Mini 2 Mini 2 Manuvrability test

[Zbip57]

You need to be literally looking at the drone with your own eyes to comply with "line of sight".

Making adjustment to settings and the OCCASIONAL glance to compose shots.

Either you must have your eyes on it all the time, or you are allowed to occasionally look away. Which is it? There is a precise legal definition of how often and how long we are allowed to "occasionally" look away.

Unless he can show me where the law sates that it is permissible to do as he says, the legal requirement is, as far as I know, that you are supposed to be looking at the drone.

In his country the applicable law would be this one:

§ 107.31 Visual line of sight aircraft operation.
www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107/subpart-B/section-107.31

The pertinent bit is where it says, "must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight in order to: ... [(1), (2), (3), (4)]"

One could insist that means your eyes must never leave the drone. But then you'd never be able to fulfill all four of these conditions.

must be able to see [...] in order to:
(1) Know the unmanned aircraft's location;
(2) Determine the unmanned aircraft's attitude, altitude, and direction of flight;
(3) Observe the airspace for other air traffic or hazards; and
(4) Determine that the unmanned aircraft does not endanger the life or property of another.

In particular, if your eyes must remain on the drone, how would you ever be able to scan the surrounding airspace for other air traffic or hazards and avoid endangering the life or property of others?

The rule therefor cannot mean that you must continuously be looking at the drone all the time, because you must also be able to "occasionally" look away to scan the surrounding sky for hazards.

But exactly how long or often is "occasionally"? That is not specified and is left up to the pilot to decide.

It is the responsibility of the pilot to ensure that (s)he is "able" to perform each of those four required functions. If they are not able, then a visual observer must be used.

[...] looking at the screen for prolonged periods whilst the drone is in flight technically illegal.

Of course there are situations where focusing exclusively on your monitor and never looking up would be dangerous. But there are also many situations where one would be perfectly safe doing so, as long as one is always "able" to look up whenever necessary to ensure all four conditions are safely being met.

Does that mean you can fly your drone outside while you are comfortably soaking in your bathtub indoors, as long as you are "able" to leap out of the tub, dry off, get dressed, and run outside at any time to check on the drone? Um, nope.

I believe that if "push came to shove" and you had a crash that had consequences and had been flying looking at the screen then you have legally broken the law which immediately puts you at a disadvantage.

Crashing your drone through your neighbour's window is a risk, whether you're flying while watching only your monitor or while watching your drone directly. The consequences are your responsibility either way.

Everything ultimately falls under the "reckless and negligent" clause of the regulations. If you crash your drone because you didn't know that would happen when you did this, well that's negligence. If you crash your drone because you were taking stupid risks with it, that's reckless.

How do you avoid being reckless or negligent? You could just leave the drone in its box and never fly it. That's safe. Or you practise and experiment as often as possible in a safe location to familiarize yourself with how the thing works. Testing how close you can get to objects, while checking what that looks like on screen compared to directly looking at the drone, is a useful exercise.

 

[Lets Fly]

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I did it in my back yard
And I could only fly in my back yard
Because if I leave my back yard

I am  instantly
In violation of flying over people bvlos and many other things

and there's nothing I can do about it because my front and backyard is just this tiny space
No room to work with

This is mainly to test how good Manuvrability is and it is great
It's nothing like a flying brick unlike the mavic pro and 2

There is virtually no latency at all so you can fly off the screen if you wanted too

But this is literally in my backyard so I saw it the entire time

Hi Kywon, glad to see you are learning about flying under regulations. You should try to find someone who would be willing to take you to an open area so you could really practice your skills. I wish I lived close by, I would certainly take you flying.

 

[Kywon McCain]

Hi Kywon, glad to see you are learning about flying under regulations. You should try to find someone who would be willing to take you to an open area so you could really practice your skills. I wish I lived close by, I would certainly take you flying.

I'm glad your not mad at me anymore

 

[vindibona1]

You got a new drone, a Mini 2? If so I'm so glad for you.

 

[Kywon McCain]

You got a new drone, a Mini 2? If so I'm so glad for you.

Yes a angel gifted to me

 

[Lets Fly]

I'm glad your not mad at me anymore

Never was mad at you Kywon, just concerned about some of the flying. I see from your video that you don't live far from some parks , a high school, and some golf courses. Maybe you could get to there with someone and really take it for a flight. Happy flying and enjoy the zoom.

 

[Kywon McCain]

Never was mad at you Kywon, just concerned about some of the flying. I see from your video that you don't live far from some parks , a high school, and some golf courses. Maybe you could get to there with someone and really take it for a flight. Happy flying and enjoy the zoom.

It scared me in great big ways when you said "FAA"

 

[MS Coast]

So what's the point of using the dji app to begin with
I SWEAR if this is true I'm gonna SNAP and I'm gonna do what ever I WANT

If I have to LiTtErAlY look at the drone at all times

Kwyon, that's not correct. Read what @Zbip57 said in post #5.

The Pilot Institute has a good video on the subject that you might enjoy watching.

What is Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) for drones? - Pilot Institute

Visual line of sight (VLOS) simply means that the drone pilot or visual observer can see the drone without any obstruction.

pilotinstitute.com

 

[Kywon McCain]

Kwyon, that's not correct. Read what @Zbip57 said in post #5.

The Pilot Institute has a good video on the subject that you might enjoy watching.

What is Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) for drones? - Pilot Institute

Visual line of sight (VLOS) simply means that the drone pilot or visual observer can see the drone without any obstruction.

pilotinstitute.com

I know
I got abit mad and used sarcasm

 

[Kywon McCain]

No you didn't, you were looking at the screen.
You need to be literally looking at the drone with your own eyes to comply with "line of sight".
Question, how did you do those zooms?

by looking at the screen
Hold the fn button
And while you do use the gimbal control whell

 

[AnzacJack]

It literally wasn't, for the first 45 or so seconds it was literally beside and or behind you. From 26sec to 41 seconds it was to some extent behind you and you are visibly looking at the screen.

But whilst you were in shot the only time you glanced at the drone was when it was in danger of giving you Bzip57's haircut.

Anyhow it seems I am considered draconian in this thread, that was not and is not my intention.
Fly your drone as you wish, I will say no more.

Not draconian, just misguided about your vlos issues

 

[GFields]

It literally wasn't, for the first 45 or so seconds it was literally beside and or behind you. From 26sec to 41 seconds it was to some extent behind you and you are visibly looking at the screen.

But whilst you were in shot the only time you glanced at the drone was when it was in danger of giving you Bzip57's haircut.

Anyhow it seems I am considered draconian in this thread, that was not and is not my intention.
Fly your drone as you wish, I will say no more.

FYI
You are correct in your assessment according to the the CAA. However, not by the FAA rules which state:

§ 107.31 Visual line of sight aircraft operation.​

(a) With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight in order to:

(1) Know the unmanned aircraft's location;
(2) Determine the unmanned aircraft's attitude, altitude, and direction of flight;
(3) Observe the airspace for other air traffic or hazards; and
(4) Determine that the unmanned aircraft does not endanger the life or property of another.

(b) Throughout the entire flight of the small unmanned aircraft, the ability described in paragraph (a) of this section must be exercised by either:

(1) The remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small unmanned aircraft system; or
(2) A visual observer.

The the CAA rule states:

"Visual line of sight (VLOS) operation – Means a type of UAS operation in which, the
remote pilot is able to maintain continuous unaided visual contact with the unmanned
aircraft, allowing the remote pilot to control the flight path of the unmanned aircraft in relation
to other aircraft, people and obstacles for the purpose of avoiding collisions"

The key difference is "continuous" in the CAA rules and "be able to see the" in the FAA rules. Even still the word "continuous" is subject to debate.

I realize you are trying to help, but keep in mind that the members of this forum are from different parts of the world.

Kywon McCain is in the USA and governed under FAA rules and therefore flying within the rule.​

 

[Zbip57]

FAA: "must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight"

CAA: "is able to maintain continuous unaided visual contact"

I'd argue they still say the same thing in both cases.

You must maintain continuous LOS for the entire flight
versus,
You must be *able* to maintain continuous LOS for the entire flight.

There is a clear difference, no?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

One of the things that clearly helped me in navigating the Rules was speaking with the FAA specialist.

For me it took all the Fears, Nightmares, flashback, and Panic moments out of the Equation and my flying experience enjoyable again. Bottom line common sense always wins.

Highly recommend it .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water,

 

[MS Coast]

FYI
You are correct in your assessment according to the the CAA. However, not by the FAA rules which state:

§ 107.31 Visual line of sight aircraft operation.​

(a) With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight in order to:

(1) Know the unmanned aircraft's location;
(2) Determine the unmanned aircraft's attitude, altitude, and direction of flight;
(3) Observe the airspace for other air traffic or hazards; and
(4) Determine that the unmanned aircraft does not endanger the life or property of another.

(b) Throughout the entire flight of the small unmanned aircraft, the ability described in paragraph (a) of this section must be exercised by either:

(1) The remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small unmanned aircraft system; or
(2) A visual observer.

The the CAA rule states:

"Visual line of sight (VLOS) operation – Means a type of UAS operation in which, the
remote pilot is able to maintain continuous unaided visual contact with the unmanned
aircraft, allowing the remote pilot to control the flight path of the unmanned aircraft in relation
to other aircraft, people and obstacles for the purpose of avoiding collisions"

The key difference is "continuous" in the CAA rules and "be able to see the" in the FAA rules. Even still the word "continuous" is subject to debate.

I realize you are trying to help, but keep in mind that the members of this forum are from different parts of the world.

Kywon McCain is in the USA and governed under FAA rules and therefore flying within the rule.​

"Able to" appears in both the FAA regulations and the CAA regulations. There's no difference in that regard. Being able to see the aircraft is not looking at it continuously.

 

[Kywon McCain]

I'd argue they still say the same thing in both cases.

You must maintain continuous LOS for the entire flight
versus,
You must be *able* to maintain continuous LOS for the entire flight.

There is a clear difference, no?

Does this mean I literally have to keep my eyes on the drone at all times and nothing else?
*Deletes dji fly*

 

[Zbip57]

Does this mean I literally have to keep my eyes on the drone at all times and nothing else?
*Deletes dji fly*

No!

You are allowed to study your screen. You are allowed, in fact required, to look away to scan other areas of the sky to ensure there is no conflicting traffic or hazards. At all times you need to "be able" to see the drone whenever you look up for it. But that does not mean you need to keep your eyes on it all the time.

But if you fly it out of sight behind a building, behind a hillside, behind a forest of trees, or so far away that you just can no longer see it, whenever you are "unable" to see it, then it's no longer within Visual Line of Sight.

 

[Kywon McCain]

No!

You are allowed to study your screen. You are allowed, in fact required, to look away to scan other areas of the sky to ensure there is no conflicting traffic or hazards. At all times you need to "be able" to see the drone whenever you look up for it. But that does not mean you need to keep your eyes on it all the time.

But if you fly it out of sight behind a building, behind a hillside, behind a forest of trees, or so far away that you just can no longer see it, whenever you are "unable" to see it, then it's no longer within Visual Line of Sight.

Oh ok
I always try to maintain Vlos but what Yorkshire was saying does not make sense to me or at least in a way I understand
(I literally deleted dji fly and I am now redownloading it)

 

[March411]

I try but it is darn near impossible. Depending on the background or sun you blink, look away for just a second and the drone it's gone. it's happened to me several times in open fields with a wooded background. Stop it, give a gander, spot it and be on your way. Sometimes I have to gain a little altitude to pick it back up.

This happens more with my MM2 verses the MA2.

 

[Kywon McCain]

I try but it is darn near impossible. Depending on the background or sun you blink, look away for just a second and the drone it's gone. it's happened to me several times in open fields with a wooded background. Stop it, give a gander, spot it and be on your way. Sometimes I have to gain a little altitude to pick it back up.

This happens more with my MM2 verses the MA2.

I can confirm this