Line of sight

[okw]

I think that if people were truthful, I cant see how anyone can legitimately say that they can see the drone at 200m away.

Truthfully, I have seen my Mavic out to 1/2 mile (that's over 800m for those who are using the metric system). That was after looking down at the screen to see the camera view and distance from home, then looking back up. I knew where it was going to be and picked it up quickly. The clouds in the background definitely helped.

 

[tcope]

It still is and always has been 100% true that I can have an observer if I want to regardless of 107 or recreational flight. The FAA or any governing body can NOT dictate who can be standing beside me when I fly.

It did not qualify as VLOS.. which is what was being discussed. Feel free to read my post above for confirmation from the FAA.

 

[Slim.slamma]

Any pilot can have a spotter period.

That’s what I always thought

 

[FatherXmas]

It did not qualify as VLOS.. which is what was being discussed. Feel free to read my post above for confirmation from the FAA.

And you obviously do not understand what I was saying. I can and will use my wife, or whomever, to help me keep track of were in the sky it is. I don't think the FAA expects anyone to keep their eyes on the drone 100% of the time, you have to check your telemetry and line up your shots. Having an extra set of eyes helps.
BTW, I did read your post and it implies that having an assistant was somehow against the rules. If I'm mistaken in your intent, I apologize, otherwise, I'm done with this.

 

[Porky]

Most of the time on forums when people say LOS, they actually mean VLOS.
They are very different things.

Line of Sight is a radio term that's been around for a hundred years.
It's to differentiate between radio signals transmitted and received in a direct LOS from those that are bounced off the ionosphere and can can be received from transmitters that are over the horizon.
You need to have a clear unobstructed LOS to fly your drone (fly behind a mountain and you lose your LOS and your control signal)
You could fly your drone 5 miles away and still have a clear LOS although you couldn't see the drone past 300 metres.

VLOS is a clumsy way of saying: within visual range

I know the difference between both, I was only pulling that members leg

 

[Cheech Wizard]

I know the difference between both, I was only pulling that members leg

Stop pulling legs, that's lying.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Everyone keeps saying , make your drone a bright color. I don't know if my 60 year old eyeballs are working as good as they did. I skinned my drone (MP1) a satin black. For me, it's easier to see in blue skies and overcast days. I can see it 1/4 of a mile out and a little more sometimes I have a 1/2 mile limit on the distance and a 350 ft max altitude just to be safe. It is harder to spot in a tree unless the lights were still blinking (got lucky that time...ha). And would probably be hard to find on the ground,

 

[ROBERTNCREST]

I don't know how the FPV racers do it down at the flying field near my house. They launch, fly through the curse, land, and NEVER have LOS on their craft. All goggles all the time.
Having said that, I can see my screen and it shows me my height and dist from me and a view of what's in front of me. my LOS is from me to the iPAD.

 

[MinneapolisFlyGuy]

Most drone pilots who fly their drone more than a couple hundred feet away violate the VLOS rule regularly. And we all know it.

Is that safe? Depends totally on what you are flying over. Use common sense at all times and make safety your goal always.

 

[rob levine]

Am confused by line of sight rule which appear to be very important. My problem is all the Drone Pilots I know use an ipad or iphone to control the Drone not one looks into the Sky when flying, does this action make them/me illegal as we are breaking the golden rule?

You can fly solo like that without breaking regs. Of course it's safer if you have a visual observer.

 

[ScubaBob]

DJI Goggles break the rule of line of sight

If you use DJI Goggles and don't have a spotter with you I think you are setting yourself up for a crash. Googles are great and dramatically increase the ability to use the drone, especially in very sunny areas where glare on the phone or tablet makes seeing what the camera is seeing quite difficult. But it is always best to have a spotter keeping an eye on the drone so that you don't accidentally slide the drone to the left or right into a building, tree, etc.

 

[theDRONEranger]

That only applies to flights under Part 107, not hobby flights.

Part 107 does NOT require the use of a VO, however, it is always an excellent idea to have one when possible for 107 and non-107. The more eyes on the drone the safer the flight could be.

 

[theDRONEranger]

If you use DJI Goggles and don't have a spotter with you I think you are setting yourself up for a crash. Googles are great and dramatically increase the ability to use the drone, especially in very sunny areas where glare on the phone or tablet makes seeing what the camera is seeing quite difficult. But it is always best to have a spotter keeping an eye on the drone so that you don't accidentally slide the drone to the left or right into a building, tree, etc.

Does Fly4Fun require a VO when using goggles. I know 107 does. But don't know if the BCOs approve goggles w/o VO.

 

[theDRONEranger]

Am confused by line of sight rule which appear to be very important. My problem is all the Drone Pilots I know use an ipad or iphone to control the Drone not one looks into the Sky when flying, does this action make them/me illegal as we are breaking the golden rule?

NO, it does NOT make the flight illegal, as long as they maintain LOS. It makes it more dangerous, but not illegal. This is assuming they are looking at the drone quite a bit while in flight, not the screen. It is much more difficult to locate the drone by sight after continuously looking at the screen, and, it is not advised (at least by myself.) This is because while looking at the screen, you become accustomed to the layout on the screen, then when you try to look for the drone in flight you first must transfer your view (in your mind) from the screen to real-life and orientate the position, then locate your drone. (Telephone poles and taller trees are NOT displayed on your screen.) This takes precious seconds that could result result in disaster. The wiser choice is the place most of the view from your eyes on the drone (LOS), and then glance every now and then at the screen. This action would be the true line of sight. As others have pointed out binoculars are an aid to assist in regaining LOS not a means to maintain LOS. You may only use corrective lenses (i.e., glasses, contacts) while performing LOS.

 

[Photo Booth]

I think everyone fly's out of sight- Use common sense and be aware of your surroundings.

No, they don't. I never fly my drone beyond my ability to see it (unaided) in my field of vision. I don't go behind trees or buildings or other areas where I can't see it. I don't fly it to a distance where it is impossible to see it in the sky.

I am not the only one that abides by this rule.

Do I look away from the drone and look at the iPad in my controller? Of course. But I return my gaze to the drone in the sky very regularly. I want to be able to see any circumstance which might be a danger to the drone. We have a lot of hawks in our area and, every once in awhile, one or two of them take an interest in my drone. If I spent all of my time looking at the iPad then it is highly unlikely I'd see the hawks.

Mark

 

[Classic flyer]

I must admit I’m one of the guys that looks mostly at the screen while flying you’ve got you map & direction of the craft on it which I rely on. The only time I look at my drone is when I’m bringing it in to land. Yep I abide by the rules set out by the CAA but never go out of line of sight... well the distance anyway

Also people use the screen more for taking pics & videos so I think there will be loads of us here guilty of that.

One problem is while looking at your drone, small dot in the sky then you look away, then you try and relocate it, it’s virtually impossible to find

Try putting a strobe light on your bird...it really helps...be smart, fly safe

 

[cag_tc]

First I think there should be some clarification on the terminology because in my opinion LOS (Line Of Sight) and VLOS (Visual Line Of Sight) are the same things, an unobstructed optical view line to the object in cause.
When people talk about the distance at where they can see the drone that is Visual RANGE.

That being said, I doubt people are respecting that distance after paying a grand and a half on a drone that is capable of a range of 4 miles just to keep it within 500 yards. If that is the case we all should have stuck to the Phantom 2.

 

[RangerEd]

That only applies to flights under Part 107, not hobby flights.

That's not true. The two major rules are: you have to have the ability to see your drone and that you do not fly over people.

 

[RangerEd]

Most of the time on forums when people say LOS, they actually mean VLOS.
They are very different things.

Line of Sight is a radio term that's been around for a hundred years.
It's to differentiate between radio signals transmitted and received in a direct LOS from those that are bounced off the ionosphere and can can be received from transmitters that are over the horizon.
You need to have a clear unobstructed LOS to fly your drone (fly behind a mountain and you lose your LOS and your control signal)
You could fly your drone 5 miles away and still have a clear LOS although you couldn't see the drone past 300 metres.

VLOS is a clumsy way of saying: within visual range

Good points. You can have a clear line of sight like let's say 2 KM away but you obviously will not be able see the drone visually. Unless of course you are Superman.

 

[drvrbob]

I believe they are still different, otherwise who would bother going through the time, effort and expense of getting your FAR Part 107?

New laws signed into effect july 2018, not so much difference any more. Hobbyist will have to pass test and have proof of passage with them while flying. Other rules went into effect also.