Requirements of Line of Sight

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I know this is a stupid question and I’m sorry. Is line of sight having actual sight of your drone or does it need to be in your actual “line of sight” meaning it is too small to see but it is aligned with my eyes and could be seen with aids like binoculars. If it isn’t the second one what would the point of a 5 mile range be?
 

BigAl07

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I know this is a stupid question and I’m sorry. Is line of sight having actual sight of your drone or does it need to be in your actual “line of sight” meaning it is too small to see but it is aligned with my eyes and could be seen with aids like binoculars. If it isn’t the second one what would the point of a 5 mile range be?


Line of sight is with your eyes unaided (except with your Rx corrective lenses). Visual Aids (scope, binocs etc) do not extend VLOS distance.

You should be able to not only see the aircraft but be able to determine orientation and direction of flight in order to maintain See & Avoid processes. If it's merely a small speck on the horizon odds are you can't determine those things in time to avoid another aircraft.
 

Meta4

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I know this is a stupid question and I’m sorry. Is line of sight having actual sight of your drone or does it need to be in your actual “line of sight” meaning it is too small to see but it is aligned with my eyes and could be seen with aids like binoculars. If it isn’t the second one what would the point of a 5 mile range be?
There's a lot of confusion because people say Line of Sight when they mean Visual Line of Sight. (VLOS)
Line of sight is all about an unbroken line of sight necessary for the radio control and has nothing to do with distance.
Rules about flying distance are all about VLOS.
It would be better if they used a different term like .. within visual range.
 
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No Nooo Noooooo Question is Stupid.....we only do stupid things When we " Never Ask " !....ask away please and lets avoid big costly mistakes and a wrong idea about Drone flight rules !
 

dirkclod

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No Nooo Noooooo Questions aren't stupid, only some answers are .;)
 
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BigAl07

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Thats nice.. Stupid answers.. Not knowledgeable maybe. Everyones a pro on here or think they are.


@Robert P let's take it down a notch and not get personal. Remember you're not required to comment on a thread, you always have the option to just carry on about your business without being snarky or making things personal.
 
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@Robert P let's take it down a notch and not get personal. Remember you're not required to comment on a thread, you always have the option to just carry on about your business without being snarky or making things personal.
I just thought that a staff member saying that answers are stupid was getting a little disrespectful. I didnt say it he did. I dont think anyone answer a question with the intent of it being stupid. Thats a strong word....
 
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dirkclod

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Thats nice.. Stupid answers.. Not knowledgeable maybe. Everyones a pro on here or think they are.
I sorry have you never heard that in school ? I wasn't being disrespectful to no one just saying it to be humorous .Sorry if you took it that way but if you want to continue with this conversation with me do so in a message and not in this thread and I see why you might have thought that as I left out some . Is fixed now ..
 
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I sorry have you never heard that in school ? I wasn't being If you look atdisrespectful to no one just saying it to be humorous .Sorry if you took it that way but if you want to continue with this conversation with me do so in a message and not in this thread and I see why you might have thought that as I left out some . Is fixed now ..
I sorry have you never heard that in school ? I wasn't being disrespectful to no one just saying it to be humorous .Sorry if you took it that way but if you want to continue with this conversation with me do so in a message and not in this thread and I see why you might have thought that as I left out some . Is fixed now ..
If you look at what i posted you will see i was makeing a statement about your response to the question. The second post didn't come until after Big A jumped in and told me to take it down a notch. I didn't think it was turned up myself it was just a statement. Everyone else seems to post statements on here without a problem so I don't know why that one was one that needed to be turned down. Anyway it's no big deal it was a statement like I said. And thanks to your reply
 
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If you look at what i posted you will see i was makeing a statement about your response to the question. The second post didn't come until after Big A jumped in and told me to take it down a notch. I didn't think it was turned up myself it was just a statement. Everyone else seems to post statements on here without a problem so I don't know why that one was one that needed to be turned down. Anyway it's no big deal it was a statement like I said. And thanks to your reply

Jeesus its gettin pretty heated in here, all I wanted to know was about line of sight
 
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Jeesus its gettin pretty heated in here, all I wanted to know was about line of sight

The answer from BigAl was correct as far as I've researched.

Ask away. I honestly thought of posting this exact question a few weeks ago. That makes two of us wondering about the exact definition, so I'm guessing many more are actually wondering about vlos as well.
 

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