When do you stop watching

[bob_moodytx]

Still have on my flameproof underoos ..... but.... I'm out

 

[skellyrocker]

Never Panic. Stay calm and xxxxxx the situation and react accordingly. In the UK we're mostly limited to VLOS. If I lose sight of the Quad its an immediate RTH (cancelled once Visual has been made). Low on battery is fly right back (quicker than RTH) and maintaining situational awareness in case I have to ditch. But never, ever panic.

 

[skellyrocker]

I'd guess my question would be, why do they claim (advertised) the distances that the AC will fly(P3P ....3.5 miles?) and think you're going to be flying VLOS? The Mavic ads say something to the effect of "fly for miles from the palm of your hand". There are tons of threads about increasing distance and even farthest distance leaderboards. Seems a tad ironic.

Dji are in the business of selling drones. Pilots are in the business of flying drones in a safe and conscientious manner that does not endanger other air users or people or property. Just because a quad can fly to the moon and back doesn't mean you have to.

 

[stones]

Dji are in the business of selling drones. Pilots are in the business of flying drones in a safe and conscientious manner that does not endanger other air users or people or property. Just because a quad can fly to the moon and back doesn't mean you have to.

Yes and if you read my other post, you'd see that I understand about the responsibility thing as well as you. Now I'm out too...

 

[WilliamM]

In an effort to create a reputation that we are all responsible UAS operators.

If we fly with no visual line of site, we are increasing our (and others) exposure to risk. Any time we willingly choose to increase risk, we are jeopardizing the trust of others and their safety. We don't want regulatory agencies to have cause to mandate restrictions. Flying with no VLOS or flying in any way that increases risk will in time create a negative public perception of the drone community. Instead, it is our responsibility to create an image that drones are minimally intrusive and pose no threat. Otherwise we risk the inevitable involvement of overly aggressive regulatory agency restrictions.

You did nothing to add to the thread's subject, the person was asking a question which you didn't even respond to. If you want to police others I would suggest you join your neighborhood watch, as that would be more productive. Remember the membership on this forum is world-wide which covers many different rules and laws. Don't think using someone's else's thread as your personal soapbox is proper. Unless the thread was open with that subject to begin with.

 

[WilliamM]

When they say 3 miles I'm sure they don't have someone launching from their driveway in a populated neighborhood in mind.

Those are the guys that are ruining it. My long distance flights outside of town or at the beach don't bother a soul. I can guarantee that.

I completely agree with you. Maybe some fools out there that are flying miles over a city but that would be the exception for sure. Most of us that are flying long distance are doing over farmer's fields, wooded areas or open prairieland and things of that nature. With nothing more than a gopher or maybe a rabbit to bother.

 

[WilliamM]

You have nothing to apologize for JRH! This thread/post went off the rails because the "new" members of this forum are a much,much more judgmental group than it used to be! Too many on the pp forum now are self righteous instead of supporting and it's actually caused a noticeable decline in the quality of this site over months past. It used to be a family of fliers and now it's a place where a simple question invites people who just signed up to think they have the right to criticize spelling and wish misfortune on your flights. It's gotten really bad! Good luck and gain confidence by experience.

Takes a true veteran to say it plainly, couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[WilliamM]

Sorry about the big debate I should have asked when is confedence gained to fly within all rules sorry again

Don't be concerned about the debate, fortunately it doesn't happen as much on this forum as it does on the official DJI forum. On that forum I don't even dare mention the distance I frequently fly, or the Gates of Hell will open up and swallow me whole. Now my response to your original concern. It just takes time to build confidence in your craft and your abilities. When I look back at how shy I was to fly even a few hundred meters, I wouldn't believe now that I fly thousands of meters with little nervousness. And yes I fly over open farming fields with nothing more than some corn stalks to crash into due to craft failure. And even if I had a fly away my craft would run out of battery before ever reaching civilization.

 

[skiptv]

Live by tech, die by tech, The day a cell phone signal doesn't drop a call, or a video wont freeze on Netflix, or my Samsung phone doesn't blow up, is the day I'll depend exclusively on 'tech' to fly my drone. If you can afford to loose, crash, destroy, a $800 to $4000 investment, by all means 'fly the tablet' for me I totally want to see with my own eyes where my investments is and what its doing.

 

[RBDopp]

Even if my P3A is only 100 yards from me, I can hear it but often cannot see it due to trees in the background. Looking down at the controls and back up to see my bird is often essentially impossible. I always use the view of the screen for control – it is safer than trying to guess where it is. With Litchi, a mission flies wonderfully even if fully out of sight. Recently, I purchased VR goggles, which makes flying even safer. It is like I am hawk even able to fly between trees at low altitude in the park… but necessarily out of LOS from before takeoff. Flying safely and flying by the rule book are not always the same thing.

 

[kirk2579]

I'd guess my question would be, why do they claim (advertised) the distances that the AC will fly(P3P ....3.5 miles?) and think you're going to be flying VLOS? The Mavic ads say something to the effect of "fly for miles from the palm of your hand". There are tons of threads about increasing distance and even farthest distance leaderboards. Seems a tad ironic.

sometimes folks forget these drones are sold WORLDWIDE
not all are restricted in the same way with the same rules!

.

 

[Journey]

When do you get confedence of your tablet and not panic when you can't see the aircraft

To your question, follow your gut. The FAA doesn't tell me when I should do a 180 when the enroute weather gets worst. Even with an ATP license and adequate ac equipped...my gut does. As to the other comments, after an R/C TO, it is always about risk vs fun. Besides the quad, tablet and pilot error, the remote controller could have a bad day too. Fly safe and aware the risks to people, property and regulatory policies. But always have FUN.

 

[CooperstownFlyer]

Your question was valid, and I thought the best response was "never." I agree with most said, and particularly the part about high performance cars. You don't need to drive over the speed limit, but it is nice to know that if you have to accelerate to get out of someone's way, the power is there to do it. A good pilot, during a routine flight doesn't need all the automatic bells and whistles, but they come in handy when something goes wrong. And in flying, "something going wrong" can happen very suddenly and with disastrous results if not reacted to in the proper way. While I like all the help I can get, the ultimate responsibility for control is mine. This is a good forum.

 

[chazzm]

It varies. If you know how to read and use the map and radar and have confidence in RTH operation and settings it might be your first flight.

Sounds like a rookiemove

 

[Tyger]

I've seen that how you fly depends a lot on how much you play video games. Really. I've had kids as young as 5 fly my drone, after I ascend up over any trees or other obstacles. I just make it clear that they can use any of the 4 axes, except up/down. I carefully watch as they fly. Under 20, they pretty much just look at the tablet. Conversely, if I hand the controller to most people over 40, they look at the drone almost exclusively. All of that to say: if you want to feel more comfortable flying with your POV, play more video games. Seriously, though, it just takes time and practice. Get in a nice open area, use a spotter and turn away from the drone so you have to fly by POV. You'll get better and more comfortable with time.

 

[RBDopp]

I've seen that how you fly depends a lot on how much you play video games. Really. I've had kids as young as 5 fly my drone, after I ascend up over any trees or other obstacles. I just make it clear that they can use any of the 4 axes, except up/down. I carefully watch as they fly. Under 20, they pretty much just look at the tablet. Conversely, if I hand the controller to most people over 40, they look at the drone almost exclusively. All of that to say: if you want to feel more comfortable flying with your POV, play more video games. Seriously, though, it just takes time and practice. Get in a nice open area, use a spotter and turn away from the drone so you have to fly by POV. You'll get better and more comfortable with time.

Love it! Being 70 and essentially only watch the screen i guess i am young at heart (and finger and eye) LOL. You are correct that practice is key to just about everything in life.

 

[With The Birds]

Sounds like a rookiemove

To you perhaps.

 

[Srockoff]

When do you get confedence of your tablet and not panic when you can't see the aircraft

I rarely fly by visual site. Maybe it is my eye sight but I can't see when the drone gets over about 150 feet or a quarter mile away. It is like flying a plane on instruments. You need to get comfortable with the instruments particularly the height, direction, distance and the visual from the camera. I rarely watch the drone other than at take off. This only works if you have some height over the obstacles. Don't do this at low altitude with lots of obstacles. People that say otherwise must have superman vision or don't go very far, because there is no way they can see it at 200 feet a half mile away. Also trust your RTH. If you loose visual than simply immediately activate the RTH. It takes a few seconds before it activates and a few minutes before you see it but it will return. Make sure you set your RTH high enough and it acknowledged the home point before it takes off. Enjoy the view from the iPad and concentrate on the video or stills you are taking.

 

[Journey]

I've started using the device a lot more with the Mavic vs the Phantom even when it is within visual range because it's profile is smaller and the color makes it much harder to see against any terrain background. Also I use the RTH function more for the same reason. I love its portability but it has its disadvantages. Also, those of us that need glasses probably use a tablet/phone more because if you go between visual and screen, you have to change glasses. Sunglasses are bad when trying to view a tablet.

 

[With The Birds]

I rarely fly by visual site. Maybe it is my eye sight but I can't see when the drone gets over about 150 feet or a quarter mile away. It is like flying a plane on instruments. You need to get comfortable with the instruments particularly the height, direction, distance and the visual from the camera. I rarely watch the drone other than at take off. This only works if you have some height over the obstacles. Don't do this at low altitude with lots of obstacles. People that say otherwise must have superman vision or don't go very far, because there is no way they can see it at 200 feet a half mile away. Also trust your RTH. If you loose visual than simply immediately activate the RTH. It takes a few seconds before it activates and a few minutes before you see it but it will return. Make sure you set your RTH high enough and it acknowledged the home point before it takes off. Enjoy the view from the iPad and concentrate on the video or stills you are taking.

Do you mean 1500 and 2000 feet? It's a serious question- I'm not that much younger than you and I can see my AC at 500m in the early and late hours. You need to know where to look and there is no way I could reliably tell you the orientation without looking at the map and radar but I can spot it in the sky. My eyes aren't as good as they were either, people sometimes catch me squinting trying to read small print up close.