VLOS at 3 Kilometers

[Sojourner60]

Hi,
I'm looking at buying my first Phantom. I want the Phantom 4 Pro but it's more than my pocket book can afford. So I'm looking at Phantom 3. Again I would like the Pro but to speed things up I'm considering the the SE. It has a 3 KM range verse 1 KM of the standard. FAA requires VLOS. You might be able to see a Phantom at 3 KM but can you tell what it's doing? Is it flying towards you or away? Which direction is it facing? If you look away,can you find it again at 3Km? If not, then is 3KM really an advantage worth paying for? The still photos are the same resolution. The video is better on the SE.
I'm hoping to make some money doing Aerials. I've already got the 107 license.

Thanks,
Don

 

[Alan Russel]

The SE has wifi where Phantom 3 pro has lightbridge (stronger signal).

 

[Sojourner60]

The SE has wifi where Phantom 3 pro has lightbridge (stronger signal).

I can see how light bridge is an advantage, but what about the VlOS at 3 KM?

 

[Alan Russel]

Some binoculars maybe .....lol

 

[Sojourner60]

LOL nope! FAA doesn't allow binocs. A Visual Observer is.

Some binoculars maybe .....lol

 

[WV. Rootman]

Get a p 4 refurbished.

 

[Sojourner60]

Get a p 4 refurbished.

I've been saving up since late August. Selling stuff on eBay. I'm up to $350 towards a drone. At this rate it will take another 3 or 4 months before I will come close to having enough for a P4 p refurbished. I'm thinking if I go with the SE I can use it to take real estate photos and use that money to buy the P4P. Plus it would give me a back up.

 

[WV. Rootman]

I've been saving up since late August. Selling stuff on eBay. I'm up to $350 towards a drone. At this rate it will take another 3 or 4 months before I will come close to having enough for a P4 p refurbished. I'm thinking if I go with the SE I can use it to take real estate photos and use that money to buy the P4P. Plus it would give me a back up.

I got my p4 for $799 and it came to me as a new p4.

 

[Sojourner60]

I got my p4 for $799 and it came to me as a new p4.

Well, 4 or 5 more months if saving would get that $800...

 

[Mark The Droner]

Hi,
I'm looking at buying my first Phantom. I want the Phantom 4 Pro but it's more than my pocket book can afford. So I'm looking at Phantom 3. Again I would like the Pro but to speed things up I'm considering the the SE. It has a 3 KM range verse 1 KM of the standard. FAA requires VLOS. You might be able to see a Phantom at 3 KM but can you tell what it's doing? Is it flying towards you or away? Which direction is it facing? If you look away,can you find it again at 3Km? If not, then is 3KM really an advantage worth paying for? The still photos are the same resolution. The video is better on the SE.
I'm hoping to make some money doing Aerials. I've already got the 107 license.

Thanks,
Don

When it's a dot in the sky, I think you're permitted to glance at the monitor. When you do that, you can see what direction it's facing, is it flying towards you or away, etc. There is also an old school trick to it, but it's not really useful these days since we have the app.

I don't understand where you got the 3 KM range number for the SE.

One of the reasons you'd want an AC that has more range than you need is to have that confidence and assurance that you have a solid signal while you're flying in your comfort zone.

 

[Sojourner60]

I was wrong, it says 4Km. Here's the link.
Phantom 3 SE vs Phantom 3 Standard
It compares See to standard P3

 

[Meta4]

It has a 3 KM range verse 1 KM of the standard. FAA requires VLOS. You might be able to see a Phantom at 3 KM ....

No, no-one can see their Phantom at 3km.
I once spotted mine at 1km against dark clouds and standing out because it caught the sun.
That was extreme and if you looked away it was hard to find again.
Normally it's very hard to see beyond 300 metres.

.... but can you tell what it's doing? Is it flying towards you or away? Which direction is it facing? If you look away,can you find it again at 3Km?

You can't reliable tell that at a distance but using the information on the bottom of the screen in the app display gives that information.
Note how the radar display shows where the drone is and which way it's pointing.

If not, then is 3KM really an advantage worth paying for? The still photos are the same resolution.

DJI quoted ranges are in an interference-free location.
If you fly in an urban area, expect significantly lower range. That's the advantage of the lightbridge drones.
They give better range in an area with interference.

 

[sar104]

I've been saving up since late August. Selling stuff on eBay. I'm up to $350 towards a drone. At this rate it will take another 3 or 4 months before I will come close to having enough for a P4 p refurbished. I'm thinking if I go with the SE I can use it to take real estate photos and use that money to buy the P4P. Plus it would give me a back up.

Why would you need a range of 1 km, let alone 3 km, for real estate photography?

 

[Travleh]

No, no-one can see their Phantom at 3km.
I once spotted mine at 1km against dark clouds and standing out because it caught the sun.
That was extreme and if you looked away it was hard to find again.
Normally it's very hard to see beyond 300 metres.

You can't reliable tell that at a distance but using the information on the bottom of the screen in the app display gives that information.
Note how the radar display shows where the drone is and which way it's pointing.

DJI quoted ranges are in an interference-free location.
If you fly in an urban area, expect significantly lower range. That's the advantage of the lightbridge drones.
They give better range in an area with interference.

I once made 10,191 feet before RTH with a P34K in a public hunting area without any interference. I was very surprised, since my previous best was 8,250 feet just outside of where I live.

 

[Khooper802]

Hi,
I'm looking at buying my first Phantom. I want the Phantom 4 Pro but it's more than my pocket book can afford. So I'm looking at Phantom 3. Again I would like the Pro but to speed things up I'm considering the the SE. It has a 3 KM range verse 1 KM of the standard. FAA requires VLOS. You might be able to see a Phantom at 3 KM but can you tell what it's doing? Is it flying towards you or away? Which direction is it facing? If you look away,can you find it again at 3Km? If not, then is 3KM really an advantage worth paying for? The still photos are the same resolution. The video is better on the SE.
I'm hoping to make some money doing Aerials. I've already got the 107 license.

Thanks,
Don

No body ever follows the VLOS. Nor will you ever be givin a fine or anything. Your chances of the drone flying away by itself is higher than getting inspected by the police or anything

 

[sar104]

No body ever follows the VLOS. Nor will you ever be givin a fine or anything. Your chances of the drone flying away by itself is higher than getting inspected by the police or anything

That’s likely true for recreational flying. Part 107 pilots need to be a little more careful to stay within the rules.

 

[LarBear360]

Hi,
I'm looking at buying my first Phantom. I want the Phantom 4 Pro but it's more than my pocket book can afford. So I'm looking at Phantom 3. Again I would like the Pro but to speed things up I'm considering the the SE. It has a 3 KM range verse 1 KM of the standard. FAA requires VLOS. You might be able to see a Phantom at 3 KM but can you tell what it's doing? Is it flying towards you or away? Which direction is it facing? If you look away,can you find it again at 3Km? If not, then is 3KM really an advantage worth paying for? The still photos are the same resolution. The video is better on the SE.
I'm hoping to make some money doing Aerials. I've already got the 107 license.

Thanks,
Don

Losing VLOS is scary but there are safety nets at your disposal while flying. 1) Home Lock will enable you to simply pull back on the right stick and, regardless of what direction it's facing, the AC will fly back to it's home point. 2) Return to Home will take the AC up to a safe altitude, then return to the home point. You can re-take control once you feel comfortable or just allow the AC to land.

The maps will always show you what direction you're headed, so as long as your home point was recorded, you can look at your map on the screen and see where it's going in relation to the home point.

I have the P3S and am very pleased. I could have gone with the P4 but decided I didn't need all the extras.

 

[Neon Euc]

I have the P3A and love it. The map radar is different to meta's one as it leaves a green line behind the drone as you fly (think of it like the tron bikes where they leave a line) so it's easy to get back home. Personally I love the advanced and does more then what I need to do and it has light bridge. I would recommend that rather then any WiFi drone in all honesty

 

[Sojourner60]

Thanks for all the replies! Cool photo of the ship BTW. Learning more about the Phantom's capabilities is making me more eager to get one. So I'm going to get off here and list something on eBay.
As a retired A&P and current Private Pilot, I've been around the FAA enough to know to stay with in their rules. Unpleasant things happen when you fudge even a little. A friend of mine e lost his license just because he did his paperwork wrong.