Typhoon H distance flight - Almost lost it at around 3000 feet out
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PatR
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Now honestly was it still with in Line of Sight at that distance?
Welcome to the forum!
Forgive us if some of us get a little shouty when it comes to distance flying and so on. Over the last year or so there have been quite a few politicians and government bodies who want to regulate drones into the ground. In Canada they introduced legislation that would pretty much have confined your Typhoon to your back yard, and in Switzerland you cannot fly any drone with a camera. It's not helped that ignorant journalists make over excited headlines about Drone NEAR MISS! and Drones INVADING OUR PRIVACY!
So we get a little twitchy when people do things that could damage drone reputation even more.On top of that, the pilots with full commercial licenses who're on here have gone through training that drums into them the legal limits of flying in the States and Europe. Flying where you do not have full control of the drone (which includes being able to physically see which way it's facing and flying) is flat out illegal.
Having said all that, yes, the advertised limit for the Typhoon is in ideal conditions - open, flat ground, clear weather conditions and unbroken line of sight between you and the drone. The moment you get trees, nearby buildings, cell towers and so on, the practical limit is reduced. A better antenna will improve things, but it's still the case that flying behind trees or in heavily built up areas can have unexpectedly short radio reception. On the whole, video transmission will always go before radio, and when radio is lost the Typhoon will go to the return to height altitude (which you can adjust at the start of a flight) and head back towards the last known location of the ST-16.
Have fun, fly safe!
Pat, the stadium is no longer in use and there are no TFRs around it. Flying there is perfectly legal.
CraigCam
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It's possible even in your open scenario to have signal loss. The antennas are very directional and wifi is a horrible way to transmit video. Video drop before radio loss is typical. Video loss means you've got to connect to the camera and that's almost impossible when that far away. The fact you did not panic is good. It sounds like the H entered RTH autonomously when it lost radio control. The biggest problem with pushing distance is battery loss on the return trip. So maybe go back to flying close and training your eyes to look at the ST in glances for critical info as when you fly that far away, one glance down can cause loss of your eyes on the drone when it's that far away. I placed an FAA compliant strobe on my gimbal and that increased visual line of sight significantly. If I have to push distance on a job I bring a spotter and binoculars. I can't imagine trying to search corn fields for a crashed H a mile away. When I had my well documented battery fail my strobe light stayed on and without that I'd never have found it. And the car analogy is legit if you say would you take that car you don't know up to its top speed? Because for sure you'd chicken out before whatever top number is on the speedometer cause it'd be unsafe and you have lost control of a machine. Please consider these things when you fly. You don't know 100% no ones below you when you are that far away and it is in fact a risk to others. I'm sure you can say this spot was safe but you lost control which technically means you were not the pilot and that's where the debate ends.
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LoL
Its no longer in use it hasnt been for many many years, I have heard that they are going to tear it down. Also all the cars in the lot are Volks wagons, Probably the ones that had the computers hacked to make them pass emmissions
PatR
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Before I go up I'll take my cell phone and scan for WIFI networks in the area. They compete for the same radio frequencies we use. If there are strong ones near by I'll walk a big circle and find out where they are and not fly in that direction. Range figures are pretty much guesses. You have seen the little walkie talkies that advertise incredible ranges? Total B.S. The wife bought a set with out my knowledge, I didn't say a word. We used them twice and they did not even reach a mile. I was on my motorcycle and she was in the lead. I let her get farther ahead and we could not make contact.
Those ranges are possible in an unoccupied desert with low atmospheric noise. But those conditions are rare.
If you can't tell exactly which direction your bird is facing you are beyond Line of Sight.
Those ranges are possible in an unoccupied desert with low atmospheric noise. But those conditions are rare.
If you can't tell exactly which direction your bird is facing you are beyond Line of Sight.
Doesn't the regulations state v los with unaided eye. So binoculars would be not allowed as a vlos. Not saying you can't use them just still have to be able to see it with the naked eye.
PatR
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I miss the old Silverdome. I heard it's finally scheduled for demolition by the end of summer. Is that still a go?
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