Rant time

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First. If so many of you claim to follow the rules....why are you so concerned about flying totally beyond your ability to see the craft with VLOS.. Many fly at night. ...over crowds of people...busy roadways. ..sporting events....still wanting info on FPV equipment etc. so you can fly with no VLOS. Do the rules not apply to you if you don't like them? I'm not trying to be a drone cop but some of you have no intention of really following the rules. I judge this by the videos and posts made on this forum. With the suggested rules by the FAA, it seems the manufacturers don't care as they constantly offer equipment that lets you break the rules. I'm just trying to understand this.
 
still wanting info on FPV equipment etc. so you can fly with no VLOS
FWIW, flying with no VLOS is perfectly legal if you have a spotter.
 
First. If so many of you claim to follow the rules....why are you so concerned about flying totally beyond your ability to see the craft with VLOS.. Many fly at night. ...over crowds of people...busy roadways. ..sporting events....still wanting info on FPV equipment etc. so you can fly with no VLOS. Do the rules not apply to you if you don't like them? I'm not trying to be a drone cop but some of you have no intention of really following the rules. I judge this by the videos and posts made on this forum. With the suggested rules by the FAA, it seems the manufacturers don't care as they constantly offer equipment that lets you break the rules. I'm just trying to understand this.

Here we go again, when did this forum become RANTPilots????.......

DON'T BE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHERS! As long as YOU are following the rules, then you have nothing to worry about! Control what you can control, and dont worry about what other people are doing!
 
FWIW, flying with no VLOS is perfectly legal if you have a spotter.

I'm not sure that's correct unless the rules have been updated. Under Part 107 one can use a visual observer but, under operational limitations:
  • At all times the small unmanned aircraft must remain close enough to the remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small UAS for those people to be capable of seeing the aircraft with vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses.
 
First. If so many of you claim to follow the rules....why are you so concerned about flying totally beyond your ability to see the craft with VLOS.. Many fly at night. ...over crowds of people...busy roadways. ..sporting events....
I haven't seen a lot of posts here by people wanting to fly over crowds or sporting events.

still wanting info on FPV equipment etc. so you can fly with no VLOS.
FPV equipment has uses beyond flying with no VLOS. Racers use it. I use it so I don't become disoriented as the drone changes directions.

I'm not trying to be a drone cop but some of you have no intention of really following the rules.
Thanks for judging what we do or do not intend. But I needed an antenna mod to try to overcome local interference, not because I wanted to "break the rules."

With the suggested rules by the FAA, it seems the manufacturers don't care as they constantly offer equipment that lets you break the rules. I'm just trying to understand this.
The manufacturers don't sell their equipment solely in the U.S. And as I wrote above, a lot of this equipment has multiple uses beyond "breaking the rules."

Now, as you were, officer.
 
I'm not sure that's correct unless the rules have been updated. Under Part 107 one can use a visual observer but, under operational limitations:
Most of aren't part 107 and don't have to follow those limitations. For whatever reason the FAA is much stricter on 107 commercial work but as a hobbyist I don't care about 107 at all.
 
With the suggested rules by the FAA,

Why is it that once a week, (or more) some former elementary school crossing guard that is working on their Part 107 test feels the need to educate?

I am all grown up now, and I am well aware of the "suggested rules" as you call them.

Tobby
 
Most of aren't part 107 and don't have to follow those limitations. For whatever reason the FAA is much stricter on 107 commercial work but as a hobbyist I don't care about 107 at all.

Sure, but as a hobbyist you are not alllowed to use a visual observer at all, are you, let alone use one to fly outside your visual line of sight?
 
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Sure, but as a hobbyist you are not alllowed to use a visual observer at all, are you, let alone use one to fly outside your visual line of sight?
I've not seen anywhere that specifically states that flying BVLOS is actually illegal in the US. I've seen it as a suggested guideline in a few places but nothing that states "going BVLOS is criminal code XYZ violation with a $500 fine and up to a month in the slammer".. If I'm wrong please link to that law, I may be wrong and would love to know for sure.
 
I've not seen anywhere that specifically states that flying BVLOS is actually illegal in the US. I've seen it as a suggested guideline in a few places but nothing that states "going BVLOS is criminal code XYZ violation with a $500 fine and up to a month in the slammer".. If I'm wrong please link to that law, I may be wrong and would love to know for sure.

The way that the FAA has crafted the current situation appears to be quite clever. Fundamentally, there are no binding laws at all when it comes to recreational flying - only guidelines. What happens though, is that if you do not follow those guidelines then they deem you no longer to be flying recreationally, and then Part 107 applies, and then you are then in breach of legally enforceable provisions - not least starting with not being Part 107 certified.

That's my interpretation, taking the least ambiguous clarifications from the FAA at face value. See, specifically, question 3 under "Flying for Fun", in the FAA FAQ on UAS operations.
 
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Under part 107 you can use a VO but the person operating the controls must have VLOS at all times. The VO is in case the RPIC has to look down at the screen etc. and only for a temporary/short period of time.

This is directly from Kevin, our FAA sUAS Liaison:

"For the VLOS question, the RPIC must maintain VLOS with the UA at all times. The VO provision is for the temporary moments when the RPIC may need to look down at the data they may be collecting on additional systems. During those times, the VO would be able to alert the RPIC of any danger."
 
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The way that the FAA has crafted the current situation appears to be quite clever. Fundamentally, there are no binding laws at all when it comes to recreational flying - only guidelines. What happens though, is that if you do not follow those guidelines then they deem you no longer to be flying recreationally, and then Part 107 applies, and then you are then in breach of legally enforceable provisions - not least starting with not being Part 107 certified.

That's my interpretation, taking the least ambiguous clarifications from the FAA at face value. See, specifically, question 3 under "Flying for Fun", in the FAA FAQ on UAS operations.
Where does the FAA say if you don't follow the guidelines you are no longer a hobbyist and thus (according to you) operating commercially (107)? Can you cite any case where anyone has been prosecuted for flying BVLOS other than into NFZs and National Parks etc.
 

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