How far away can you see your Mini?

[Zim13]

6-700 feet sounds about right to me too.
And yes, you blink or look away, and you're unlikely to see it again!
So in the UK, we are supposed to maintain VLOS (Visible Line Of Sight).
That means the majority of flights (which are likley 1000 feet and more) are violating this rule.
Is it accepted VLOS for the tiny DJI MINI/2 is not really achievable for the majority of the flight?

Awesome album Ian!!!

 

[Cobra193]

I did some trials to see how far away I could see my Mini, and found that my limit was around 350m (1150ft) in clear conditions. Like others, if I looked away from it and then back I wouldn't be able to pick it out again.

I’m not familiar with VLOS rule in UK, but I’m guessing it’s the same as here in US. And the rule isn’t to just be able to SEE it, you have to be able to determine it’s orientation so that you can manually fly it back should the automated systems fail. And, that is without the aid if binoculars and such.

There’s no way you can see a MM at 1000+ feet and determine which way its facing or it’s direction of travel.

 

[scro]

There’s no way you can see a MM at 1000+ feet and determine which way its facing or it’s direction of travel.

I beg to differ. I could certainly see it at that kind of distance, reliably know which way it was pointing, and see/avoid any other aircraft or nearby objects. In the UK, the CAA's official definition of VLOS doesn't specifically require you to identify the orientation of the aircraft by the features you can see on it, so it is perfectly valid to determine its orientation by its movement. Give some forward stick and the direction the drone moves in is the same direction as it is pointing. Similarly for left/right flight, that will be perpendicular to the drone's heading. I could repeatedly have done that flight with my phone screen covered over and not crashed into anything.

 

[Jack C]

I can see mine out at 440 m. After that hard to track.

 

[gemniii]

My 80 year old eyes see it 600 feet away, my 13 year old grandson (obsever) is good for 1200’. I‘ve ordered a strobe for hopefully better distance.

Will you put the strobe on your grandson so he doesn't get lost?

 

[Romanbydrone]

You should consider placing the Light on top of the Mini 2 and not on the bottom.

# 1 You will Alert planes above, be less of a distraction in the Air and less likely to Snag the light and keep it effects out of the camera . So you get two benefits with 1 light . You can still spot your drone a very long distance.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain.

Given the likely distance between the overhead plane and the speed of the same, this seems a pointless proposal.

 

[stuka75]

Hi Donb1
I it certainly bright according to the reviews there.. one person said it took their Mini 2 over 250g weight.. is that correct in your experience?

I bought a Strobon and fitted it to the belly of mine you can still see the strobe light at or just below eye level but a fraction higher and it is really seen even in daylight. Mine with battery, strobe and camera protector removed comes in at 240g

Does the strobe in that position have a negative effect on the sensors?

 

[stuka75]

I'm confused as to the advantage to being under 250 grams other than registering yourself as pilot in the US. You still have to fly by the rules regardless of weight. Registration here in the states doesn't change that.

 

[Chaosrider]

It wasn't a Mini but an Air 2. Two of us looking at it while I flew at 400'. We said when we lost eyes sight we would look at the screen to see how far it was. I was flying it towards a white cloud so it helped a little bit. The person with me lost it at 2500' I lost it it about 3000'

If it wasn't for the cloud I doubt we would have been able to go that far. I also have a slight advantage because I work on printers/copiers so I have been looking for slight imperfections in printouts for 30+ years. So a black spec on a white background, for me, is easy to pick out.

Now that I have some strobes I would like to test it out again.

Ya'll must be mutants!

I can't imagine seeing my Mini-2 at 3000 ft away, without a strobe. I know the air 2 is a bit bigger, but still...

TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

My 80 year old eyes see it 600 feet away, my 13 year old grandson (obsever) is good for 1200’. I‘ve ordered a strobe for hopefully better distance.

If you put a strobe on the butt of a Mini-2 (back of battery hatch), you'll see an amazing increase in visibility.



TCS

 

[Ramar43]

250 is ok isn't it?

I’m listening to everyone it sounds like everyone’s breaking the rules

 

[Chaosrider]

I’m not familiar with VLOS rule in UK, but I’m guessing it’s the same as here in US. And the rule isn’t to just be able to SEE it, you have to be able to determine it’s orientation so that you can manually fly it back should the automated systems fail. And, that is without the aid if binoculars and such.

There’s no way you can see a MM at 1000+ feet and determine which way its facing or it’s direction of travel.

Unless you have a strobe on it's butt. That solves both of those problems.

If you lose track of it, and the strobe isn't facing you, just remain stationary and do a 360º rotation. As long as you know generally where it is, that process will provide both it's radial location, and orientation, when the rotation points the strobe toward you.



TCS

 

[spudster]

Or just look on your map for orientation.

 

[Malcx]

Or just look on your map for orientation.

Which is not flying VLOS...
The idea being you can control the AC with the phone disconnected/off/crashed. I.e. by sight alone.

 

[Chaosrider]

Or just look on your map for orientation.

Well, there is that!

I think the focus was on being able to visually see the orientation.

Thx!

TCS

 

[scro]

I'm confused as to the advantage to being under 250 grams other than registering yourself as pilot in the US. You still have to fly by the rules regardless of weight. Registration here in the states doesn't change that.

Having a drone under 250g might not be much of an advantage in the USA, but there are a lot of countries where the rules are such that it is an advantage. Generally the low mass is understood to present a lower risk, and therefore can be subject to more lenient rules on proximity to people/buildings without additional pilot training.

 

[spudster]

Well, there is that!

I think the focus was on being able to visually see the orientation.

I agree, but the losing sight of the strobe means you are no longer VLOS. Spinning it around 360 hoping to see the strobe again is not better then using the map to see ordination. My guess is a quick look at the map is faster and more positive than a drone pirouette and trying to find that blinking strobe 1500'+ away.

 

[Grazuncle]

I agree, but the losing sight of the strobe means you are no longer VLOS. Spinning it around 360 hoping to see the strobe again is not better then using the map to see ordination. My guess is a quick look at the map is faster and more positive than a drone pirouette and trying to find that blinking strobe 1500'+ away.

This may be a stupid question and I am inexperienced here.. but why do you have to turn your drone around..if you're high enough to avoid obstacles. Return in reverse so you can see the Strobe..

When the drone gets in to a situation where it is more easily viewed.. Then rotate it.

I'm open to more experienced views??

 

[shaneb50]

I can see my drone up to 400m on a good day.but if I even take my eyes off of the drone I loose where it is. So I started using reflective tape on the front legs and back legs.
It really helps me to see better

 

[Chaosrider]

I agree, but the losing sight of the strobe means you are no longer VLOS. Spinning it around 360 hoping to see the strobe again is not better then using the map to see ordination. My guess is a quick look at the map is faster and more positive than a drone pirouette and trying to find that blinking strobe 1500'+ away.

I agree, the map is definitely better. But in a scenario where that's not allowed...

If you loose VLOS momentarily, and then quickly re-acquire it, I dont know if that constitutes "not being VLOS".

I suspect that happens to people regularly, and it wouldn't make sense to have a reg dwells on those momentary losses excessively.

Thx,

TCS