Reliable flight distance

[PatR]

This is where the discrepancy with defining BLOS comes into play. At 3000' it is not humanly possible for unaided eyesight, allowing for corrective lenses, to establish aircraft orientation, even using strobes. The light can be seen even with considerable angular offset so your estimation of orientation can be off by many degrees. So at 3000' you are controlling the H using the image on the screen for directional reference. You may be able to see a speck in the sky but only for as long as you keep your eyes on it. Look away and it is lost until you see a flash of light. If the H rotates where that light is no longer facing you, or if the light fails, you won't see it until after it comes back a lot closer by whatever means. In my opinion, you are flying BLOS at that distance. If flying commercially, don't get caught, either directly or through video evidence.

A good test would be to turn your back while someone carries your H 3000' away and sets it down. Would you be able to tell which way it is facing if the camera and lights were not working?

 

[FlushVision]

Just an observation, but there seems to be some discrepancies between how people define LOS and controlling the aircraft using LOS. That might be a fun discussion for another thread.

I take your point.
I use a procedure to establish and keep my orientation without having to rely on the screen at distance by a method that involves some forward movement coupled with some yaw to establish what direction the aircraft is pointing in. Using this method (learned over many hours of flights) I am able to maintain an awareness of the aircraft's orientation with relative ease to a distance of around 1300' but certainly not beyond 1400'. However, I'm not in the habit of pushing the aircraft to this extreme since it is all too easy to lose sight of the aircraft if you take your eyes off it to glance at the screen. Indeed, I must concede that using my method is pushing the legal definition of LOS and should really not be used. Generally, I like to keep my aircraft much closer and look to plan my flights with maximum distances traveled out of less that 6 or 7 hundred feet. Indeed, if I can get what I've set out to get by flying out to only a couple of hundred feet then all is good.

 

[PatR]

Just to let ya know, I'm not acting "holier than thou", I've done it too

 

[Dilly Joat]

I agree that all flights should be VLOS and I don't think people should fly 1.2 miles just to video a point of interest . Wasn't me, officer!
Up to now I don't use Smart mode but wonder if Smart mode solves the problem of orientation. If your H is a speck in the sky then surely in Smart mode you always know the orientation without knowing which way your H is actually pointing - push stick to left, H goes left from your view regardless of which way it is pointing.
If you lose orientation in Angle mode, could this provide a safe method of flying until you can see which way your H is pointing?

 

[FlushVision]

Owning a Phantom as well as a H I can see a distinct difference in each aircraft's LOS limit. Even using my method that I referred to above I would not be able to say that I know the orientation of the Phantom without the benefit of the screen at a distance of much more than a thousand feet. In contrast, because the H is bigger and it's colour makes it stand out more I am able to increase that distance to about 1300'. Much further than that would certainly make the aircraft (for me) difficult to see. I expect that I would still be able to see the aircraft up to even 1600' as a spec in the distance but I think that the likelihood of loosing sight of it at that distance by glancing away and back again is far too great to argue that I have VLOS

But being able argue that I still have LOS of my H using my method at 1300' only comes with experience. A less experienced pilot would almost certainly need to rely on the screen to establish orientation over those distances and so would be out of LOS whatever the definition of LOS you are using.

As I've already said, I'm not in the habit of flying out to the sort of distances where I feel I have to use my method to establish orientation. Overall, the closer the aircraft is to me the happier I am...and, of course, less distance for me to walk if it goes down. I've read a saying somewhere: Don't fly any further than you are prepared to walk.

 

[PH-2EX]

My H. was max 2.6km away from me. waypoint flying.

 

[Rayray]

If you lose orientation in Angle mode, could this provide a safe method of flying until you can see which way your H is pointing?

Don't use Smart Mode unless you intend to do the Watch or Follow Me modes. Also remember there's a distance limit to Smart Mode.

In Angle Mode, are you familiar with the rotating Green Arrow icon, what it means, and how to use it? (Note that if the craft and ST16 are close to each other, the Green Arrow is not so accurate, don't test it that way.)

 

[Dilly Joat]

Don't use Smart Mode unless you intend to do the Watch or Follow Me modes. Also remember there's a distance limit to Smart Mode.

In Angle Mode, are you familiar with the rotating Green Arrow icon, what it means, and how to use it? (Note that if the craft and ST16 are close to each other, the Green Arrow is not so accurate, don't test it that way.)

RayRay, I do use the green arrow to help with orientation at times and in general I agree with you about Smart mode. Thank you for reminding me about the Geo Fence, I don't know what happens if you switch to Smart mode when your H is already beyond the Geo Fence limit. Has anyone tried this?

 

[FlushVision]

RayRay, I do use the green arrow to help with orientation at times and in general I agree with you about Smart mode. Thank you for reminding me about the Geo Fence, I don't know what happens if you switch to Smart mode when your H is already beyond the Geo Fence limit. Has anyone tried this?

I accidentally caught the switch without noticing it shortly after I first got my H. It wouldn't come towards me...the only control I had was up and down but whether the smart mode being engaged caused this I don't know.

 

[PatR]

RayRay, I do use the green arrow to help with orientation at times and in general I agree with you about Smart mode. Thank you for reminding me about the Geo Fence, I don't know what happens if you switch to Smart mode when your H is already beyond the Geo Fence limit. Has anyone tried this?

It inhibits any movement that would take it further, laterally, from the controller.

 

[russelrayphotos]

Hi everybody,

From the experience of seasoned H owners, what is the distance of reliable flight in an area not far away from town, meaning with some possible signal interference, some trees around, some electrical lines? So you would say that "at disastance X I am sure I will have good signal, but beyond that I do not know".

The only problems I have with my H is that I cannot get any of the RealSense functions to work. Until I do (or until I buy something else) I've been working on determining how far and how high I can fly. So far my records are 392.3 feet high and 2,353 feet out there.

 

[PatR]

Have you tried changing those limits in the GUI and linking your H to the GUI?

 

[cloudsurfer]

Great discussion, all! stuck to the point, addressed issues, and no body slamming. Thanks for the professional wisdom. I thought I was the only one who was scared to send my boy up over a roof! It's like a 2 year old...always afraid he'll get away from me. I care about injury to others more than I care about the rig. I like insurance, though, so I'll check on the antennas. It'll be worth the $150. So is it DBS or fpvlr? Do you find difficulty on autonomous missions as well?

 

[PatR]

I've gone s long ways out with a stock, 2 antenna 16. However, I do have real dipole antennas on the H. I haven't flown any automated missions with this one but I have flown manual 270* arcs around objects where the view between H and 16 was completely blocked by tall trees. I don't recommend anyone else try that and not be prepared for problems though. My point is I don't think the 16 antennas need changing for distances inside a mile as long as they are oriented correctly. Of greater import is assuring a clear sight picture between the H and the 16, and don't aim the antennas at the H.

 

[chipboy]

Have you tried changing those limits in the GUI and linking your H to the GUI?

What is GUI and how d you link it to the GUI?

 

[PatR]

Read your Quick Start Guide and visit the Yuneec downloads page. Watch a YouTube video or two as well.

 

[chipboy]

Read your Quick Start Guide and visit the Yuneec downloads page. Watch a YouTube video or two as well.

Does this change affect the distance and the height if you are already flying in angle mode?

 

[Atomic08]

What is GUI and how d you link it to the GUI?

Chipboy
Watch this for GUI Setup

 

[chipboy]

View attachment 6226 Easily over a mile out and up, I've replaced the pigtails in the ground station and use fpvlr antennas on all 3 of the ground station + external on the H also using the upgraded pigtail wire. I've done 1 test way out of sight after the upgrades but always fly LOS regularly. Never had the st16 screen black out or even fuzzy.

Do the external antennas on the H help increase the range if you have the fpvlr

 

[PatR]

What is GUI and how d you link it to the GUI?

RTFM