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Line-of-Sight past 1 mile?

Although I enjoy watching the youtube drone ''long range tests," I think everyone here can figure out they will soon be a thing of the past........or at least the visual online posting of such. The new FAA drone regulation regarding airspace is good evidence the screws are tightening and recreational drone use ( as mine is ) will soon be much different and less enjoyable. ( A bunch of dudes all trying to fly their drones around an uninteresting FAA approved model aircraft field.) Enjoy what's left of freedom while you can. Owning a drone is becoming more onerous and regulated than owning a gun....at least at the federal level.
 
Although I enjoy watching the youtube drone ''long range tests," I think everyone here can figure out they will soon be a thing of the past........or at least the visual online posting of such. The new FAA drone regulation regarding airspace is good evidence the screws are tightening and recreational drone use ( as mine is ) will soon be much different and less enjoyable. ( A bunch of dudes all trying to fly their drones around an uninteresting FAA approved model aircraft field.) Enjoy what's left of freedom while you can. Owning a drone is becoming more onerous and regulated than owning a gun....at least at the federal level.
I understand your complaint, but how hard it is to drive/walk/pedal 5 miles out and fly on uncontrolled airspace? There is a world out therr waiting for you to fly in and share videos of it with us.
 
3000 feet is my limit with my Inspire 1, evo gets lost if I fly straight up to 400 ft and maybe 1500 feet out, but even at 1500 with the Inspire, take eyes off the craft and look at the screen and I cannot find it again Specially if it's hazy and humid, like it is most of the time in SoFlo
 
I just want to thank everyone for being honest about this...It’s not like we are trying to loose LOS, it’s just easier said than done under real-world conditions...
 
I just want to thank everyone for being honest about this...It’s not like we are trying to loose LOS, it’s just easier said than done under real-world conditions...
If it's any consolation, I hit RTH on my Evo and it went back to Autel. I know they received it, but after a week, they have yet to tell me anything. I contacted them and they took out the violins saying that they are a small company and are back logged in their repairs.

Either they only have 2 dudes fixing drones or the Evo has more problems than they care to admit.
 
I am all for airspace regulation on drone flying. The concerning things however are the bans that have occurred in national parks, some state parks, and the local bans on other public places that keep popping up. And I pay HUGE federal and state taxes....... and I believe I more than pay for the right to fly a drone on these public places I so generously subsidize. Sorry but I believe it’s going to only get worse.
 
Not being in the US, I am not familiar with all the rules and regs, but there are many similarities between the US and Oz.

Here, we cannot launch or land in a National Park (without permission), but we can overfly them (VLOS, 400ft ceiling etc) because air space here is controlled by our Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the equivalent of your FAA. Our classifications of air space seem to be the same.

Details have not yet been released, but from later this year, anyone flying a drone outdoors, other than a micro, will have to be registered. That in itself is a can of worms—who tracks down all existing drone owners? Are our police and security services going to be pulled off other important duties to hunt down recalcitrant teenagers and wobbly older flyers who bought drones before anyone gave a toss? Or will local councils deploy drone rangers (a dollar making opportunity should never be sneezed at)? Will retailers and online dealers have to collect ID from anyone who buys a drone or even a set of props as part of a home build? Sound familiar?

Don’t get me wrong: I am in favour of registration, which will include some form of online knowledge test. Our hobby, pasttime, business—whatever it is to each of us, will not survive unless we control the cowboys (I am constantly amazed by the number of US videos where people fly drones above and even among people and over populated areas. Here, you cannot fly over a “populous area”, within 30 metres of a building or person not involved in the flight team (15 metres with waiver if you are licensed).

What worries me is that there are people out there—here in Oz— who don’t give a possum’s arse about rules and regs. Reckon you have a similar problem.

If it isn’t sorted, here at least, recreational flyers who don’t have access to acreage will end up with one option: joining the queue in a taxiway to fly circuits at some tiny field, governed by the kind of bureaucratic community do-gooders who stuff up just about everything else.

I have a CASA Remote Pilot’s Licence (RePL) which hopefully means that, having done the study I can reap some rewards. But who knows. The excesses of the cowboys will be used as ammunition by those commercial interests who already covet “our” limited air space...
 
Although I enjoy watching the youtube drone ''long range tests," I think everyone here can figure out they will soon be a thing of the past........or at least the visual online posting of such. The new FAA drone regulation regarding airspace is good evidence the screws are tightening and recreational drone use ( as mine is ) will soon be much different and less enjoyable. ( A bunch of dudes all trying to fly their drones around an uninteresting FAA approved model aircraft field.) Enjoy what's left of freedom while you can. Owning a drone is becoming more onerous and regulated than owning a gun....at least at the federal level.
You still can fly in not controlled air space. Just download an app call airmap and will show you if you are under 5 miles closed to an airport. The new law only apply to airports and heliports.
 
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You still can fly in not controlled air space. Just download an app call airmap and will show you if you are under 5 miles closed to an airport. The new law only apply to airports and heliports.
Yes indeed, I never fly w/o checking it! Local ordinances are not on the map though, at least not yet. That’d be hard to keep-up with...
 
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Also you won't find TFRs and NOTAMs in Airmap. You should also look up a navigational chart. Airmap's zones are circular, but most times, the airspace areas aren't and you may be still flying within controlled airspace, even when you are beyond the 5 miles radius.
 
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Also check bicycle lights as some of them are small and lightweight. One in particular is the Surfas Thunderbolt. I have several red tail lights and they last a long time. I don't have a white headlight but they are bright and have a high/low for both steady on and flash. Somebody that was good with a 3D printer could fab their own awesome drone light from one intended for something else.
 
Many small local airports are unatended and no one on duty to notify, but are still on the maps. In these cases you just fly and hope for best and stay 400 ft. or under?
butch
 
New Laws state that calling or notifying control towers is a thing of the past, you CANNOT fly in controlled airspace without first getting a waiver from (and here is the confusion) air traffic control. It is not a matter of calling and saying "I'm flying a drone from this time to that time at whatever altitude from these coordinates to those. Now you have to wait for permission to fly, not real time, I think there will eb an app, don't know if it will be b4UFly, where you can apply for permission.
 
LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) (Pronounced 'lance') is what is used to ask for permission to fly in controlled airspace. But currently it's only available to Part 107 pilots. They will be opening it up to recreational flyers later this year. Until then, we recreational pilots are out of luck.

 
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At least at night I use 3 Strobon Cree strobe lights (red, green, white). Small, light weight, rechargeable and portable. I just purchased my EVO and used small pieces of 3M fasteners (very secure). Put one on each side of the EVO - right under battery but over folding arm (perfect fit). The third on the bottom rear right where the arm pivots. Ill remove for day flights. I used thes on my DJI Spark before and can clearly see over 2.5 miles out at night.
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At least at night I use 3 Strobon Cree strobe lights (red, green, white). Small, light weight, rechargeable and portable. I just purchased my EVO and used small pieces of 3M fasteners (very secure). Put one on each side of the EVO - right under battery but over folding arm (perfect fit). The third on the bottom rear right where the arm pivots. Ill remove for day flights. I used thes on my DJI Spark before and can clearly see over 2.5 miles out at night.
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At least at night I use 3 Strobon Cree strobe lights (red, green, white). Small, light weight, rechargeable and portable. I just purchased my EVO and used small pieces of 3M fasteners (very secure). Put one on each side of the EVO - right under battery but over folding arm (perfect fit). The third on the bottom rear right where the arm pivots. Ill remove for day flights. I used thes on my DJI Spark before and can clearly see over 2.5 miles out at night.

Interesting placement. Do the lights affect videoing or the downward sensors? I’ve just purchased a pair of white 4 strobe lights from Firehouse and a couple of wing mounts from Ariel Pixel. Trying them out today. I want to see how much they help eyeball the Evo in darker daylight conditions, for example against a dark tree line.

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I haven't flown EVO yet at night (raining the past few nights here in Jersey). I dont think it will affect the rear downward camera - pretty much the only spot on the bottom I felt comfortable putting it. I'll report back if an issue.
 
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I haven't flown EVO yet at night (raining the past few nights here in Jersey). I dont think it will affect the rear downward camera - pretty much the only spot on the bottom I felt comfortable putting it. I'll report back if an issue.
Yes, I’ll attempt to put up some pics after I do my test.
 
I haven't flown EVO yet at night (raining the past few nights here in Jersey). I dont think it will affect the rear downward camera - pretty much the only spot on the bottom I felt comfortable putting it. I'll report back if an issue.
Used strobes on test flight tonight no issues with downward sensor or front camera.
 
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Used strobes on test flight tonight no issues with downward sensor or front camera.
Tested my Firehouse Tech 4 light strobes yesterday in broad daylight. The Evo can now be more easily picked out against a dark treeline a few hundred yards away, and is much easier to follow even in a fairly bright sky. Tried to get some distant video with my iPad and even though the strobes can be seen, they wouldn’t show up on a web-sized clip..
 
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