Had the week off from work and so wanted to get my drone out and actually get some proper time with it. Annoyingly I’ve had it 6 months or so now and have hardly had the opportunity to get it in the air, for one reason or another - lockdown included.
So was finally happy to get some proper air time and have realised that 3 batteries isn’t enough when you’re having fun!
Shot this at Harewood House. There’s a bridleway that goes around the estate with a few big fields. I’ve checked the website for Harewood House, checked all signage and nothing suggested or stated that drones couldn’t be flown here so making sure I was well away from people (quite a few people walk around here at any time of the day/week) and was building my confidence to fly higher and further away. This was about 400-500m from where I was stood and with the strobes I’ve fitted, I was quite confident and happy I could see her. Photo attached is a fairly quick edit but was moderately happy with it. Wanted to at least get a photo shared finally.
lovely pic.
For your info LOS is specified as a maximum of 500m though, regardless if you have strobes fitted and can still see it beyond.
I’m yet to need more than 3 batteries, but that’s normally the other half or kids getting fed up with me after 10mins, and then leaving me and coming back later and nagging me to stop!!!
Yeah, didn’t plan to fly any further than 500m, it was getting a bit small and distant although I could see the strobes flickering but that was plenty far away enough aside from what the drone regulations say! Most of my time today was really just getting more confident flying, doing figure of eights, circles etc. Feeling pretty happy and confident, I’ll get out again tomorrow. Honestly could have been there all day if I had enough batteries, was having a good time!
Visual Line of Sight Operations (VLOS): Visual Line of Sight is termed as being the maximum distance that the flight crew is able to maintain separation and collision avoidance, under the prevailing atmospheric conditions, with the unaided eye (other than corrective lenses). For flights within Line of Sight, the pilot is required to employ the See – and – Avoid principle through continued observation of the aircraft, and the airspace around it, with respect to other aircraft and objects. Within the UK, Visual Line of Sight operations are normally accepted out to a maximum distance of 500 m horizontally, and 400 ft vertically, from the pilot.
More official than that only leaves the CAA. If I’ll bored tonight I may Search through the CAPs for it, but if you don’t recognize ARPAS then I doubt you’ll accept the CAA docs
The CAA will normally accept that the VLOS requirement is met when the UA is flown out to a distance of 500 metres horizontally from the remote pilot, but only if the aircraft can still be seen at this distance.
Seems pretty cut and dry to me
Any one that has done their GVC will tell you that’s what is taught as well, from recognised CAA authorised training centers.
Yeah, That’s why I say i can’t get away fwith flying commercially >500m, but others may be able to, soo long as they maintain VLOS.
I knew I’d seen it say Maximum somewhere, so my apologies for putting my restrictions onto others.
