changing then you can change it with the drone in flight BUT you CAN NOT change it whilst the drone is actually doing an RTH.
DO NOT set a needlessly high RTH, the un-needed climb and descent waste power as well as risking putting the drone up into stronger winds, I aim to clear an obstacle by around 10m.
3) Do not fly the outbound flight downwind if that wind is strong.
4) DO NOT ignore or cancel the low battery RTH, there are several recent threads where this has been done and the owners are now down one drone. It's better to have the drone return and land with battery to spare rather than to push the boundary and lose the drone ....and all the imagery on it.
5) Remember legal height limits are likely to be with respect to the ground directly beneath the drone, NOT the tree tops and those height limits should be complied with during both the outbound and inbound flights.
On that score and bearing in mind your location, have a read of Surprise battery failure & crash -- OR anatomy of a crash! and the article it links to, bear in mind the last post is by the author of that article.

One point, if something does go wrong and the drone goes down it might be trepass for you to recover it or the land owner's etc might consider it as such.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Our law in Canada states:
Note: if a drone lands or crashes on your land for any reason, even though it would technically be considered ‘trespassing’, you are legally obliged to return the drone to its owner. Refusal to return the drone to its lawful owner could result in criminal charges or a civil lawsuit being brought against you.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Good to know. One hurdle cleared out of the way.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Good to know. One hurdle cleared out of the way.

Here is a little more on the subject of trespass:
Trespass
Every intrusion upon the land of another person without permission constitutes a trespass. Therefore, a drone taking off, landing, or crashing on your land without permission is trespass. Landowners have the right to sue for trespass even where they suffer no actual damage.

On the other hand, landowners do not have an absolute right to control all of the airspace above their property. A landowner’s right to control the airspace above their property is limited to a height that is necessary for the ordinary use and enjoyment of the land and the structures upon it. As such, a drone flying over land at a height sufficient to avoid crashing into structures, clotheslines, trees, etc., is unlikely to be considered a trespass violation.

So even if his drone crashes on private property the land owner would really have to prove a trespass has happened.

Privacy
All RPAS drone pilots must respect the privacy rights of others and follow the Transport Canada 'Privacy Guidelines for Drone Users

 

[DARKSeifer]

That remembers me of my first flight, 200m away and I thought that was far

You can reach 500m (VLOS limit in most countries) without even pointing the controller to the drone, all DJI drones that are OS can work at 2-4Km with direct line of sight without any problem, even the Mini 2 both in CE and FCC.

The problems you'll have are rule related, not hardware related.

The most important thing is to choose a good take off point (3-5m radious without obstacles, so the drone can come back and land by it's own if necessary) and put the RTH at max legal altitude. It doesn't cost much battery to climb and is full of people that lost their drones because the RTH was set lower than obstacles. Also, the sooner it gets high, the sooner you'll regain connection.

Also, wait for satellites, never take off without full GPS signal.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

OS = ocusync = a method of communication/encoding-information or something like that.

 

[KB9Radio]

Make sure you have your RTH set correctly, and high enough to easily clear the trees. Wait on takeoff for solid strong GPS location lock, so the return to home can work correctly if it needs to.

 

[Zbip57]

And post a link to the video when you're done. Would love to see it. Rattlesnake Point is a very scenic location. But it's a dangerous distraction to even try to glance at the escarpment bluffs while passing by on Hwy 401, as the steep incline on the highway there always seems to bring out the crazies in the traffic trying especially hard to kill you right there.

 

[Chaosrider]

I want to attempt to film some local terrain features (awesome rockfaces on an escarpment). The features are located on conservation authority land, from which drone operations are generally not allowed.

I can get "close" sort of, about 500m away, from public roads. The route in and out is direct and I can maintain VLOS. I want to attempt this with an Air 2S and other than overflying private property (farms, houses) it should be a piece of cake on a day with low winds.

So my noob question is this: is this a realistic distance for a flight mission, and what overall risk level would experienced pilots put this at? It's farther than I've flown before. I'm using the basic controller, and I'm sure the range is fine, but I'm nervous because I lost connectivity with my Mini SE the first day out after going about 150m and flying it behind the tops of some trees.

Any special considerations I should think about that maybe I haven't considered?

Context: Canadian location (Mt Nemo, Rattlesnake Point in Halton Region, Ontario), I am Basic RPAS pilot certified and this falls within basic operations in Class G airspace.

Thanks!

I have some experience that may be directly relevant. I own a Mini-SE, and I fly from one wall of a canyon, where I live, to the other wall of the canyon. I shot this video with my Mini-SE:

TCS SE Rocks.mp4

drive.google.com

This was just a Q&D edit, so pleaser forgive that.

My Mini-SE is named Exocomp, and I regularly fly him 1000 meters away. If you want to actually see a Mini-SE at that distance, I strongly advise you to put an Arc V strobe on it. I mount all the strobes on my 5 Minis on the back of the battery cover. Except for my "VLOS Testbed" Mini-2, Phoenix. Phoenix has a second Arc V mounted on the belly.

but I'm nervous because I lost connectivity with my Mini SE the first day out after going about 150m and flying it behind the tops of some trees.

This is the key to your Mini-SE connectivity problem...don't fly behind trees!



The key to maintaining signal at a distance is to fly as high as you legally can. I regularly fly the Mini-SE at over 300 meters ATL...Above Takeoff Level. I do this entirely legally by always remaining within 400 ft AGL. I do that by flying in the 400 ft AGL "blanket" that crawls up the canyon wall on the other side.

Anyway, if I can do this with a Mini-SE, it should be a piece of cake with an Air 2S.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

[Chaosrider]

I should also mention that anybody who likes to film rock formations is OK in my book!

 

[rjwmorrell]

Thanks, and nice video! I have a little more confidence now, and will probably attempt it on a low/no-wind day with the Air 2S. I'll post a link to the video when I do.

 

[MaximusCZ]

if his drone crashes on private property the land owner would really have to prove a trespass has happened.

pardon me, but wouldn't trespass happen the moment the drone crashes on the property?

 

[Jagerbomb52]

pardon me, but wouldn't trespass happen the moment the drone crashes on the property?

Depends
Not in Canada, law states land owner needs to prove trespass. Not easy to do. Think about a maned airplane crashing on your property. Is it trespassing or a crash site? Drones in Canada are considered aircrafts. Now if the pilot was being a nuisance and the land owner can prove it then yes it might be considered trespass.
Nuisance refers to a substantial interference with a person’s use or enjoyment of land. In determining what constitutes nuisance, there is no bright-line rule regarding how many times a drone must fly over property, or how low to the ground, or how loud the drone is. Currently, there is no reported decisions by a Canadian court of law in which a drone has been found to constitute a nuisance.

However, if you believe a drone is 'interfering with the use and enjoyment of your land', the best course of action is to ask the drone operator if they can conduct their drone flight at another time that is more convenient to you.

 

[MaximusCZ]

Think about a maned airplane crashing on your property.

You got me there, that would truly be something to cry trespass after a pilot crashes on your property Thanks for clarification.