Flying out of line of sight

[Robbie-O]

Newbie here with a newbie question.

How comfortable are you flying your Mavic out of your direct line of sight and how many flights did it take you to start venturing farther?

On the whole, this little drone seems relatively straightforward to fly if you're taking it easy and focusing on image capture. But I feel like it'll be a while before I send it out a mile or more.

Any tips for safely operating at a distance? One YouTuber recommended staying behind the vector of a longer flight so you can more easily scan for obstructions.

 

[Former Member]

If youre going to do that, #1 is to have a good liability, drone damage, and loss policy (most times 3 different policies). Refresh, State Farm (or the like) and AMA. Also a Marco Polo or Trackimo device in case it goes down.

Looks like youre in London, so whatever the British equivalent of drone damage policy and model aviators insurance.

 

[newnan3]

I dont send my MP out much further than LOS. If its beyond me being able to run over to it in the area it could potentially go down I dont fly there. That said I do have insurance now and I have flown it over water but flying it miles away from me isnt something I would do.

I started flying racing quads and you just dont fly them too far away so maybe just a habit i cant break....

 

[Strafe1]

Firstly, know that flying beyond line of site is not legal in the US. Having said that, make sure your RC has direct line of sight to the AC, no obstructions. Be sure your airspace is relatively free of potential aircraft and there is no danger below your flight path. Consider your wind and direction, and favor a tail wind on your return vector. Consider the possibility of losing connection with your app and be ready to be able to fly by watching distance changes on the RC itself. This likely won't happen, but the more prepared you are the less nervous you would be. Plan on landing with at least 30% battery, don't push it. As always, be sure your RTH settings are sufficient.
It took me about 5-10 flights to be comfortable taking it out beyond a couple hundred feet. Now I trust it completely and have no fear at all. Fly safe!

 

[Doecliff]

Firstly, know that flying beyond line of site is not legal in the US. Having said that, make sure your RC has direct line of sight to the AC, no obstructions. Be sure your airspace is relatively free of potential aircraft and there is no danger below your flight path. Consider your wind and direction, and favor a tail wind on your return vector. Consider the possibility of losing connection with your app and be ready to be able to fly by watching distance changes on the RC itself. This likely won't happen, but the more prepared you are the less nervous you would be. Plan on landing with at least 30% battery, don't push it. As always, be sure your RTH settings are sufficient.

Yeah, what he said. I still haven't done it but it may happen one day. When it does I will be out in the country so I can go look for it if I do lose it rather than have it crash in someone's backyard. I have to admit I am impressed with the you tube videos of guys taking them out to their limit and barely making it back. That's not what I'm really into but its nice to know I have that option.

 

[dewster]

It's no different than flying a few feet except that you don't have the required visual on your craft. One of my concerns is recoverability of the craft if it went down. I flew over mile of open marsh to capture an image of a train bridge.

 

[Former Member]

I have to admit I am impressed with the you tube videos of guys taking them out to their limit and barely making it back. That's not what I'm really into but its nice to know I have that option.

Let me know in advance when want to try this, and I'll make sure Im in my bunker.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

Newbie here with a newbie question.

How comfortable are you flying your Mavic out of your direct line of sight and how many flights did it take you to start venturing farther?

On the whole, this little drone seems relatively straightforward to fly if you're taking it easy and focusing on image capture. But I feel like it'll be a while before I send it out a mile or more.

Any tips for safely operating at a distance? One YouTuber recommended staying behind the vector of a longer flight so you can more easily scan for obstructions.

Sigh. I saw your post indicating that the fact your DJI Go app informed you that you were operating illegally in controlled airspace "knocked your confidence", now not 5 minutes later you can't wait to break another rule by flying this thing without being able to see and avoid conflicting traffic over the enormous metropolis jam-packed with low-level heli traffic and airports in which you live.

 

[Ryans01]

I fly mine out of sight all the time, I just keep it high enough to clear obstacles. The whole line of sight reference is worded badly. I can see the moon, so I use that as line of sight.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

I fly mine out of sight all the time, I just keep it high enough to clear obstacles. The whole line of sight reference is worded badly. I can see the moon, so I use that as line of sight.

Do you keep it high enough to avoid helicopters and aeroplanes? Good for you.

 

[JustinVV]

I dont believe anyone with a Mavic can keep in LOS all the time. I often, nearly always fly it POV, as after a few 100 meters i lose sight of it. I have to look at the screen to frame the video anyway, set up flight, settings etc. Nearly all of the posted video would have been obtained POV. I fly up to a few kms away.

I wouldnt go Kms away in the city or where I dont have good access, and there are people etc, but out in the bush, or on my own farm, I do it all the time. If I am flying in close proximity, ie videoing rock climbers or close to a structure, I then try and fly in sight as I dont want to hit anything or any body.

 

[JustinVV]

Do you keep it high enough to avoid helicopters and aeroplanes? Good for you.

if you are flying below 400 feet, and not in take off and landing zone, why would other aircraft be an issue?? maybe another drone I guess.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

if you are flying below 400 feet, and not in take off and landing zone, why would other aircraft be an issue?? maybe another drone I guess.

London is jam packed full of heli traffic operating quite legally and safely below 400ft inside controlled airspace where they have every reason to expect not to meet an uncleared, unannounced aircraft being operated by someone who doesn't know or doesn't care about the law.

That's not to mention the many aircraft on approach to land, or in the process of taking off, who also have quite legitimate reason to be there below 400ft

 

[JustinVV]

London is jam packed full of heli traffic operating quite legally and safely below 400ft inside controlled airspace where they have every reason to expect not to meet an uncleared, unannounced aircraft being operated by someone who doesn't know or doesn't care about the law.

That's not to mention the many aircraft on approach to land, or in the process of taking off, who also have quite legitimate reason to be there below 400ft

I was more talking about city that doesnt have heavy traffic ie the suburbs. In your case you would have to be careful or keep the drone well out of their way. It would be the same here. You wouldn't operate around places that have choppers landing and taking off. Its common sense. I dont even bother playing around in those areas, its just not that much fun having to worry about keeping out the way.

 

[Grungymike95]

Newbie here with a newbie question.

How comfortable are you flying your Mavic out of your direct line of sight and how many flights did it take you to start venturing farther?

On the whole, this little drone seems relatively straightforward to fly if you're taking it easy and focusing on image capture. But I feel like it'll be a while before I send it out a mile or more.

Any tips for safely operating at a distance? One YouTuber recommended staying behind the vector of a longer flight so you can more easily scan for obstructions.

Coming from a dude who lost his drone while flying out of sight, my lessons were;
1. NEVER fly your drone behind tall buildings.
2. Always set RTH at least 20-30 meters above the highest objects around you.
3. If you ever get warnings, take them serious. (Weak signal, strong interference, high wind, etc)
4. Avoid flying in residential areas/crowded cities.
5. Invest in a tracking device.

 

[aringhof]

One could make the argument that I know exactly where my drone is and that I have complete control over it, even if I can't see it. Those "Line of Sight" rules were written when most drones didn't have real time visual feedback on my cell phone at all times.

 

[JustinVV]

One could make the argument that I know exactly where my drone is and as have complete control over it, even if I can't see it. Those "Line of Site" rules were written when most drones didn't have real time visual feedback on my cell phone at all times.

This is DJI, I dont think you even have complete control over your drone, even when LOS. There is no real redundancy built in and they often seem to decide to do their own thing.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

One could make the argument that I know exactly where my drone is and as have complete control over it, even if I can't see it. Those "Line of Site" rules were written when most drones didn't have real time visual feedback on my cell phone at all times.

No they weren't, they were written so you could see and avoid conflicting traffic.

 

[Owen Manderfield]

I live on the outskirts of London luckily by some greenbelt land that I use for practising. It's fields surrounded by trees so keeping LOS only works for the first 500m or so unless you climb high.

Even here helicopters & light aircraft often fly over. But you dont need LOS to avoid them you can hear them when they are over a mile away. Just drop down low until they pass. Even the police search helicopters don't search below tree level - I've never had to yet but be prepared in case you do. Always know where your drone is relative to you so you can judge if there is a potential issue. If in doubt duck down low - land if you have to.

As for flying over houses and parks in London - there are just too many people about. It only takes a single prop fail, motor os software glitch to send the Mavic to the ground. I don't do it - I would rather drive somewhere more secluded.

As for flying out of LOS in the country? I do it all the time happily flying a mile or so away. To be honest I cant see the drone at any sort of distance most of the time as its so small. I rely on the video feed and maps. But I do try and scout the area first on Google maps and driving by looking for power lines etc. Or places I might be invading privacy without knowing.

As for losing the drone when flying a mile away? Yes it does worry me and I'm tempted by a tracker. To me its worth the risk to get the shot. But when the signal breaks up (and cant be restored by moving or arial alignment) I come back into range.

Occasionally I have had to fly over houses to get to a location - where I do, I fly high to avoid being noticed or anoy anybody and try to keep over gardens rather than buildings or roads - just in case. Insurance is a must.

When flying at distance I can echo precious posters. Set your RTH height correctly and watch the headwind for getting back home. If in doubt , err on the side of caution and fly another day.

But don't fear it - get out there and explore!

 

[Chris.K]

My first flight was LOS. Every subsequent flight was outside line of sight. Do what your comfortable doing while maintaining a sensible attitude to where you fly it considering the safety of other people.

The LOS wording is about limiting liability. Why would they build an RC with a huge range and then say maintain line of sight ? Maybe I'm just old but I can't see the thing from a km away even when there isn't a single obstacle in my path.

I fly it over the bush, around lakes and rivers, down cliff faces and around the sea. Pretty much everywhere I fly it I can only see it for the first couple of hundred meters. If I lose it, I lose it. That's life, I'm ok with taking that risk. If you're afraid of not being able to recover it, I can totally understand that as well. It's not a cheap toy.