What's the point in long range flying?

[Amit Dunsky]

Some of the youtubers seems to be obsessed with long range flying, sending their drones miles away. Other than the fact that this clearly breech the requirement for VLOS, and other than the fact that the higher the range - the higher are the chances it will drop somewhere along the way, I really fail to see the the point in all that. This is a photography drone: If you wish to take a photograph at a location 5 or 6 miles away, just go there and fly your drone at the location...

I think the longest range I've sent my M3P to, would probably be around 1km, along the shore line, or down some road etc. Other than that, I did fly it for a few km, but that was while it was active tracking my car, so at no point did the drone move more than 20-30 meters away from me.

 

[Gagey52]

I often question the reasoning for it as well Amit. every now and then a video comes along that is very obviously not VLOS, that really impresses me. The moment my drone is out of sight, I have my heart in my mouth.
Regards

 

[Pushkur]

There is a certain excitement testing the boundaries, going far beyond line of sight.
I think once I took each new drone I bought to its range limit at a few locations and got that out the way, I then start to focus on trying to make quality recordings.

 

[Chaosrider]

If you're primarily a pilot instead of a photographer, like I am, the appeal of long distance flight is obvious. That's what flying is for...to GO somewhere!

 

[RogerDH]

I often question the reasoning for it as well Amit. every now and then a video comes along that is very obviously not VLOS, that really impresses me. The moment my drone is out of sight, I have my heart in my mouth.
Regards

My opinion is that what you do with your drone is up to you, and it's fully your responsibility if things go wrong. BUT I think a better question is why some people feel compelled to brag about being a Bad Boy scofflaw on YouTube and forums. That's what really hurts the reputation of the community.

 

[FLDave]

No point in long range flying if you can't brag about it. I suspect the main reason for long flights is to brag about out and show off on YouTube that you can and at the same time use the to get more hits on the YouTube channel. It's gets viewers on YouTube and maybe even some compensation. What more reason would be needed?

 

[YVRGUY]

Why? . . .Perspective.

 

[DSRT_VLTR]

Some of the youtubers seems to be obsessed with long range flying, sending their drones miles away. Other than the fact that this clearly breech the requirement for VLOS, and other than the fact that the higher the range - the higher are the chances it will drop somewhere along the way, I really fail to see the the point in all that. This is a photography drone: If you wish to take a photograph at a location 5 or 6 miles away, just go there and fly your drone at the location...

I think the longest range I've sent my M3P to, would probably be around 1km, along the shore line, or down some road etc. Other than that, I did fly it for a few km, but that was while it was active tracking my car, so at no point did the drone move more than 20-30 meters away from me.

I set my Mini 2's range to 2000ft. That's as far as I'm ready to hike to find it in case it falls from the sky.

 

[Chaosrider]

My opinion is that what you do with your drone is up to you, and it's fully your responsibility if things go wrong. BUT I think a better question is why some people feel compelled to brag about being a Bad Boy scofflaw on YouTube and forums. That's what really hurts the reputation of the community.

I completely agree. Some activities should be kept private.

 

[Chaosrider]

No point in long range flying if you can't brag about it. I suspect the main reason for long flights is to brag about out and show off on YouTube that you can and at the same time use the to get more hits on the YouTube channel. It's gets viewers on YouTube and maybe even some compensation. What more reason would be needed?

If you were getting money for it, I can certainly see that as a motivation.

But the whole "brag" thing, I don't get. If I did extended BVLOS flying, beyond the unofficial FAA enforcement distance of 2 km (1.2 mi), I'd do it because it was cool, not to brag. I don't do that ever...I've set 1.2 miles as the max distance for all my drones in all my Minis, and in the FPV. I would happily go farther and enjoy it, but I have no desire to poke the FAA bear with a stick.

I know a lot of people do have bragging as a major motivation in general, but I can't really model that in my head. Perhaps that's the reason I'm not on any social media sites.

Unless you want to count this one...

;-)

 

[Victhor]

It is a measure of the quality and stability of the signal. You don't need to go 5km, but if a drone can go 2km and another can go 5km, it means the signal of the later is better, so in denser areas, with more interferences, you will have lower chances of getting disconnects. But you cannot test it in denser areas with interferences, because you will get very different results every day or in different areas, so better to test it in the country side and try to go as far as possible, that is a test that it is more easy to compare between different people at a different time and location.

 

[Siam]

What is the point of long-range flying? Same as when people ask me what is the point of jumping out of an airplane, or running an ultra marathon (50-100 miles), or why do I like para motoring. Or in the technical area..why do I like to use only 5 watts transmitting (Ham radio) when I have 1000 watt amplifier? Or why do I try to capture Jupiter and its moons with only a small DSLR and lens? The thrill of course and to see how far you can go or the limitations of your equipment.

Other motives are ego.....and Ego....and EG.o...and EGO. duh

I mean...that is a no-brainer question.

As far as legality and ethics for the question at hand. I think that is best left to the judgment of the person doing the long-range flying.

Is this any different than the person taking off without LAANC approval for certain areas, or flying at night or Civil twilight without strobes?

I am not defending illegal behavior...but there are lots of other things out there that endanger the hobby more than this.

Just a quick thought: what is the point of going over the speed limit (even 1 MPH more)...what is the point of coming to a complete stop at a stop sign at 2 AM in the middle of nowhere America? What is the point of crossing a street before you see the "WALK" light illuminate?

Just food for thought.

 

[Aerophile]

I am not defending illegal behavior...

LOL. Of course you are - that's exactly what you're doing.

This is why the regulations always become more restrictive.

 

[Siam]

LOL. Of course you are - that's exactly what you're doing.

This is why the regulations always become more restrictive.

Opinions.. opinions...opinions LOL

My point is that people complain about people breaking one law or regulation are often themselves breaking other laws and regulations

 

[Logger]

There are valid usage cases for long range flying. Farmer or Rancher wants to check his stock or water troughs in his paddocks that are several km from homestead. Fly to them at 30', check and come back. Takes 10 min. In a vehicle this might take an hour to do same.

 

[footfly]

Some of the youtubers seems to be obsessed with long range flying, sending their drones miles away. Other than the fact that this clearly breech the requirement for VLOS, and other than the fact that the higher the range - the higher are the chances it will drop somewhere along the way, I really fail to see the the point in all that. This is a photography drone: If you wish to take a photograph at a location 5 or 6 miles away, just go there and fly your drone at the location...

I think the longest range I've sent my M3P to, would probably be around 1km, along the shore line, or down some road etc. Other than that, I did fly it for a few km, but that was while it was active tracking my car, so at no point did the drone move more than 20-30 meters away from me.

For some people. It is testing limits. Even if just once. If people do not test limit, if can be done relatively safely, the world technology would not advance. Civilization at one point in time thought the earth was square shape...It took a daring person to show earth is round... that individual took it to the limit...

 

[mooncusser]

It took a daring person to show earth is round... that individual took it to the limit...

Enough of that propaganda - we all know the Earth is really flat

 

[Robert Prior]

But the whole "brag" thing, I don't get.

There are people who post other people's photos on their Flickr accounts and glory in the likes and compliments they get from viewers who assume that they are the photographer.

I don't understand how getting compliments for photos someone else took is worthwhile, but they apparently find it rewarding enough to keep doing it daily for months.

 

[jphoto]

It is a measure of the quality and stability of the signal. You don't need to go 5km, but if a drone can go 2km and another can go 5km, it means the signal of the later is better, so in denser areas, with more interferences, you will have lower chances of getting disconnects. But you cannot test it in denser areas with interferences, because you will get very different results every day or in different areas, so better to test it in the country side and try to go as far as possible, that is a test that it is more easy to compare between different people at a different time and location.

Yes, this ^^^^ is a legitimate reason to push for greater distance. And the only one with real benefit other than the boast. But you don't have to do it yourself if someone else already has, unless you suspect a problem. And this is Exactly the case for the Mini 3, which in general, misses its maximum distance spec quite significantly, something that is a problem even when flying vlos. Just two days ago I momentarily lost it...meaning it disconnected from the controller....at under 1000', clear air, no obstructions, and while in sight. It did eventually reconnect. It does your nerves only a little good to see it when this happens, a situation I'm going to name "v-but-lost".

 

[jphoto]

There are people who post other people's photos on their Flickr accounts and glory in the likes and compliments they get from viewers who assume that they are the photographer.

I don't understand how getting compliments for photos someone else took is worthwhile, but they apparently find it rewarding enough to keep doing it daily for months.

It's a far healthier mental state to not understand that particular mechanism rather than to fall victim to it.