Flying from inside the car

[Capt KO]

Wow that was fun. Thank you dirkclod and Coal for the heads up. Just got an Air2 and was hoping I could fly from inside my truck. Been using a spare 300F remote that has a roof top antenna (P4s) because of worry about interference. Time to try it again without. Also love your videos that always include water. Waterbabies I guess, just born that way.

 

[cgmaxed]

Just change the antenna(s) to an SMA connector type or some other, use appropriately gauged cable and stick the antenna on the roof of the vehicle. Yeah, it costs a little and you'd have to modify the transmitter, but it works significantly better than trying to send and receive signals through glass and metal. Fly too far and the drone will lose signal and come home when in your car. That's my experience anyway. Or, you can ask a friend to drive, while you follow your drone in the passenger seat, staying in vlos and close to the drone . Just keep the drone to the side of the road away from traffic. Fun Fun.

 

[Rana Jehanzeb]

I use to fly Mavic 2 Pro from inside car and it shows low signal error after 1300+ meters... lowering down window resolves signal issue but never took further than 1500 meters...

 

[tlswift58]

Hi! Sometime its "impossible" to view the Ipad screen camera view or the map in the bright light outside the car even with a sunshade. Does it "harm" the signal very much if I sit in the car and point the RC direct to the Mini2 thru the windscreen? I never fly more far away than 5-600m.

I've got a Toyota 4Runner and if I need some shade, I pop the back hatch and a nice covered area with a window too. Never had an issue flying my drone from back there. Also done it a couple of times from seats with door open - same results.

 

[tlswift58]

ATW, Well, you can't see the drone even if you are more than 200 meter away but the question is why you lost the signal? I don't need to see it as I fly with the cam and map.
Did you lose the signal due to the windscreen?? Was it both telemetry and video?

Does not CE / Sweden have VLOS rules? Asking for a friend?

 

[photo2be]

Does not CE / Sweden have VLOS rules? Asking for a frWe are NOT allowed to fly NOT seeing the drone if we dont have all permitts required.

We are under the EU laws. WE are not allowed to fly if we dont see it with our own naked eyes!

 

[SkiProiii]

Personally I would not do it, and would not recommend to other pilots to pilot a drone from inside a vehicle as a best practice for the reasons @Chrislaf notes. I live in Canada too, so I get the attraction of being in a vehicle. I'm not passing judgement on anyone here that does either, just offering food for thought on the chat.

From a perception point of view, I only pilot where I have full visual of the site, where people can see me and I can see them and want to be seen as being accessible to anyone so they know who the pilot is, so I can answer any concerns and questions. I encourage bystanders to ask questions, engage them and promote that I'm just flying, not spying. I think this is a best practice for accountability and promoting transparency on a flight and drones generally.

From an operational point of view, pilots are responsible for their aircraft and safe operation to ensure public safety, including privacy in Canada. That means we need full site situational awareness - full VLOS and audio capabilities. We know metal does affect the control link signals too. We know to use the newer technology warnings as a supplement to situational awareness, but not rely solely upon it - technology does fail. Every pilot has a crash story - if not yet, it will come.

So, if I ever have a situation where a person, property or a manned aircraft was affected by a drone I was piloting, and police were called, or my insurer or (heaven forbid) a judge looked at the facts of the situation, I could say I was fully present, and I did all I reasonably could as the pilot to avoid the accident.

The issue in my mind is a pilot would lose that supportive argument in piloting from inside a vehicle. To what degree would be the question and open to conjecture.

 

[Capt KO]

Like some others here, I mostly fly over water anyhow so congestion is not a problem. VLOS is my main concern... and a good RTH location. I don't fly far as can't even see it at 1/2 mi without binoculars so shouldn't lose connection. Time to go try it, C ya.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Personally I would not do it, and would not recommend to other pilots to pilot a drone from inside a vehicle as a best practice for the reasons @Chrislaf notes. I live in Canada too, so I get the attraction of being in a vehicle. I'm not passing judgement on anyone here that does either, just offering food for thought on the chat.

From a perception point of view, I only pilot where I have full visual of the site, where people can see me and I can see them and want to be seen as being accessible to anyone so they know who the pilot is, so I can answer any concerns and questions. I encourage bystanders to ask questions, engage them and promote that I'm just flying, not spying. I think this is a best practice for accountability and promoting transparency on a flight and drones generally.

From an operational point of view, pilots are responsible for their aircraft and safe operation to ensure public safety, including privacy in Canada. That means we need full site situational awareness - full VLOS and audio capabilities. We know metal does affect the control link signals too. We know to use the newer technology warnings as a supplement to situational awareness, but not rely solely upon it - technology does fail. Every pilot has a crash story - if not yet, it will come.

So, if I ever have a situation where a person, property or a manned aircraft was affected by a drone I was piloting, and police were called, or my insurer or (heaven forbid) a judge looked at the facts of the situation, I could say I was fully present, and I did all I reasonably could as the pilot to avoid the accident.

The issue in my mind is a pilot would lose that supportive argument in piloting from inside a vehicle. To what degree would be the question and open to conjecture.

im not sure how you have full situational awareness while entertaining bystanders asking questions or being accessible to anyone ?

I have gathered a crowd of 25 and it was mayhem, dogs, strollers, babies crying, wind, sand, bikes, even people knocking into me.

As far as if you injure someone having a supportive argument will not matter if your breaking the law and flying over people.

If you do crash into a car in parking lot your going to pay for damages , no supportive argument needed really.

Flying from inside the car does not mean you do not have Visual Line of sight.
and you could say your were fully present with no distractions .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain and Land on Water.

 

[photo2be]

im not sure how you have full situational awareness while entertaining bystanders asking questions or being accessible to anyone ?

I have gathered a crowd of 25 and it was mayhem, dogs, strollers, babies crying, wind, sand, bikes, even people knocking into me.

As far as if you injure someone having a supportive argument will not matter if your breaking the law and flying over people.

If you do crash into a car in parking lot your going to pay for damages , no supportive argument needed really.

Flying from inside the car does not mean you do not have Visual Line of sight.
and you could say your were fully present with no distractions .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain and Land on Water.

I started this thread and my ONLY question was if its technically possible to fly from inside the car thru the windscreen.
Thanx all of you who has answered and explained to me that it's possible.

 

[dirkclod]

I started this thread and my ONLY question was if its technically possible to fly from inside the car thru the windscreen.
Thanx all of you who has answered and explained to me that it's possible.

Sometimes here or a lot really you get way more than than you ask.
But as you see there are alot of variables . All you can do now is find a good spot and see what you can get in your location.
Good luck. ?

 

[SkiProiii]

im not sure how you have full situational awareness while entertaining bystanders asking questions or being accessible to anyone ?

I have gathered a crowd of 25 and it was mayhem, dogs, strollers, babies crying, wind, sand, bikes, even people knocking into me.

As far as if you injure someone having a supportive argument will not matter if your breaking the law and flying over people.

If you do crash into a car in parking lot your going to pay for damages , no supportive argument needed really.

Flying from inside the car does not mean you do not have Visual Line of sight.
and you could say your were fully present with no distractions .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain and Land on Water.

I started this thread and my ONLY question was if its technically possible to fly from inside the car thru the windscreen.
Thanx all of you who has answered and explained to me that it's possible.

Sometimes here or a lot really you get way more than than you ask.
But as you see there are alot of variables . All you can do now is find a good spot and see what you can get in your location.
Good luck. ?

That's what chat boards are for - open conversation and sharing of views! Asking if it can be done will undoubtedly open up the question should it be done, which is great in my view. I like to read other opinions.

Testing the limitations of your drone in a safe environment is encouraged as you will find the limits with experience the best of teachers too. DJI makes a great product and improves on it constantly. While small changes, the Mini 2 is a much more capable machine over the Mini.

Ultimately it is up to the pilot (licensed or not) to decide what is, or isn't, a good idea, to comply with the regulations and laws where you fly, and to keep yourself and others safe while you fly your drones.

Happy flying!

 

[rnwinn]

Hi! Sometime its "impossible" to view the Ipad screen camera view or the map in the bright light outside the car even with a sunshade. Does it "harm" the signal very much if I sit in the car and point the RC direct to the Mini2 thru the windscreen? I never fly more far away than 5-600m.

As an alternative to flying inside a car or truck, why not try a sun hood that is large enough for you tablet. Here is an example:

PGYTECH SUN HOOD PRO FOR TABLETS (7.9 INCH) | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PGYTECH SUN HOOD PRO FOR TABLETS (7.9 INCH) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[photo2be]

As an alternative to flying inside a car or truck, why not try a sun hood that is large enough for you tablet. Here is an example:

PGYTECH SUN HOOD PRO FOR TABLETS (7.9 INCH) | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PGYTECH SUN HOOD PRO FOR TABLETS (7.9 INCH) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Sorry, it doesn't work regardless how you position to yourself, you'll see your face mirrored in the Ipad screen.

 

[EyesWideShut]

Sorry, it doesn't work regardless how you position to yourself, you'll see your face mirrored in the Ipad screen.

I've found that a matte non-glare protective screen layer really makes the difference and I don't need my hood. The contrast and image quality of the image is slightly lower but the glare and reflection is gone so I can see the screen. I prefer to see the screen and don't really care about a little less contrast etc. for flying.

Make sure the screen protector is Matte or Anti or Non-Glare like this one - Screen Protector at Amazon.ca

 

[Remote Pilots Australia]

Well, just to address the question as asked and not the legalities or procedural points. Essentially if you are in a car you are sitting in imperfect but undeniable faraday cage

Faraday cage - Wikipedia.

It *is* without doubt going to diminish the strength of the signal in both directions. How much that amounts to in practice and whether it presents a danger I guess is something you'll have to test in your own particular circumstances.

Regards

Ari

 

[sigi.stiemer]

Sorry < I was not aware that it is illegal to fly from inside your Car in Canada, that is new to me. I will need to confirm this so I Don't recommend this to anyone from Canada. But in the USA were legal.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the RAIN and LAND on the Waves.

Canadians are boring. They need to learn the rules laid out by Transport Canada in order to pass the drone pilots exam. Most (if not all) of the rules make sense, and I do not feel restricted by adhering to them, rather than guided by the embedded experience.
If one cares about one's fellow citizens, one tries to fly safely. If it is too cold or wet outside the car for you - stay at home and play a video game!

 

[skycam509]

I've flown from my car without any issues as long as I keep the controller in LOS with the drone.

That aside, let's get back to the iPad... What iPad do you have? I was using an iPad Mini 4 with my M2P, and it worked great in the sun. I would usually stand so that my body put shade on the screen, but even in direct sunlight it is usable for me. Just make sure your screen brightness is all the way up.

When I got my MA2 and the iPad Mini 4 was struggling to keep up with the software, I bought an iPad Mini 5. It works great, too, but to get full screen brightness you have to turn off "True Tone" mode. I hope this helps!

 

[John Locke]

From a perception point of view, I only pilot where I have full visual of the site, where people can see me and I can see them and want to be seen as being accessible to anyone so they know who the pilot is, so I can answer any concerns and questions. I encourage bystanders to ask questions, engage them and promote that I'm just flying, not spying. I think this is a best practice for accountability and promoting transparency on a flight and drones generally.

To each his own. I'm totally opposite. I purposely fly stealth so nobody can see me or approach me, which would take my attention away from flying, increasing risk. I want no distractions while I have fun flying, framing my shots, and navigating around my POI. Flying from inside a car/truck is one way to fly stealth, and I do it occasionally, usually when I'm around a lot of people and there's no cover anywhere else to get shade or privacy. If it's really hot outside, say above 95F and bright sun (such as the desert), I'll fly from inside my car/truck with my air conditioning running, windows closed.

Although I've never had an altercation with the public, I know there are ignorant Karens out there that I don't want to meet. I think flying stealth mode has helped prevent such encounters. So flying stealth is my secret to peace. If someone can't see me flying, they can't get mad a anyone for what they think is a violation of code, when it's not.

 

[TS_Thomas02]

Hi! Sometime its "impossible" to view the Ipad screen camera view or the map in the bright light outside the car even with a sunshade. Does it "harm" the signal very much if I sit in the car and point the RC direct to the Mini2 thru the windscreen? I never fly more far away than 5-600m.