Flying out of line of sight

[Robbie-O]

So I got out to Richmond Park Flying Field today which, interestingly enough, is both sanctioned for drone usage AND causes my remote to flash a Class D warning. London. Go figure.

Today was a pretty good test despite imperfect weather conditions. Gusts were up to 19mph, which made me nervous enough not to fly my batteries below 40%. The drone was a bit fluttery but handled the wind as well as could be expected. Camera seemed pretty smooth however; a nice surprise.

I tested active track, gesture, sport mode and a handful of functions before getting into practicing some shooting techniques. There's just so much to think about. A pre-flight checklist is definitely going to make its way into my bag. Anyone have one they'd like to share?

Returning to the point, it was a cloudy day and when I wanted to get some shots of a nearby pond, the drone left LOS for the first time. So I paused, looked down at my DJI Go screen and began getting comfortable operating it from there. This was when the real fun began. A bit of drama with the gusts and one or two decent shots, but nothing to write home about. I got a compass warning on the third battery and tested the RTH function, as she was a ways out by that point. Good enough for one day. May invest in some landing gear extensions to reduce grass carnage.

Really amazing this little gadget. How far technology has come. My buddy was telling me about his TV marketing days when he'd have to hire helicopters to do what the MP does...

 

[BmrUpInTheSky]

Took me about 5 flights before I just sat in my backyard while I flew around my entire subdivision. About 3000ft feet away with no LOS. Now that's the only way I fly.

 

[1TechLife_Guru]

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.

I've flown mine a little over a mile in Philadelphia. About 170 feet up and straight out till it looks like an ant.

 

[mastermind]

I flew mine about 1.5 miles away out of sight and out of connection from rc using autopilot app. I had too mich interference from buildings between me and ac that i knew i couldnt keep connection. But the mavic performed its mission fine 1.5 miles away and came back about 10 mins later and auto reconnected. I wasn't in the US when doing so.

 

[Fadelight]

The OP is not in the US, so it doesn't matter too much... but I really wish the FAA would clarify LOS. If you read that as literally "I can see the drone", you can go out of LOS in 15' or less with no obstacles anywhere around you. I had this happen to me the other day. I was flying in a field at a farm next to my house. The drone was about 40' away from me and 35' in the air, and I could see it crystal clear. I lowered it to 20' and as soon as it dropped below the tree line that was behind it, I lost sight of it. It blends in far too well with too many different colors.

I thought about skinning it, but the issue with that is - If I choose a light color, I'll lose it faster when its flying higher up with a sky backdrop. If I choose a dark color, I lose it when I am flying near the ground with a tree and mountain backdrop.

 

[Roc Rat]

My personal rule I never fly out of LOS in a high density area like in town or suburbs. But when in the Colo mountains I pick a high point and send it off into the "wild blue yonder".

 

[Fletcher500]

View attachment 12234 I tested active track, gesture, sport mode and a handful of functions before getting into practicing some shooting techniques. There's just so much to think about. A pre-flight checklist is definitely going to make its way into my bag. Anyone have one they'd like to share?

Really amazing this little gadget. How far technology has come. My buddy was telling me about his TV marketing days when he'd have to hire helicopters to do what the MP does...

There are quite a few preflight checklists on here. Here is a link: Search Results for Query: checklist | DJI Mavic Drone Forum

Agree, they are amazing little gadgets. Due to a bad back and knees, I am no longer able to surf. Taking it over the water and filming has been a lot of fun.

 

[MAVA4]

Sometimes, mine goes beyond LOS. Have done 10,000+ ft and back across a river.... Once you get comfy, the Mavic is amazing.

 

[nodnyl1904]

In the UK you can fly FPV up to an altitude of 1000ft, yes 1000ft as long as you use a spotter. Proviso the spotter can see the drone.

Really? Where does it say that?

 

[bucefalo]

I flew mine about 1.5 miles away out of sight and out of connection from rc using autopilot app. I had too mich interference from buildings between me and ac that i knew i couldnt keep connection. But the mavic performed its mission fine 1.5 miles away and came back about 10 mins later and auto reconnected. I wasn't in the US when doing so.

you know.. I tried yesterday a litchi mission where I could have lost RC signal(didn't happen) and I was having a heart attack ahaha.. can't imagine 10mins without rc /video feed [emoji32][emoji32][emoji32][emoji111]️[emoji111]️[emoji111]️

 

[thomas withers]

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.

Dont worry about that,,,ive had mine miles away and at times lost signal and it came home, I did it just to see if they wouldwork and they all did..,I have other dji quads and all return,,,when comming home you will regain signal...I love all them

 

[seadog]

Myself I like flying over the ocean or coastline (water side) Only the fish have to worry.

 

[mark_t]

Really? Where does it say that?

Right here: http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/1226.pdf

 

[Mavic22704]

Once I started flying with goggles I have never hit anything, crashed, or even broke a prop. Control is so much better when you feel you are inside it and the screen is large enough to see small limbs and power lines easily. To me the most dangerous flying would be line of sight where its hard to judge distance. I hit a light pole one time with a rc helicopter because of the problem. Next most dangerous would be using a small phone where you have a tiny screen and cant see detail. I stay up high when using a phone as a monitor. With goggles I can fly through thick woods and never hit a limb. I will make a video flying through the woods when I get the dji goggles. The only way I would crash with goggles is in the case of a failure. I just fly forward and turn and look if I want to make a sharp turn. Just don't fly sideways or backwards unless you are in a clear area. They could easily put small cameras on these quads so we could look any direction instantly.

 

[vielnuf]

Once I started flying with goggles I have never hit anything, crashed, or even broke a prop. Control is so much better when you feel you are inside it and the screen is large enough to see small limbs and power lines easily. To me the most dangerous flying would be line of sight where its hard to judge distance. I hit a light pole one time with a rc helicopter because of the problem. Next most dangerous would be using a small phone where you have a tiny screen and cant see detail. I stay up high when using a phone as a monitor. With goggles I can fly through thick woods and never hit a limb. I will make a video flying through the woods when I get the dji goggles. The only way I would crash with goggles is in the case of a failure. I just fly forward and turn and look if I want to make a sharp turn. Just don't fly sideways or backwards unless you are in a clear area. They could easily put small cameras on these quads so we could look any direction instantly.

Which kind goggles hou is ??

 

[vielnuf]

Which kind goggles hou is ??

You use

 

[nwyeti]

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.

It all depends where you are flying at, the distance and altitude. Here in northwestern Oregon, it is very hard NOT flying LOS. That being said, as an outdoor and nature photographer, I fly out of LOS for approximately 3-5 minutes only, with a total altitude of 380 feet AGL, and a distance of approximately 500 meters max. I shoot/ live in mountainous terrain with deep canyons and 200 foot conifer trees. But I also completely fly my birds (Phantom 3 Standard, Phantom 4, Mavic Pro); haven't engaged Return To Home once. As an FAA UAS pilot, I check the weather/ wind speed/etc., prior to each flight, and never fly over people (on foot or in cars).

So in a totally controlled flight (meaning you can fly your drone back to the landing zone on a dime), then if you fly out of LOS, it better be quick and not anywhere near populated areas and well below the Class G airspace ceiling.

 

[Gary cato]

i fly what i am comfortable to fly with, sometimes that has been as little as 200m then again i have also done 5km,

i have flown over most things as it is practically unavoidable around London not too.

if i want range i move further out into the country for long distance. i do fly in citys or towns but generally keep distances short and flight times to the minimum,

i do tend to turn around at any warning within those areas, but in countryside i sometimes push past weak signal warnings as often they are momentary and signal regains a second or two later if you keep going.

and actually heathrow is not your only big problem, as you have RAF Northolt to contend with as well (i am bang in the middle of both).

Raf northolt is even worse at least with heathrow u know its operational and dangerous to be anywhere near it, RAF Northolt on the other hand does not operate every single day and often the flight paths are changed, at least heathrow is constant in height and runways.

I have seen stuff flying into RAF northolt two miles away coming in to land and i swear they are way lower than 500 feet coming in even at two miles out

we also have a helipad at Stockley park plus regular police helicopter out and about

do i still fly here, yes in my local park with not a single NFZ warning, i keep below tree height or nearest building height and always LOS.

Now for those who say the Mavic wont take off within 2 miles of a major international airport, yes u can, should you do it? no you should not, i often watch the flight paths in and out of Heathrow and Raf Northolt and believe me you don't want to be getting close to the power outputs of the signals coming from them either. rarely mentioned when talking of flying close to airports is that signal disruption is generally instantaneous with little pre warning.

flying out of line of sight is incredible fun, exciting and something i do a lot off, where you fly out of line of sight has to be the major consideration. Don't be stupid with where you do it.

rarely do you need to do it , but if it floats your boat choose your location wisely.

the actual drone guide here states you cant fly over industrial, residential or recreational places which just about means anywhere if you think about it, then it goes on to say its perfectly fine to fly over an event of up to 1000 people but not 1001. go figure that if you cant fly over a recreational venue.

The good new is as long as you fly safely the laws guides or rules here are given plenty of leeway.

As of yet i have never been asked not to fly my drone in London, even flying it two kilos away in front of a group of police who were standing right next to me.yet again though it was over two kilos of fields so chosen carefully for that reason.

flying over a town for me is rare and has to be for a very very good reason, and when i have done it it was kept very short in air time and never over one kilo away. Mostly i impose a 500 meter limit on myself.

but right place and right time and right conditions, then i will push it to 3 kilos. over the sea or in Thailand where there is miles and ,miles of open space to play with i am never in line of sight.and often out at 5 kilos

One day i really will get to Pathum Thani as i keep promising and go for 6

 

[demonspunk]

Great question. Initially, I never let any of my drones out of my sight. Then, one day I was feeling lucky and sent it as high as it would go. Since then I don't have any problems sending it out of sight. The return to home features on the DJI produts have never failed me. If I lose signal it comes home. I like one of the earlier replies suggesting insurance and a tracking device.

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.

 

[MavPro75]

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.

Guess you are not familiar with med helos, crop dusters, military and student training, etc