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Mavic Pro boring for me once I learned I can't fly out of LOS

Well....I won't be looking up any laws. I film abandoned buildings and historic places for my YouTube channel. I get permission from the property owner where applicable and keep the quad in site for the most part. I'm not hung up on VLOS rules as the FAA is in the process of relaxing the rules anyway because of the good anticollision systems on the newest quads. Just use common sense when it comes to distance.
 
Finally read through all of the comments. Great lively debate. Great info from Lisadoc and Flyguy8675309.

I forgot who mentioned it, but the verbage from the FAA: “vigilance shall be maintained by each person operating an aircraft so as to see and avoid other aircraft. This see-and-avoid requirement is at the heart of the FAA’s regulatory structure, mitigating the risk of aircraft colliding in midair." That statement is a catchall and applies to all drone pilots, commercial, hobby, combination.

Personally, I fly within LOS at all times. I don't have the time or money to deal with litigation in the event I cause a near miss or heavens forbid an accident. That's just my choice. I do admire people's distance videos though.

Also, please stop with the "why have a vehicle that can go 200+ mph if the speed limit is 65mph" analogy!! A friend of mine has a Dodge Demon. He takes it to the track when he wants to go faster than the speed limit. I drive a pickup truck that can do well over 100mph, but good luck going that fast when towing a 33ft trailer. It's about horespower. Sorry, off topic.

I forgot who mentioned about helicopters and flying 100' in urban areas....but Life Flight, Police, Fire, Coast Guard helicopters often fly low when in rescue operations. I'm a little outside of D.C. and it's not uncommon to see the Park Service aircraft low.

Good luck and fly safe. Also, if you've never been to Attorney Jonathan Rupprecht's website, check it out. Lot's of good info.
 
I have a nice bright strobe on my Mavic and it helps a lot seeing it farther out ,give it a try .You can find them at Carolina Drones ,Ebay for under 30 bucks .

At twilight or in darkness, yes - the strobes help immensely. BUT - After a lot of testing, I've found In broad daylight or overcast, even the giant 4-strobe Arc 2 will not extend your VLOS of the Mavic itself to any significant extent. It takes A LOT of power and a pretty big light for a strobe to be seen for any real distance in broad daylight.
 
Actually, there is federal law on this (in the United Sates). 49 U.S.C. 40102; 14 CFR 1.1. and the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Section 336), to name the specific relevant federal law(s).

Technically, you must be flying within VLOS. If you're not, then the FAA does not consider you a model aircraft flying for recreational purposes, and you must then abide by FAA rules for unmanned aircraft (Part 107). Part 107 has strict rules (i.e. laws) that prohibit flying beyond VLOS under most circumstances.

Quoting the FAA:
"With respect to UAS used as model aircraft, the FAA reiterated the operating guidelines in AC 91-57, and further noted that to qualify as a model aircraft, the aircraft would need to be operated purely for recreational or hobby purposes, and within the visual line of sight of the operator. The policy statement also clarified that AC 91-57 applied only to modelers and “specifically excludes its use by persons or companies for business purposes.” 72 FR at 6690."

and..

"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."

Granted, legalistically it seems like a "ouroboros" (a circular symbol depicting a snake, or less commonly a dragon, swallowing its tail), due to the fact that in order to be determined as recreational and be exempt for Part 107 rules, you need to fly VLOS, but recreational flyers technically have no law promulgated that prohibits them from flying beyond VLOS. You could argue this of course if you end up hauled into Federal court, but it's a losing argument for sure with the FAA, and likely the same for the Federal judge.

If you want to read about this further, then dive into this:
https://www.faa.gov/uas/media/model_aircraft_spec_rule.pdf

You also have to remember that part 107 pilots can fly recreational as well.
 
I was having so much fun, flying responsibly (away from houses, people, roads, etc) and even got a Crystalsky Ultra so I can see much better. Its amazing how clear it is and how easy it is to fly without LOS with the CS. I'd mainly just fly out over trees and empty areas around 150-200 ft altitude and explore. Most I'd go is around 2,000 feet away. At that distance the Mavic is too small to see in the sky, but I have zero issue navigating or with orientation. Nothing crazy, the furthest I got was 3,000 feet away for a few minutes then turned around but still so fun to fly something by just navigating with the CS screen and tools.

After digging more I realized I was "ABSOLUTELY" not supposed to fly out of LOS. Since then I've only flown where I can see the drone (a few hundred feet away) and its just incredibly boring for me. I can only fly to what I can see and the CS is pretty much useless.

Anyone have any ideas for dealing with this or fun things to do while in LOS? I went out today and basically flew circles over a lake and then got bored in 10 minutes and went home.

Flying LOS is a luxury for hobbyists, my friend. Try mapping 1800 acres without losing sight of the UAV. It's impossible.

FPV puts you in the pilot's seat, which is WAY safer than the observer's seat. Ask any pilot if they'd rather fly their aircraft from the pilot seat or from the ground. I'm sure they'll pick the former. Fly responsible. Avoid people. Enjoy your FPV excursions. Those who claim LOS is "safer" never actually flew a drone FPV.

D
 
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FPV puts you in the pilot's seat, which is WAY safer than the observer's seat. Ask any pilot if they'd rather fly their aircraft from the pilot seat or from the ground. I'm sure they'll pick the former. Fly responsible. Avoid people. Enjoy your FPV excursions. Those who claim LOS is "safer" never actually flew a drone FPV.
D

Apples and oranges. A pilot in a manned aircraft has situational awareness, as does a remote pilot flying within VLOS. A remote pilot flying a Mavic FPV from 3 miles away only has the camera - no other SA.. Flying FPV only: Can you see that bird coming at you from below? Can you see that other guy flying FPV coming down on top of you? How about that medivac heli coming in hot behind you to land on the highway for a rescue. Think man.
 
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I was having so much fun, flying responsibly (away from houses, people, roads, etc) and even got a Crystalsky Ultra so I can see much better. Its amazing how clear it is and how easy it is to fly without LOS with the CS. I'd mainly just fly out over trees and empty areas around 150-200 ft altitude and explore. Most I'd go is around 2,000 feet away. At that distance the Mavic is too small to see in the sky, but I have zero issue navigating or with orientation. Nothing crazy, the furthest I got was 3,000 feet away for a few minutes then turned around but still so fun to fly something by just navigating with the CS screen and tools.

After digging more I realized I was "ABSOLUTELY" not supposed to fly out of LOS. Since then I've only flown where I can see the drone (a few hundred feet away) and its just incredibly boring for me. I can only fly to what I can see and the CS is pretty much useless.

Anyone have any ideas for dealing with this or fun things to do while in LOS? I went out today and basically flew circles over a lake and then got bored in 10 minutes and went home.

Meh, I guess that's the rule. I am not following it. I do what I can to stay away from flying directly over houses, and i'm not obtrusive with it, but I am always going out of site and I've not had any issues. I guess it depends on where you live, and where you fly.
 
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It is said-
"Rules are made for the blind obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men".
Just make sure you really are wise before breaking them!

Eric
 
90% of my flying is at night. I have Firehouse strobes and they are small and keep a charge for a long time. I usually get a half mile and see the strobe with no problem. I also have a CS 1000nit and that I have to tone down the brightness to half. But at night it's more thrilling and fun for me. I hear the word ufo a lot at night. The other night a bunch of drunks were drinking and I decided to have fun with them.
I placed a red and a White strobe and flew around them and they started fighting amongst themself. Some were saying UFO, some were thinking the police were watching them.
 
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90% of my flying is at night. I have Firehouse strobes and they are small and keep a charge for a long time. I usually get a half mile and see the strobe with no problem. I also have a CS 1000nit and that I have to tone down the brightness to half. But at night it's more thrilling and fun for me. I hear the word ufo a lot at night. The other night a bunch of drunks were drinking and I decided to have fun with them.
I placed a red and a White strobe and flew around them and they started fighting amongst themself. Some were saying UFO, some were thinking the police were watching them.
Now that is really fun to watch them doing that while you are laughing and flying at the same time.
 
I was having so much fun, flying responsibly (away from houses, people, roads, etc) and even got a Crystalsky Ultra so I can see much better. Its amazing how clear it is and how easy it is to fly without LOS with the CS. I'd mainly just fly out over trees and empty areas around 150-200 ft altitude and explore. Most I'd go is around 2,000 feet away. At that distance the Mavic is too small to see in the sky, but I have zero issue navigating or with orientation. Nothing crazy, the furthest I got was 3,000 feet away for a few minutes then turned around but still so fun to fly something by just navigating with the CS screen and tools.

After digging more I realized I was "ABSOLUTELY" not supposed to fly out of LOS. Since then I've only flown where I can see the drone (a few hundred feet away) and its just incredibly boring for me. I can only fly to what I can see and the CS is pretty much useless.

Anyone have any ideas for dealing with this or fun things to do while in LOS? I went out today and basically flew circles over a lake and then got bored in 10 minutes and went home.
Who flies LOS? Apart from take off and landing ofcourse haha!
Remember it's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
 
LOS flying is quite ridiculous if you ask me.

Even at 300 meters out you will struggle to find the drone again if you looked down at the phone. And lets be honest, drones are made for filming and you are not going to stare at the drone while trying to film epic videos.

So yeah, my first flight was within 500 meters of me...
 
It's a lot of fun. Just get some good bug spray. :p
I was out flying night and I got absolutely bitten like mad from them midges things. I came up in loads of big lumps and had to have 3 days of work. Definitely get some bug spray I was itching like mad for days. They are out in force recently when the sun goes down.

Now as soon as I start feeling them biting I just pack up hahaha.
 
I was out flying night and I got absolutely bitten like mad from them midges things. I came up in loads of big lumps and had to have 3 days of work. Definitely get some bug spray I was itching like mad for days. They are out in force recently when the sun goes down.

Now as soon as I start feeling them biting I just pack up hahaha.

I'm in Florida and live right in front of a "conservation area" (aka swamp). Had lots of rain recently, too and that seems to have brought out the swarms.

My counter-measures include:
- High DEET bug repellant
- Pic coils
- Citronella candle
- Yard Guard fogger

Then there's.....

2cz6iw0.jpg
 
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