Line of sight?

[DroneJI]

So the law says line of sight (I’m not trying to troll just the laws are thin and not very specific) if I had a spotter with a telescope or I managed to find a way to track a drone with one and display it on a screen I could fly my drone very far and it would still me in my line of sight! And I just started having vision issues not bad but it went from 20/10 most of my life (I enjoyed that for over 45 years to 20/40 I can’t see as well as I was used to. Does that mean with the naked eye? glasses, binoculars, telescope? Just something to ponder. The altitude is easy 400’ from were it took of period unless you get a wavier. It’s like speed limits some states the speed limit is when you get to the sign some it’s 20yards etc it’s all in the interpretation of the law, I’m not says go out and try to fly 6 miles away (probably not possible with a stock Dji drone) it’s just if you ever have a issue while flying your line of sight may not be the same as the person giving you flack.

 

[Meta4]

So the law says line of sight (I’m not trying to troll just the laws are thin and not very specific)

Look closely at what the rules actually say.
The laws of physics say that you have to have your Phantom in line of sight to have control (fly behind an obstacle and you lose sight and signal).
But rules about distance usually say that you have to keep your drone within visual range, or some other words that indicate that you must be able to see the drone without the aid of a telescope etc.
The term line-of-sight is very much misused by drone flyers.
It's about the line and not about being able to see the drone.

 

[Just_nick]

So the law says line of sight (I’m not trying to troll just the laws are thin and not very specific) if I had a spotter with a telescope or I managed to find a way to track a drone with one and display it on a screen I could fly my drone very far and it would still me in my line of sight! And I just started having vision issues not bad but it went from 20/10 most of my life (I enjoyed that for over 45 years to 20/40 I can’t see as well as I was used to. Does that mean with the naked eye? glasses, binoculars, telescope? Just something to ponder. The altitude is easy 400’ from were it took of period unless you get a wavier. It’s like speed limits some states the speed limit is when you get to the sign some it’s 20yards etc it’s all in the interpretation of the law, I’m not says go out and try to fly 6 miles away (probably not possible with a stock Dji drone) it’s just if you ever have a issue while flying your line of sight may not be the same as the person giving you flack.

No, the law says that you or your spotter must see the drone with your eyes, without the use of a telescope or any magnification. And, that applies to 107 flyers, not 336. "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."
Also, VLOS has nothing to do with a physical line. That is a misinterpretation by those that try to justify BVLOS as VLOS, because they can draw a 9 mile straight line. Here's an easy way to think about VLOS, the way that will CYA if you ever have issues with the FAA or you have a run-in like that drone pilot and the helicopter that wrecked (because the above interpretation is a very good way to get you in trouble and not CYA as you attempt to argue semantics in your favor, which will likely fail miserably): if you cannot control the device from where you are standing, that's not VLOS.

Now, I'm sure there are those that will argue this, because it favors them to take the word line out of context (which, FYI, is known as contextomy and is a fallacy. Fallacies usually don't hold up well in court) to be able to not see the craft and do whatever they want to. Me? I do things that cover my own behind, and I try to avoid fallacious arguments to support my point.

 

[DroneJI]

I can barely see my MPP once it’s above 150’ because of it contrasting with the sky. The P3P is much easier to see due to size and color, I personally won’t fly it were I can’t see it even if it’s legal! I won’t even use Litchi to fly waypoints. Yes I’m very cautious I was just wondering what people thought about the line of sight rule! I wasn’t expecting such a strong response lol wow.

 

[DroneJI]

No, the law says that you or your spotter must see the drone with your eyes, without the use of a telescope or any magnification. And, that applies to 107 flyers, not 336. "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."
Also, VLOS has nothing to do with a physical line. That is a misinterpretation by those that try to justify BVLOS as VLOS, because they can draw a 9 mile straight line. Here's an easy way to think about VLOS, the way that will CYA if you ever have issues with the FAA or you have a run-in like that drone pilot and the helicopter that wrecked (because the above interpretation is a very good way to get you in trouble and not CYA as you attempt to argue semantics in your favor, which will likely fail miserably): if you cannot control the device from where you are standing, that's not VLOS.

Now, I'm sure there are those that will argue this, because it favors them to take the word line out of context (which, FYI, is known as contextomy and is a fallacy. Fallacies usually don't hold up well in court) to be able to not see the craft and do whatever they want to. Me? I do things that cover my own behind, and I try to avoid fallacious arguments to support my point.

I could get a bit more technical about this what if the spotter was a mile away from the pilot? This brings up another issue. I’m only saying this because everyone has different interpretations of how things are.

 

[DroneJI]

Since the response was a bit sensitive I’m gonna end this here it’s not what I was looking for.

 

[Meta4]

Since the response was a bit sensitive I’m gonna end this here it’s not what I was looking for.

Go back to the rules in your part of the world and find out what they actually say.
If they say keep your drone in line of sight, they are using very sloppy wording.
It's much more likely that they actually say something quite different.

 

[drewbee]

Thankfully in Australia we have some definitions in place with the rules.
Remotely piloted aircraft | Civil Aviation Safety Authority

 

[msinger]

I could get a bit more technical about this what if the spotter was a mile away from the pilot?

If you're flying in the US, the aircraft must be flown within visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft. That means (1) the aircraft must be visible at all times to the operator; (2) that the operator must use his or her own natural vision to observe the aircraft; and (3) people other than the operator may not be used in lieu of the operator for maintaining visual line of sight. Under the criteria above, visual line of sight would mean that the operator has an unobstructed view of the model aircraft. To ensure that the operator has the best view of the aircraft, the statutory requirement would preclude the use of vision-enhancing devices, such as binoculars, night vision goggles, powered vision magnifying devices, and goggles designed to provide a “first-person view” from the model. If interested, you can find more details here.

The only way to legally fly with a spotter is if you have a Section 333 Exemption, a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA), are flying commercially under FAA Part 107, or you're flying indoors (which is not regulated by the FAA).