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LOS ?

Thanx pat, just tryin to understand all these things, just to go a step further people use the follow me mode while driving a car, or truck, even an atv ? I understand whats right, and whats wrong I guess all will come into play at some point ?

Regarding Follow mode and driving. This is legal under certain conditions. One condition is the vehicle is operated away from traffic in remote or unpopulated areas. No other vehicle traffic can be nearby.

Under commercial rules the driver of the car cannot be the one operating the drone. There are people that use single driver/single operator Follow mode on remote desert trails. Are they in violation? Probably, but where they are and the conditions assure the activity is done safely.

This is something I think some overlook; assuring safety. If there’s any chance what we do can endanger others we should not be doing it. If we are well outside of populated areas with no chance of inducing property damage or public safety we might push the boundaries in some ways a little.

Line of sight remains pretty important though. If we can’t see our aircraft we can’t possibly determine we aren’t flying too close to something we should not be, nor can we assure safe separation from manned aircraft, another group that likes to legally fly low and fast in remote, unpopulated areas.
 
VLOS is being able to see the aircraft without any extra aids like binoculars or such like so that you can control the aircraft, determine orientation, and take evasive action without the aid of the screen. This means that if anything comes between you and the aircraft you don't have VLOS.

Flying beyond VLOS (BVLOS) while illegally possible is, in my opinion, not a particularly safe way to fly. If you can't see the aircraft you don't know what is going on around it. Is it being attacked by a buzzard? Is someone taking pot shots at it? Your camera will be of little help there. It's not about if you are gonna fly near to people that is the issue (though that is still relevant), it's about how to control it and take avoidance action without relying on the screen.

Here in the U.K. anything more than 500m away is considered in law to be BVLOS. With my eyesight and with favorable lighting conditions I'm comfortable with my TH up to around 400m but consider myself to be pushing it at any distance beyond that. With my P2V+ I consider myself to be pushing it beyond around 325m. So for me I have VLOS with my TH to around 400m and with my P2V+ at about 325m. Depending on what aircraft I'm using, then, those distances are respectfully my VLOS limits. If the light isn't so good then those distances are reduced accordingly.

I have, just once, flown my TH up to 500m away. The lighting was particularly good that day but I admit that it was a struggle. However, I was able to control it and determine it's orientation even though it was little more than a dot in the sky. Technically, then, I had VLOS. Was I flying safely? I'm not so sure.
You would only find out in a crash where some damage took place, and a judge would determine, but if you where in control and still see it, then it was legal in the legal sense, suppose it could be like national speed limit, some places you are able to drive at 60m mph, but another area only 40 mph, both are legal, but would it reckless ?
 
You would only find out in a crash where some damage took place, and a judge would determine, but if you where in control and still see it, then it was legal in the legal sense, suppose it could be like national speed limit, some places you are able to drive at 60m mph, but another area only 40 mph, both are legal, but would it reckless ?
Exactly. I could be traveling at 59mph in my car in a 60mph limit and so not breaking the speed limit. But if I was driving badly in other respects then I probably won't be a safe driver. There is a big difference between driving below the speed limit and driving safely. The same applies to flying our aircraft. Just because it is legal to fly out to 500m if you can still claim to have VLOS doesn't mean you should, nor does it mean you are flying safely.
 
Exactly. I could be traveling at 59mph in my car in a 60mph limit and so not breaking the speed limit. But if I was driving badly in other respects then I probably won't be a safe driver. There is a big difference between driving below the speed limit and driving safely. The same applies to flying our aircraft. Just because it is legal to fly out to 500m if you can still claim to have VLOS doesn't mean you should, nor does it mean you are flying safely.
Off topic, but you had a chance to use that new Power 4 battery? Work and weather had prevented me up-to now!
 
Off topic, but you had a chance to use that new Power 4 battery? Work and weather had prevented me up-to now!
No. ever since I received it two weeks ago I've not had the opportunity to fly it. The weather just hasn't been playing ball. There has been a couple of days where the weather, though not very good, has been such that a flight was possible, but on those two days I had other commitments---life away from drones sometimes gets in the way.

It's absolutely tipping it down at the moment as I write this and the BBC weather forecast still doesn't look promising for the next few days either. I think it likely that I won't get to fly that new battery until at least next week. Urgh!
 
With a VO I've had my H out .98 miles at 400', FPV was useless, only the strobes made it visible to me and there's no way I could argue I could discern direction and orientation from a flash of white.
 
With a VO I've had my H out .98 miles at 400', FPV was useless, only the strobes made it visible to me and there's no way I could argue I could discern direction and orientation from a flash of white.
occasionally I attach two strobes to my H. One red and one white. The main reason I got the strobes was to assist me if I was flying in poor lighting conditions and for if/when I ever decide to do a night time operation. They are essentially useless in bright sunlight but in poor lighting they work a treat. Having two that are different colours helps immensely to determine orientation.
 

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