Goggles? Do they make big difference?

[Matparlier]

Finding some shade to work from is getting to be a pain.
Aftermarket 'shades' simply don't work for me.
I am concerned that with the goggles on I will not be able to see my Mav when I need to or when I am in close-slow flying.
Any opinions from anyone that uses them?

 

[philbr118]

With goggles it is recommended that you have a spotter to look out for obstacles etc.

 

[TrayBoz]

You flip up the goggles so you can see the mavic directly when taking off or landing or when it's close enough to see (if you want to.) The headband & goggles are hinged and designed to do this. I usually have them flipped up when I take off or land, since I always hand catch and hand launch, and I enjoy having fingers.

Don't expect to use the goggles as a replacement for a good tablet though. I love my goggles, but I wouldn't want to use them ALL the time. I use them on maybe 20% of my flights.

Have you tried a hoody-man type of solution? - some people love those.

 

[tonyb]

The googles enhance the flying experience. You are actually in the drone and can see what is ahead of you especially when out of sight. Yea, I know we are not to fly out of sight but we all do at one time or another. I have the dji googles and the Epson moveria glasses, I prefer the googles.

 

[Jackcutrone]

I absolutely love the total immersion with the goggles though I lock the touchscreen to avoid doing anything stupid and just fly with the rc. But I have a friend who spots for me and he has vision like a hawk. He sees the Mavic at distances st which I can’t see it at all. I am going to put a strobe on it. If while using the goggles I need to see it or the app on my iPhone I just flip the goggles up.

 

[tonyb]

I applied a holographic skin to my Mavic. It reflects light and makes visual much easier and further away.

 

[sparkorc]

Finding some shade to work from is getting to be a pain.
Aftermarket 'shades' simply don't work for me.
I am concerned that with the goggles on I will not be able to see my Mav when I need to or when I am in close-slow flying.
Any opinions from anyone that uses them?

Whilst I have not used the DJI goggles I have used Fatshark goggles for last 5 years whilst you do require a spotter whilst using them, I found you can easily get disoriented regarding the drones exact location of your craft in the sky if you remove/flip up the goggles whilst flying the drone especially if flying in unfamiliar surroundings, without a spotter you could find yourself in a situation that may take several vital seconds to sight your craft in the sky, this is even more pronounced now with some of the drones being a lot quieter now and also if flying at maximum allowed visual line of sight, whilst it is so immersive you could easily get into a situation without a spotter being available, as long as you are aware and mindful of this they are great fun to fly with.

 

[ac0j]

There is some question if they are legal, As to what is in force now. The new USA regulations yet to be released may differ. and an observer is not allowed in lieu of the PIC.
I am not here to rain on anyones parade, but it bears mentioning.

Here is a clip from the FAA;

By definition, a model aircraft must be “flown within visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft.” P.L. 112-95, section 336(c)(2). 1 Based on the plain language of the statute, the FAA interprets this requirement to mean that: (1) the aircraft must be visible at all times to the operator; (2) that the operator must use his or her own natural vision (which includes vision corrected by standard eyeglasses or contact lenses) to observe the aircraft; and (3) people other than the operator may not be used in lieu of the operator for maintaining visual line of sight. Under the criteria above, visual line of sight would mean that the operator has an unobstructed view of the model aircraft. To ensure that the operator has the best view of the aircraft, the statutory requirement would preclude the use of vision-enhancing devices, such as binoculars, night vision goggles, powered vision magnifying devices, and goggles designed to provide a “first-person view” from the model. 2 Such devices would limit the operator’s field of view thereby reducing his or her ability to see-and-avoid other aircraft in the area. Additionally, some of these devices could dramatically increase the distance at which an operator could see the aircraft, rendering the statutory visual-line-of-sight requirements meaningless. Finally, based on the plain language of the statute, which says that aircraft must be “flown within the visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft,” an operator could not rely on another person to satisfy the visual line of sight requirement. See id. (emphasis added). While the statute would not preclude using an observer to augment the safety of the operation, the operator must be able to view the aircraft at all times.

Here is the site if you would like to look into it...
https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/model_aircraft_spec_rule.pdf

 

[ac0j]

*crickets*

Really? I really thought that would open up some interesting dialog.
You got NOTHING?

 

[Palindrone]

*crickets*

Really? I really thought that would open up some interesting dialog.
You got NOTHING?

I’ve only had my goggles for a couple months, and have only flown with them a half dozen times. I love them. But I have a large property and have kept it here. Like has been said, I take off and land with them flipped up. It was a pain at first, because I wear glasses, but I bought the corrective lenses, and it’s much easier now.
But if I take it somewhere off my property, I would have someone with me

 

[ac0j]

I’ve only had my goggles for a couple months, and have only flown with them a half dozen times. I love them. But I have a large property and have kept it here. Like has been said, I take off and land with them flipped up. It was a pain at first, because I wear glasses, but I bought the corrective lenses, and it’s much easier now.
But if I take it somewhere off my property, I would have someone with me

By law, having someone with you does not relieve you of maintaining VLOS. Flying with FPV Goggles, as it stands now, is not legal. We will see if that changes with the new regulations, but I doubt it.

 

[Palindrone]

By law, having someone with you does not relieve you of maintaining VLOS. Flying with FPV Goggles, as it stands now, is not legal. We will see if that changes with the new regulations, but I doubt it.

Yeah, being that I’m not too inclined to bring attention to myself, I can’t see myself wearing them in a public setting. I have a few acres in a very rural area, so I’m pretty content with staying on my property.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see more regulation with more restrictions though

 

[vkcatfish]

It looks to me that the FAA may allow a remote PIC to use FPV devices under Part 107 operations so long as there is one or more visual observers that ensure VLOS is maintained at all times. To operate under Part 107, the PIC would need an FAA small UAS remote pilot certificate. My source for this is FAA Circular 107-2, paragraph 5.7.1. Here is a link:

https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/AC_107-2_AFS-1_Signed.pdf