Line of Sight

[y2khardtop]

sort of a nit-picky question, but how do you guys define Line of Sight. Do you literally need to see the object, or just have no objects theoretically between you and the aircraft? Sometimes I can't see the nose on my face, but I know it's there.

I'm not pushing boundaries or anything, just curious. There are certainly times when I know where my aircraft is, but I blink and lose if for a few seconds.

Thanks!

 

[umanbean]

LOS - line of sight - no obstacles between you and the AC

VLOS - visual line of sight - FAA's definition of keeping the AC in sight at all times

 

[Nightwolf]

I believe as it is defined you need to be able to discern orientation

 

[tcope]

I believe as it is defined you need to be able to discern orientation

Not according to the FAA... you know need to see the drone yourself.

 

[With The Birds]

To be able to see with unaided vision (glasses are fine) and to be able to determine the orientation (not looking at your Map view or compass).

I can see a phantom at 800+ m but have no idea which way it’s pointing. From my limited experience flying the Mavic 2 I could see it out at 500m pre sunrise (the boom lights are great). Would have been a lot of trial and error to get it home without looking at the app or initiating RTH however.

It seems the general idea is that you should be flying sufficiently close to your control position so you have good spatial awareness of your UAV position as it might relate to other AC entering the area and to be able to effectively manoeuvre to be clear of their path. That is a lot closer than the distance you might visually see your AC.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

sort of a nit-picky question, but how do you guys define Line of Sight. Do you literally need to see the object, or just have no objects theoretically between you and the aircraft? Sometimes I can't see the nose on my face, but I know it's there.

I'm not pushing boundaries or anything, just curious. There are certainly times when I know where my aircraft is, but I blink and lose if for a few seconds.

Thanks!

It sounds like you on the edge if you blink and lose sight but I'm sure most of us have done that,lol,yes very hard at distance to tell if it coming or going,put some strobes on to help or use black decal or similar for visibility,,I also found that black not the best colour,sure up close but can turn into a spec of colour that to can be lost from eyesight,play with some colors and see what suits your eyes

 

[y2khardtop]

thanks for the variety of answers. Seems like we....the rule followers...are mostly on the same channel!

 

[SilentAV8R]

sort of a nit-picky question, but how do you guys define Line of Sight. !

All that matters is how Congress and the FAA define line of sight. It means eyeballs on the aircraft. No binoculars, telescopes, cameras, etc. Eyeballs. Period. Very simple. If you cannot see it well enough to discern the orientation then you are no longer legal.

 

[BigAl07]

sort of a nit-picky question, but how do you guys define Line of Sight. Do you literally need to see the object, or just have no objects theoretically between you and the aircraft? Sometimes I can't see the nose on my face, but I know it's there.

I'm not pushing boundaries or anything, just curious. There are certainly times when I know where my aircraft is, but I blink and lose if for a few seconds.

Thanks!

Let's be clear what the Regulations are asking for first. The regs state Visual Line Of Sight (VLOS).

Visual Line Of Sight - Able to see the aircraft with the human eye unaided (contacts and glasses are allowed but not scopes, binocs, or electronic viewing aids) and determine orientation. The key here is VISUAL as in VISIBLE to the RPIC.

Line Of Sight - This is a very broad term and merely means nothing is psychically between your eyes and the aircraft but the aircraft could be yards, miles, or hundreds of miles away. LOS could be to the moon or a planet but does not mean you are actually able to see the object.

But let's not take my word for it (I'm just a guy on the internet who could be full of nonsense and not have a clue what I'm talking about) let's hear how the NTSB mentions it when they completed their final report of a sUAS that impacted an UH-6o Black Hawk helo carring people:

" Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 101, which includes maintaining visual contact with the aircraft at all times.... "

National Transportation Safety BoardAviation Incident Final Report

You have to be able to SEE THE AIRCRAFT or you are outside of VLOS even though you may still have Line of Sight....

Do you see the difference in these two terms? Line of Sight and maintaining Visual Line Of Sight (Visual Contact) are not the same thing.