Flying with drone out of eyesight

[Apilot101]

Nope. Do you think the penalty should be the same?

If FAA claims a drone is an aircraft, then drones should have the same protection but as we seen by Judges recently, Judges view drones and planes differently.

That is, we should treat some minor property damage and murder as the same.

Now here you are taking things for granted. Why do you automatically think 1 would be murder and the other isnt? Dont think shooting down a drone could cause murder? Was that not the thought that caused FAA to react????
Lets use the same thought process as some on here use. What happens when you shoot down a drone and it goes through............. "a windshield"??? (Im making quotation marks with my fingers)

We can treat them differently but still allow FAA authority over drones. To be honest, I almost would rather have the FAA in charge.
If not, it would probably be up to local municipalities to make the governing laws. We'd then have thousands of crap laws instead of just one that is half crap.

My problem is "We the People" didnt have any representation on what the rules the FAA is expected to "FORCE" because of a couple pissed of Congressmen who still circumvented the people. Im sorry but I dont feel the AMA was any representation of the people. FAAs "rules" was only a knee jerk reaction to silence the media. Want drone laws? then vote them in through Congress.

 

[Apilot101]

I know there are some guys on here that want to "Scare straight " operators and how the Boogieman called the FAA is out to hunt you down.
Thinking it will make you go away and not ruin "their" hobby. Im sorry, from my time with those who work in the FAA, Its not the case.

 

[QuadcopterCrazy]

I know there are some guys on here that want to "Scare straight " operators and how the Boogieman called the FAA is out to hunt you down.
Thinking it will make you go away and not ruin "their" hobby. Im sorry, from my time with those who work in the FAA, Its not the case.

Who is trying to do that? I don't think its about making people leave the hobby and more about educating everyone on the rules of flight. I think the more people that get into the hobby the better, its just that with more people comes more idiots and if we can some how stop some idiots from doing stupid things then thats a win in my book.

 

[tcope]

Now here you are taking things for granted. Why do you automatically think 1 would be murder and the other isnt? Dont think shooting down a drone could cause murder? Was that not the thought that caused FAA to react????

No. The NTSB made the ruling in response to the Pirker case. Pirker argued that the FAA did not have jurisdiction over the case as a drone was not an "aircraft". The only way shooting down a drone would kill someone is if it landed on them _just right_. One in a million. If you show down a manned plane... the chance of death would be almost a given. Just a slight difference.

 

[djphantom2015]

I have never flown out of sight. I always carry my telescope with me.

 

[dgd3]

People are doing as they please.

And what is eyesight defined as? My son can see my phantom much much further than I can. I'm 60, he's 7.

 

[tcope]

I have never flown out of sight. I always carry my telescope with me.

Then you don't understand the regulation.

 

[Jim Hampton]

Hi all. I have only had my P4 a couple days (first drone I have ever had). I have read that you should not fly your drone outside of eyesight but I am seeing these incredible videos that are clearly out of the operators sight. What am I to make of this? Thank much!


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

You are just asking for problems when you fly out of site. Rules are rules to keep our sport favorable to the public.

 

[Mark The Droner]

And what is eyesight defined as? My son can see my phantom much much further than I can. I'm 60, he's 7.

There is no definition for "eyesight." And there is no definition for VLOS either regarding a measured distance. I guess you could say it's kind of an honor system to some degree...

 

[captainmilehigh]

I have never flown out of sight. I always carry my telescope with me.

Yep, they say LOS is unaided vision with the exception of corrective lenses (glasses/contacts) .

I can't help it if my lenses are in binoculars or an old rifle scope. [emoji102]

** and don't jump me.....I was just being funny. We don't need any bad publicity. Fly Safe!

Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

 

[N017RW]

And what is eyesight defined as? My son can see my phantom much much further than I can. I'm 60, he's 7.

As far as YOU can see and control it safely and responsibly.

It is a 'performance' standard not a finite one such as a fixed distance. Many OSHA & FDA rules are similar.

 

[Desert RPV]

I think it depends on where you are. If near any people what so ever, then no. Stay in sight at all times. I live on the edge of a vast desert in the southwest. If I fly out over it there is absolutly no one out there that can get hurt if something goes wrong.

 

[MacCool]

I think it depends on where you are. If near any people what so ever, then no. Stay in sight at all times. I live on the edge of a vast desert in the southwest. If I fly out over it there is absolutly no one out there that can get hurt if something goes wrong.

Yes. People on these forums continually obsess over what they think that FAA means by any given rule. It's the source of occasional real bitterness and anger here as various people aggressively defend their own particular interpretation.

 

[Apilot101]

Yes. People on these forums continually obsess over what they think that FAA means by any given rule. It's the source of occasional real bitterness and anger here as various people aggressively defend their own particular interpretation.

I agree. considering, I sit in the living room with top FAA oficials who laugh at what some of these guys post. But who is he?? He only works there as a top official position. He needs to quit at FAA and join the forum to have credibility.

 

[MacCool]

I agree. considering, I sit in the living room with top FAA oficials who laugh at what some of these guys post. But who is he?? He only works there as a top official position. He needs to quit at FAA and join the forum to have credibility.

I can't imagine anything more fruitless than to try to interpret government regulations in any given area. The goverment agencies can't even interpret their own regulations consistently.

Try this experiment. Pick the agency of your choice, call them on the phone and ask them a question about a given rule or regulation of their agency. Then, call them back the next day and speak to a different person, ask the same question. I'd be astonished if you got the same answer

 

[Jim Carr]

For the most part.... No FAA doesnt.

Unofficially From high up inside the FAA..... Typically, It would be more likely that a police dept would be monitoring for a reason, then the police go to FAA to find a way to warrant an arrest they want. FAA has enough on their hands with certifications, etc. FAA actually didnt want to even mess with "Drones". They were pushed into it by a Pissed off Congressman who had 1 crash in his backyard demanding FAA to take on "drones". He also said those "drone sightings by pilots" were not our P3/4s, they were larger military drones but the media blew it up.

The greatest danger to flying too high or out of visual range is to other aircraft. In our area especially, we have high EMS and Law Enforcement helicopter traffic. There have already been several instances, some from local news media, of near misses between uav's and EMS helicopters on scenes. You will also see many news articles where fire fighting heli's have been grounded because of the hazards created by uav's at forest fires. Follow the FAA's guidelines and keep your UAV below 400 feet and in view, it will keep us all safe and our hobby (and profession in some cases) free from further needed legislation.

 

[Apilot101]

The greatest danger to flying too high or out of visual range is to other aircraft. In our area especially, we have high EMS and Law Enforcement helicopter traffic. There have already been several instances, some from local news media, of near misses between uav's and EMS helicopters on scenes. You will also see many news articles where fire fighting heli's have been grounded because of the hazards created by uav's at forest fires. Follow the FAA's guidelines and keep your UAV below 400 feet and in view, it will keep us all safe and our hobby (and profession in some cases) free from further needed legislation.

SO as long as you fly ay 400 and LOS your fine, but all of a sudden at 401, your guaranteed to take down other aircraft....
Oh ok I get your logic.(sarcasm)

 

[wsalopek]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I am in the US. I will keep it in my sight because frankly I am a bit nervous about it being so new to the hobby


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

Some folks put bright lights on their drone which can help LOS quite a bit, esp at dawn and dusk...those lights can be seen for MILES (I don't have any...wish I did), but even help in bright daylight.

--

Bill

 

[David Cooke]

I typically fly my P4 or Mavic out to 1/2mile or a mile without any problems . . in VLOS . . . There is more than one way to go it safely . . . and legally. Check out my BVLOS best practice . . .and Strobe lighting comments here
I'm also working on how to get a Mavic to 10,000ft too . . . legally . . stay tuned.

I'll post it on www.inskyphoto.com when I do and maybe even live-stream the event on facebook if possible . . using a MavicPro.

 

[TimInCT]

I have never flown my drone out of sight. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I like to say I have excellent eyesight, or my friend was spotting me.