What’s your max distance legal VLOS flight?

[Mavic Pro Platinum]

A couple of days ago I flew my Mavic Pro Platinum 400 feet AGL and 11,000 feet out while maintaining VLOS the whole time with no strobes. What’s your max VLOS flight? [emoji1303][emoji16]

 

[dylanthecat]

A couple of days ago I flew my Mavic Pro Platinum 400 feet AGL and 11,000 feet out while maintaining VLOS the whole time with no strobes. What’s your max VLOS flight? [emoji1303][emoji16]

I did 11,319 feet at 390’. Beat that. Saw the bird the whole way. And it was at night.

 

[dirkclod]

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[Bigbird48]

i CALL bs YOU CAN BARLEY SEE A PIPER CUB 12000 FT UP COME ON

 

[AMann]

A couple of days ago I flew my Mavic Pro Platinum 400 feet AGL and 11,000 feet out while maintaining VLOS the whole time with no strobes. What’s your max VLOS flight? [emoji1303][emoji16]

2 miles out? ? I didn’t know VLOS stood for Vague or Vanished Line Of Sight!

 

[The Editor]

A couple of days ago I flew my Mavic Pro Platinum 400 feet AGL and 11,000 feet out while maintaining VLOS the whole time with no strobes. What’s your max VLOS flight? [emoji1303][emoji16]

No you didn't

The visual acuity or spatial resolution of the human eye is 1 arc second or 1/60th of a degree

An object as small as a Mavic would not be perceptible to unaided human vision at that distance.

Unless, perhaps you are Clark Kent, and even he wears glasses.

 

[Skywatcher2001]

View attachment 82266​

dirkclod.5 I can't stop laughing (and I'm at work) which makes it worst!!!! Dang! My side hurts . . . .

 

[old man mavic]

nothing wrong with a good laugh and this thread is good for that, problem is the whole purpose of VLOS is flight safety, something that most people on this forum take seriously

 

[AMann]

No you didn't

The visual acuity or spatial resolution of the human eye is 1 arc second or 1/60th of a degree

An object as small as a Mavic would not be perceptible to unaided human vision at that distance.

Unless, perhaps you are Clark Kent, and even he wears glasses.

Correct me if I am wrong, but at 11,000ft out, wouldn’t a 1 arc degree object have to be about 192-feet in diameter, which means it would be visible if it was at least 3.2 feet in diameter (1/60th of 192 feet)?

 

[BigAl07]

A couple of days ago I flew my Mavic Pro Platinum 400 feet AGL and 11,000 feet out while maintaining VLOS the whole time with no strobes. What’s your max VLOS flight? [emoji1303][emoji16]

Y'all do realize that to maintain VLOS you have to be able to know the orientation and direction of flight of the aircraft not just "see a blink on the horizon".....

Let's not take some "keyboard warrior" on the internet's word... let's go directly the the FAA Regs on what they call VLOS (although this is written under Part 107)

****************************************************************************
§ 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 subsection (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.

****************************************************************************

This gives a clear definition of what is required from VLOS operations.

 

[AMann]

Y'all do realize that to maintain VLOS you have to be able to know the orientation and direction of flight of the aircraft not just "see a blink on the horizon".....

Let's not take some "keyboard warrior" on the internet's word... let's go directly the the FAA Regs on what they call VLOS (although this is written under Part 107)

****************************************************************************
§ 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 subsection (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.

****************************************************************************

This gives a clear definition of what is required from VLOS operations.

Well, maybe nav strobes on long whiskers would help for greater distances, but I am with you- one could easily go a long way in the wrong direction in a matter of seconds if they cannot see which way it’s pointed! I put two white strobes facing forward on mine, red and green on the port and starboard sides, and a single white one in back to help with that, but 2500’ out with the strobes was it for me, and that was in the shadow of a hill in the afternoon.

 

[Neil Reid]

I can barely tell toward or away directions of my MP at several hundred feet away and a 100 feet up. At 600 feet away and 40 feet of elevation, I can't make it out at all and my vision is corrected to slightly better than 20/20.

Confirmed that today practicing smooth circles and recognized quickly that toward and away is tricky at distance. You can make out lateral movement across your field of view without much difficulty, but for me, not at all easy on toward or away directions.

At 400 feet of elevation, even straight up, I pretty much can't see it at all. If others are seeing theirs well beyond that without binoculars or similar, they know something I don't.

 

[AMann]

I can barely tell toward or away directions of my MP at several hundred feet away and a 100 feet up. At 600 feet away and 40 feet of elevation, I can't make it out at all and my vision is corrected to slightly better than 20/20.

Confirmed that today practicing smooth circles and recognized quickly that toward and away is tricky at distance. You can make out lateral movement across your field of view without much difficulty, but for me, not at all easy on toward or away directions.

At 400 feet of elevation, even straight up, I pretty much can't see it at all. If others are seeing theirs well beyond that without binoculars or similar, they know something I don't.

Strobes used in daylight make it so much more visible. Especially if flying against a dark background like trees or a hill.

 

[JS1600]

I have the strobes and can only maintain VLOS of about 1 mile in the daytime.
I'm sure I could see it much farther at night but I stay really close and low night.

 

[Smokieflies]

Yes, without strobes, I would not be able to see that far. But I have been nearsighted since a teenager, and wear glasses. Problem is I need them to read now. I need to break down and get tri - focal glasses, but have not broken down yet. Before I got the different color strobes, I was always get the direction of my Mavic wrong even as close as 500 ft distance.

 

[hiflyer201]

what a crock! Having had light aircraft traffic called out to me by ATC over several thousand hours I know that I'm not likely to spot a small aircraft two miles away even when I know exactly where to look and at what altitude. You may have seen something but you didn't see your drone and even if you did I doubt if you could properly control it using line of sight. There would be no problem controlling the drone using the camera of course.

 

[FASTFJR]

Sorry, as some of the others have said your full of it

Off the beach I was able to see mine 690ft away, I could sort of make it out at 750. This was about 10ft off the water However at those distances if you look away for a second its gone.

 

[Northwood Mediaworks]

I can see a troll way back at the start of this topic without visual aids!

 

[DanMan32]

If you are able to distinguish lateral movement, then there's a trick to figure out if you're coming or going. It's something I picked up on a YT video to orient those cheap quads.

Fly forward and yaw left. If soon it flies left, you were going. If flies right, it was coming.

If you want to come back and you can see it fly left or right, fly forward and yaw in the direction you see it going. When you perceive it to no longer be moving, it is coming towards you.

 

[johnbirt]

If you are able to distinguish lateral movement, then there's a trick to figure out if you're coming or going. It's something I picked up on a YT video to orient those cheap quads.

Fly forward and yaw left. If soon it flies left, you were going. If flies right, it was coming.

If you want to come back and you can see it fly left or right, fly forward and yaw in the direction you see it going. When you perceive it to no longer be moving, it is coming towards you.

Indeed. Even as a relative novice pilot I use a similar technique. Its called practice and depends critically on being able to see it so limit it to <500 m and not so high my arthritic neck suffers and needs a chiropractor.

People who think it is great to fly miles at altitude while maintaining VLOS (you kidding?) and so making them some sort of superhero in their empty heads, remind me of those folk who can exceed the drink driving limit because they can take their liquor and know they are perfectly able to be in control ... until ... Usually someone else on the receiving end. Same with drones. Very few pilots get hit.

We wonder why there are moves everywhere to place restrictions on drone flying? Look no further these idiots fly amongst us