Who flies beyond line of sight?

[dougiefresh27]

I know the rules are don't fly if you can't see your drone but.....
I see a lot of videos where it is a mile away

Personally I'm afraid to lose my Mavic Air
As I'm fairly new to the Air, I have not even gone beyond 1000 feet away

I call mine the "Predator Drone"

Tell me your stories

 

[rickw]

I sure won't admit mine

 

[Pontoon-pilot]

Your question (and the answer to it) would be similar to asking "who drives at, or below the speed limit? Or who is speeding?
And you already know the answer.
speeding you ask? I will need to invoke the good ol' "Glomar response" and say I can neither confirm nor deny its existence.

 

[Cookedinlh]

Get yourself a Mavic 2E . . . that serarchlight is visible (VLOS) at over a mile (>5-6,000ft) in almost any lighting
VLOS with Mavic 2 E

 

[Jake 61]

I always keep to the height limit, unless I'm in the middle of nowhere and I want a particular shot. I do mostly fly to VLOS, but when I lose sight of my drone, I'm pretty confident that nobody else is going to see it either.
Legit, not strictly speaking, respectful and considerate, yes, all the time.

 

[dougiefresh27]

Get yourself a Mavic 2E . . . that serarchlight is visible (VLOS) at over a mile (>5-6,000ft) in almost any lighting
VLOS with Mavic 2 E

A bright flashing strobe light would do the trick. Omni directional

 

[BB Baggins]

A bright flashing strobe light would do the trick. Omni directional

Agreed. The FAA requirements for 30 minutes pre-sunrise and 30 minutes post-sundown is a strobe that can be seen at 3 miles. That should provide a good distance while still VLOS.

 

[tleedom]

Agreed. The FAA requirements for 30 minutes pre-sunrise and 30 minutes post-sundown is a strobe that can be seen at 2 miles. That should provide a good distance while still VLOS.

3 miles

b) No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft system during periods of civil twilight unless the small unmanned aircraft has lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles. The remote pilot in command may reduce the intensity of the anti-collision lighting if he or she determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to do so.

(c) For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, civil twilight refers to the following:

(1) Except for Alaska, a period of time that begins 30 minutes before official sunrise and ends at official sunrise;

(2) Except for Alaska, a period of time that begins at official sunset and ends 30 minutes after official sunset; and

(3) In Alaska, the period of civil twilight as defined in the Air Almanac.

 

[BB Baggins]

Yes, 3 miles. My bad.

 

[Cookedinlh]

A bright flashing strobe light would do the trick. Omni directional

Actually no . . that flashing strobe is limited to a few hundred meters especially when going away from you it is lost as soon as the Mavic tilts forward to go . . and then after about 1500-200ft it is hard to see compared to the super bright Spotlight. If I'm ever unsure of where it it I just point back to me and flash myself. . . check my test again VLOS with Mavic 2 E

 

[ShermanFlyer]

Not guilty on all counts

 

[dougiefresh27]

Get yourself a Mavic 2E . . . that serarchlight is visible (VLOS) at over a mile (>5-6,000ft) in almost any lighting
VLOS with Mavic 2 E

The Mavic 2E is a light for the Mavic 2 Enterprise not the Air right?
I love the strong strobe idea

 

[tleedom]

When I use strobes, I put one strobe on the top and the belly.

 

[HVYMTL]

Nobody ever fly’s beyond VLOS, and no one in prison is guilty of the crimes they have been accused of..

 

[Cookedinlh]

The Mavic 2E is a light for the Mavic 2 Enterprise not the Air right?
I love the strong strobe idea

Strobes would be nice but you can't see them in the daytime beyond about 1/2 mile . . and yes its the Enterprise model with the searchlight . .superbright, unmistakable at more than a mile. Anyone got a strobe stronger than the CREE STROBON or the M2E? . . can't find one.

 

[dougiefresh27]

Strobes would be nice but you can't see them in the daytime beyond about 1/2 mile . . and yes its the Enterprise model with the searchlight . .superbright, unmistakable at more than a mile. Anyone got a strobe stronger than the CREE STROBON or the M2E? . . can't find one.

From what I searched the CREE Strobon may be the brightest. It would certainly help.

 

[Cookedinlh]

From what I searched the CREE Strobon may be the brightest. It would certainly help.

Don't think it come close to the M2E Searchlight . . Strobon Cree claims it meets FAA 3 mile visibility. I have 3 of them and only the WHITE ones are possibly visible at that range at night . . under ideal conditions. Try it sometime and the moment you take your eyes away you will not be able to tell which blinking light is the CREE. . . even in rural settings . . I've tried. M3E Search is 26W.
Strobon CREE do last a long time though . . they claim 2 hrs but I've run them for 4+ hrs continuous.

 

[Thomas B]

From what I searched the CREE Strobon may be the brightest. It would certainly help.

Here is a direct comparison of Strobon and Firehouse (especially note the ARC2)by one of our own. One LED does not compete with four!

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[Drone on]

I fly VLOS until I can no longer see it.

 

[DrDrew3]

I suspect when the FAA gets around to updating this rule they will ditch the VLOS terminology in favor of a specific distance limit from the operator. After all, nobody knows what you are actually looking at it or what you can see except yourself. And visual acuity varies greatly from person to person as well. The VLOS rule is wildly subjective which renders it practically unenforceable.

When these rules were adopted I don't think the FAA fully anticipated how capable inexpensive consumer drones would quickly become. MP1 boasts 4.3 mile range on the spec sheet. I'm just gonna enjoy it as long as I can.