So here is a story, and also cautionary tale, for those using FPV systems (especially near airports).
I am a student at an aviation university built onto an airport, and I was flying my Mavic with a friend about 1.5-2 miles away at a nearby field. I had called the tower and unlocked the zone, as is standard since we are so close. The school has a ton of sUAS pilots, so the airport is well aware, and basically tells us not to be idiots when flying.
We are testing the Litchi FPV system (which works really well, go out and buy a $10 "VR Headset" to try it) and staying at about 200-300 feet. My friend has the headset on, so I am watching the drone. Then, one of the student pilots at the airport takes off and begins a very tight corner which ends up pointing at the drone! I saw this, and told my friend to drop to 150 feet, and then a few seconds later to drop to 75 just to be safe. The aircraft goes harmlessly over it, but it was by far the closest an aircraft got to the drone.
If I had not notified my friend about the coming aircraft, he probably would not have seen it. Make sure that if you are using an FPV headset, you have a spotter to watch out for things like aircraft, curious birds, and other potential hazards! It is very easy to get tunnel vision when wearing the headset, and you lose a lot of situational awareness.
Fly safe!
I am a student at an aviation university built onto an airport, and I was flying my Mavic with a friend about 1.5-2 miles away at a nearby field. I had called the tower and unlocked the zone, as is standard since we are so close. The school has a ton of sUAS pilots, so the airport is well aware, and basically tells us not to be idiots when flying.
We are testing the Litchi FPV system (which works really well, go out and buy a $10 "VR Headset" to try it) and staying at about 200-300 feet. My friend has the headset on, so I am watching the drone. Then, one of the student pilots at the airport takes off and begins a very tight corner which ends up pointing at the drone! I saw this, and told my friend to drop to 150 feet, and then a few seconds later to drop to 75 just to be safe. The aircraft goes harmlessly over it, but it was by far the closest an aircraft got to the drone.
If I had not notified my friend about the coming aircraft, he probably would not have seen it. Make sure that if you are using an FPV headset, you have a spotter to watch out for things like aircraft, curious birds, and other potential hazards! It is very easy to get tunnel vision when wearing the headset, and you lose a lot of situational awareness.
Fly safe!
