Registration Requires Intent to Fly VLOS Only!

[GadgetGuy]

Registration Requires Intent to Fly VLOS Only!

I bought my P3P specifically to fly safely beyond the roughly VLOS range of the stock P2V+ and the P3S. DJI even actively promotes the 5 km control range for the P3P on their website:

"Remote Controller Max Distance: Up to 5 km or 3.1 miles (unobstructed, free of interference) when FCC compliant"

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ONE SIMPLE QUESTION:

So for everyone who is so gung-ho about registering now, or have already done so, do you really intend to never fly beyond visual line of sight (VLOS) ever again?

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If you have ever flown your P3 before Dec 21, 2015, if you wait to register until February 19, 2016, you can legally and morally continue to fly safely beyond Visual Line of Sight for the next 7 weeks, but not if you already have registered!

Why voluntarily tether your P3P to VLOS any sooner than you have to, by registering before February 19th, 2015?

Just curious...

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Edit to avoid thread hijacking by VLOS zealots: Just so it's clear, we are not talking about anything that could be deemed reckless flying, and flying beyond VLOS is not, in and of itself, reckless flying! Do not post here if you want to debate the merits of the FAA Safety Guidelines or want to rant about how anyone flying beyond VLOS is reckless. This is not the thread for those polarizing discussions. Go start your own thread, if you aren't already disgusted by how those horses have already been beaten to death.

We are only talking about safely flying your P3 beyond VLOS, which it was designed for, using FPV in a safe manner, when appropriate to do so!

 

[msinger]

You have to fly safely whether or not you register. If you're not flying VLOS, you cause a horrific accident, it's reported to the FAA, and they investigate it, they are going to come after you whether or not you agreed to that statement.

 

[impilot51]

It makes me sick the number of people that flaunt basic safety rules simply to satisfy some juvenile need to be cool. Grow up and understand that flying beyond VLOS could put others in very real life threatening danger. If you were to have some small aircraft hit your drone and cause enough damage to it to cause it to crash, how could you live with that? All in the name of having fun, being cool, flaunting safety rules. I just don't understand the idiocy of people that don't understand something this simple.


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[GadgetGuy]

You have to fly safely whether or not you register. If you're not flying VLOS, you cause a horrific accident, it's reported to the FAA, and they investigate it, they are going to come after you whether or not you agreed to that statement.

So, you are telling everyone who bought a P3P that they are flying recklessly if they are ever flying beyond VLOS? Tell that to DJI who designed these "reckless flying machines" with a Lightbridge setup to specifically enable flying and controlling the P3 out to 3 miles!
I have edited the original post to avoid any discussion about flying beyond VLOS by FPV in a reckless manner. That's not at issue!

 

[msinger]

So, you are telling everyone who bought a P3P that they are flying recklessly if they are ever flying beyond VLOS?

No, sir. That's what the FAA is saying though. They just want people to fly safely. And, they just happen to be the ones who determine what is safe.

 

[GadgetGuy]

No, sir. That's what the FAA is saying though.

Nope. They have never said that ever. That's what you are saying.
If that were true, they wouldn't need to require intent to fly by VLOS only, because reckless flying is and has always been illegal!

 

[msinger]

The FAA has been pushing this for a long time now. Have you been too busy fighting with people to notice it?

 

[impilot51]

You can buy any number of cars capable of breaking the speed limit in second gear. That does not change the fact that operating it at anywhere near its capabilities on anything other than a racetrack or closed road is reckless, illegal and just plain stupid. No difference.


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[msinger]

Reported. Off topic thread hijacking.

You're inventing a problem that does not exist. The FAA wants you to fly VLOS. It doesn't matter if you agree or not... or whether or not DJI's software and/or hardware allows you to fly beyond that.

 

[impilot51]

Thing is, people don't realize just how hard it is for a pilot of a small plane to spot something as large as another aircraft of the same size, let alone something as tiny as a MR. I am a commercial pilot as well as a flight instructor. Teaching safety is half the battle in training a new pilot. Now the invasion of drones into airspace that small aircraft (or even larger aircraft at times) occupy is, frankly, terrifying to pilots that care about safety and getting back on the ground safely. But people that want to bust altitude limits, or fly out of VLOS where they have no idea what may be near their drone, are reprehensible. It is only a matter of time before people die needlessly because of actions like this. I am simply trying to educate people about the fact that we are now often intruding into areas where others are flying and have an expectation of airspace free from drones.


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[snerd]

I'll continue flying the same as I have always flown. Whatever way that may be when I take a notion.

Sometimes I fly over here,
sometimes I fly over there,
sometimes I fly with a sneer
and sometimes I fly everywhere!

I'm not too concerned about anyone coming to hunt me down. And no, I do not "intend" to fly out of VLOS.

 

[impilot51]

Ok, back on topic. Whether or not you register, the FAA safety guidelines still apply, and anyone that causes an accident and is operating in violation of those guidelines will find themselves more problems, legal problems both criminal and civil than if they are following them. So don't believe the premise of this topic, i.e. That it's morally ok and legal to fly your drone outside of VLOS or above 400 ft AGL just because you have not yet registered with the FAA.


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[GaryDZ]

I agree with the OP. If you observe all the other rules the FAA is asking of you (staying under 400 ft, not flying near airports, etc.) flying beyond VLOS is not, in itself, unsafe. And yes, the P3 can safely do this. Yet, by registering, you are agreeing not to. I registered, but did so reluctantly because of this unfair rule.

 

[snerd]

The OP is quite clear in its intent................................ he asked a simple question.

"So for everyone who is so gung-ho about registering now, or have already done so, do you really intend to never fly beyond visual line of sight (VLOS) ever again?"

That is the question that was asked.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The OP is quite clear in its intent................................ he asked a simple question.

"So for everyone who is so gung-ho about registering now, or have already done so, do you really intend to never fly beyond visual line of sight (VLOS) ever again?"

That is the question that was asked.

Thank you.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Sorry for the interruptions.

 

[msinger]

The OP is quite clear in its intent................................ he asked a simple question.

"So for everyone who is so gung-ho about registering now, or have already done so, do you really intend to never fly beyond visual line of sight (VLOS) ever again?"

That is the question that was asked.

You've taken that out of context. Don't forget this part:

"If you have ever flown your P3 before Dec 21, 2015, if you wait to register until February 19, 2016, you can legally and morally fly beyond Visual Line of Sight for the next 7 weeks, but not if you already have registered!"

The FAA doesn't want anyone to fly beyond VLOS. So, it's really not a matter of when someone registers.

 

[impilot51]

And that is incorrect. The rules apply to all whether or not you register.


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[snerd]

You've taken that out of context. Don't forget this part:.

I don't concern myself with specifics, just generalities.

 

[ParsnipHysorter]

VLOS... what does that mean exactly? Visual Line of Sight you say. Do you know that literally means there must be a direct line of site between you and the P3? This could be 100 feet or 5 miles. I see nothing in the FAA guidelines (guidelines, I will add ... not law) that says the drone must be in view at all times. And by way of the fact that we need "VLOS" for our RC to communicate with the bird, these things are never out of "VLOS" unless they are in autonomous mode.

I mean come on folks, once this thing is more then 300-400 feet away I am lucky to see it anymore. Its like 18 inches wide and white. Only the sound gives away its position at that distance. So I am assuming all of you who are so careful to always fly "VLOS" either have much better eyesight then my 20/20 or you're not telling the entire truth about your flying habits... or you indeed have a boring time never flying it beyond your yard.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I'll continue flying the same as I have always flown. Whatever way that may be when I take a notion.

Sometimes I fly over here,
sometimes I fly over there,
sometimes I fly with a sneer
and sometimes I fly everywhere!

I'm not too concerned about anyone coming to hunt me down. And no, I do not "intend" to fly out of VLOS.

Yes, the whole "intent" issue is another whole kettle of worms for a different day...or maybe even today...