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LOS ?

johnnyb57

Lost in Space
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How does this work, sorry but I watch these videos where theres no way one can see that far ? Then someone here, said they couldn't use thier sky view becausr of it ? I know my vision isnt the best, but once I get above 260' I can no longer really see my bird nevermind that same distance away ? But with sky view alls good, I can then push new limits within reason ? Sorry just triyin to get a handle on these things ? And the 260' is right above me, as I was attempting to see ? I flew out further than I could see keeping the hieght above the trees, so there was a clear line between the two, so thats my real question is that whats its all about ?
 
My philosophy is "use your best judgement". I realize doing so much not involve "following the law"...but, if you're flying safe, away from people, then why should it matter? The govt has gotten WAY over zealous where drones are concerned. A few 'bad seeds' do some idiotic things, and then, all of a sudden, the govt wants to nail down every drone user. Just as with motorcycles, "it's the few who give the many a bad name".

I've installed external antenna on my TH, moved the 3rd antenna on my ST16 to the top (effectively converting it into an ST16+), and installed a hi-gain 4Hawks Raptor. With the stock configuration, you can only each 0.5-0.75 miles. However, with the mods I've done, I've flown over 3 miles (and, no, I haven't tested "max distance", so I can't answer that question, even if you asked)...but, in doing so, I wasn't anywhere near people, thus no 'danger'.

Personally, if you fly "safe", the govt shouldn't have any say in how, or how far, you fly. I believe that, depending on where you're flying, even the 400ft ceiling is ridiculous...if I'm not flying near people, I should be able to at least go somewhat higher...I don't think 1,000ft is 'unreasonable'...again, as long as you are in a COMPLETELY "safe" area. If you're anywhere close to people, then I agree work the 400ft ceiling.
 
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Further you go the more vigilant you have to be, when you lose sight and rely on the monitor screen there is a lag which can catch you out, by the time you see it, you may of hit it!
 
Further you go the more vigilant you have to be, when you lose sight and rely on the monitor screen there is a lag which can catch you out, by the time you see it, you may of hit it!

It's not as if I get that high. Except in very rare cases, I tend to keep my TH below 400ft. Occasionally, I'll hit 450ft, but never further than 1mi. On extremely rare cases, I've gone up to 600ft, but I also never got further than 0.5mi (and, before you ask, yes, custom firmware...I do occasional filming for real estate agents in the Santa Cruz Mountains, plus occasional low-altitude filming (below 100ft) less than 1mi from an international airport).
 
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Thanx everyone, just tryin to get a handle on all this, I mean i've watched these videos, and thats what made me question it ? Also am I correct, as long as theres no obstructions between the drone, and controller alls good ? What I'd really like to do is fly past the trees then lower down for a shot, I believe theres a way, as these smaller drones fly thru the woods ?
 
How does this work, sorry but I watch these videos where theres no way one can see that far ? Then someone here, said they couldn't use thier sky view becausr of it ? I know my vision isnt the best, but once I get above 260' I can no longer really see my bird nevermind that same distance away ? But with sky view alls good, I can then push new limits within reason ? Sorry just triyin to get a handle on these things ? And the 260' is right above me, as I was attempting to see ? I flew out further than I could see keeping the hieght above the trees, so there was a clear line between the two, so thats my real question is that whats its all about ?
It is actually VLOS not LOS. The reason it is called VLOS is because it means....Visual Line Of Sight. That is the distance that "you" can visually see, not others. If you can not see it, then it is not safe. Like a vehicle, you must be in constant care and control when you operate.
 
It is actually VLOS not LOS. The reason it is called VLOS is because it means....Visual Line Of Sight. That is the distance that "you" can visually see, not others. If you can not see it, then it is not safe. Like a vehicle, you must be in constant care and control when you operate.
But if you can see were your going and see all the obsticles thru sky view, wheres the difference, is what I'm really tryin to understand ?
 
Depth of field, I belive can get lost in vlos ? There seems to be alot of varibles to this ? I mean how does one know how close you are to a tree 200-300 feet away without using your monitor ? Unless you go well above what you believe the hieght of the tree is, then its a guessing game ?
 
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If you lower down to have the trees block your view, you will risk not only loss of video, but loss of control signal. Skyview will not help with that... but you will get a wonderful FPV view of the crash if video is still there... (or as pointed out above, a couple of seconds later).
 
Just remember, whether using FPV goggles, or not, if signal is lost, RTH (Return To Home) should automatically activate, elevating the TH to the pre-determined height, returning to it's takeoff coordinates, and then landing...as long as there's enough battery power remaining to do so.
 
Yes and guessing leads to crashing!
It has to be Visual Line Of Sight. If you are using magnification to see your bird it is too far away. A minor head shift can take your area of view hundreds of feet away from where it needs to be. Trying to find your bird could be a lost cause if there are any obstacles between it and you.
 
Thanx everyone, just tryin to fully understand without unnessary risks, I mean I see these people take off of cliffs and go down lower than vlos, and others that fly well beyond vlos where there are trees and whatnot between them ? Was just wondering how this is done ? As far as skyview goggles, you see what the bird sees, as long as your camera is facing the right way ? Sorry to get into this as I watch these talented pilots pull off amazing shots, just want to get close to what they achieve, thats all... Thank you panther thats what I was believin also
 
But if you can see were your going and see all the obsticles thru sky view, wheres the difference, is what I'm really tryin to understand ?

There’s a big difference between “seeing” what is straight ahead and “seeing” what is at the sides. There’s also a significant issue with depth perception at distance. Here in the the U.S. LOS, or VLOS, is defined at how well you can see with the unaided eye. Corrective vision glasses or contact lenses are considered part of the “unaided” definition but no other vision augmentation methods, included Skyview, are permissible.

So your personal visual acuity is what determines your personal line of sight. If your vision has degraded to a point that even wearing corrective lenses you can’t see the aircraft beyond 260’ your effective line of sight range limit is 260’. You cannot use goggles or view screens to extend it.

Because someone else does something illegal is no justification for everyone else to do the same.
 
There’s a big difference between “seeing” what is straight ahead and “seeing” what is at the sides. There’s also a significant issue with depth perception at distance. Here in the the U.S. LOS, or VLOS, is defined at how well you can see with the unaided eye. Corrective vision glasses or contact lenses are considered part of the “unaided” definition but no other vision augmentation methods, included Skyview, are permissible.

So your personal visual acuity is what determines your personal line of sight. If your vision has degraded to a point that even wearing corrective lenses you can’t see the aircraft beyond 260’ your effective line of sight range limit is 260’. You cannot use goggles or view screens to extend it.

Because someone else does something illegal is no justification for everyone else to do the same.
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 ?
 
.....I see these people take off of cliffs and go down lower than vlos, and others that fly well beyond vlos where there are trees and whatnot between them ? Was just wondering how this is done ?......

Illegally.

Or, they’re in a country with different laws.

Or, they’re older videos made before the laws were passed.
 
Illegally.

Or, they’re in a country with different laws.

Or, they’re older videos made before the laws were passed.
One was on his own farm land, the other was on a counry road, which appeared to be stateside ? Once i get all the info I'm after there a large reservation I want to go to, to get some shots/video ? Theres someone in my city thats been there, but I'm going to use sky view for what I'm after ?
 
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.
 

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