VLOS and BVLOS

Glenh · Dec 15, 2023

So, what do you estimate your VLOS capabilities generally? Vertical? Horizontal (Say at 10 m altitude)?
Horizontal at say 60 m altitude? And why is this important (or not)?

Yorkshire_Pud · Dec 15, 2023

Glenh said:
So, what do you estimate your VLOS capabilities generally? Vertical? Horizontal (Say at 10 m altitude)?
Horizontal at say 60 m altitude? And why is this important (or not)?

There's no need to estimate it, fly the drone away from your, increasing its height if needs be, and when you lose sight of it that is more than your VLOS.
BTW I would also say that if you can see the drone but then look away from the drone and can't find it again your are also beyond your VLOS.

Why is it important?
So that you can tell what is in the air near the drone and what the drone may be a danger to. Also if some thing goes wrong and the flight is drawn to the attention of the authorities and you are BVLOS then you a probably up the creek without a paddle.

BVLOS vertically ???? If you are flying the drone so high that you can not see it you are most likely breaking the AGL legal limit?

Cafguy · Dec 15, 2023

Its also not enough just to be able to see the drone. You must be able to determine its orientation So if you can see the drone but it is only a tiny dot in the distance you are beyond line of site. Doing security I am always looking down at my Ipad and then looking back up to find the drone A spotter is essential for this and I can't do my job without one. I would say vertically: BEFORE I reached the legal maximum altitude of 400ft. WHY? See quote below:

Yorkshire_Pud said:
Why is it important?
So that you can tell what is in the air near the drone and what the drone may be a danger to. Also if some thing goes wrong and the flight is drawn to the attention of the authorities and you are BVLOS then you a probably up the creek without a paddle.