So that must be applicable to all ILS fitted to aircraft, so unless the pilot can see exactly were his aircraft is, using just his eyes, he is also breaking regulations. . . 
1 Like
I can tell the direction of the drone by the strobe lights.
The lights are fitted to the drone therefore I can see the drone, they are a part of it
Unless Iāve missed something and I have to be able to see a specific part of āthe droneā?
No because if heās using an ILS approach heās under IFR and under positive control from ATC who are now responsible for de-confliction.
Yes you have missed all of it, you cannot use strobe lights to find where your drone is located or itās orientation, you cannot use any means other than physically seeing it, the drone body itself and being able to tell the front and the back of it by seeing it, you cannot Yaw from side to side to establish the orientation, you cannot use any electronic aid to show its position, i.e. Laptop screen or Phone screen with telemetry display on, you cannot use strobe lights, landing lights, position lights, navigation lights, GPS feedback or any external aid, you must only use eye contact (no binoculars or anything like that)with the drone body to know where it is and its orientation, all the above are not allowedā¦ now perhaps people will see the massive implications this has, you are now limited to about 100m pending your eyesight. Please see all of this in the new Drone Code document and explained by the CAA on Geeksvana Youtube, and no not just for more hits, heās a good lad.
My other comment is how will the Emergency services fair, they have no additional powers above what we have (checked) but they all have the GVC, which means they can contact the CAA at 2am on a cold icy morning whilst searching for a lost pensioner with dementia, Iām certain someone from the CAA will be around then to authorise a night flight with lights, Cheers
The lights are a physical part of the drone, I can see them with my eyes. Where does it say this is not allowed?
According to Google, our eyes only see light. When we see a drone, we donāt āseeā the drone itself. We see the reflected light which our eyes & brains turn into a drone. Weāre seeing light, strobes are light.
3 Likes
@Crackerjack 100% agree with you Andy. Photography is all about seeing the light and thats all our eyes see
Read all the way down to FPV, in fact you be better reading all of the codeā¦ thatās me ducking out of this conversation, Iāve warned everyone, do as you will, I amā¦ ha haā¦ so Iām leaving this thread to you boysā¦ Cheers
Where does it say this?
They never could be. VLOS rules always said, āunaidedā. Very little has changed other than the CAAās clarification of what you should do to comply with VLOS.
I canāt see drone manufacturers making special drones, without all the bells and whistles, for the UK market. Anyway, just because you canāt rely on them for VLOS orientation doesnāt mean you canāt use them at all.
Youāll be waiting a long time, I think. 
By whom? Iām certainly not advocating non-compliance with the regulations, but the only time a flight is likely to come under close scrutiny is when thereās been a massive cock-up. And I expect the type of people most likely to make those cock-ups are those that are blissfully unaware of the regulations in the first place.
Oh, heās gone. 
3 Likes
2. Always keep your drone or model aircraft in direct sight and make sure you have a full view of the surrounding airspace
You must be sure that you will be able to spot any hazards, in the air or on the ground, and avoid any collisions.
You must be able to see your drone or model aircraft clearly enough that you can tell which way itās facing. This is so that you can steer and control it safely, even if something happens unexpectedly.
You must be able to see it without using:
- binoculars
- a telephoto lens
- electronic viewing equipment, such as a smart phone, tablet or video goggles
Using normal glasses and contact lenses is fine.
So having re-read the code and the above section in particular. I see absolutely no reference to not being able to use lights fitted to a drone to determine its orientation.
Next!!!
2 Likes
All I can say is good luck to my imaginary spotter when Iām flying my Emax Tinyhawk Freestyle quad. Based on that my maximum VLOS is less than 10ft.
1 Like
A post was merged into an existing topic: Drone pilot pleads guilty to endangering historic aircraft
I agree with SeaHunter.
ā So having re-read the code and the above section in particular. I see absolutely no reference to not being able to use lights fitted to a drone to determine its orientation.ā
Thereās nothing in the code stating you cannot use the built in nav lights to determine which way it is facing. When I fly my mini 3 pro, if I can see two green lights flashing, I know itās virtually facing me.
ā¦and if you cant see 2 green lights flashing you have no idea of the orientation. Thats the problem.
There is only 1 situation there where you can positively confirm the orientation leaving all the rest as unknown.
With the way VLOS is becoming more relevant as per the regs and the court case, should we be more candid on what we post on YouTube etc? This could be used against you at a later date like windswept Robert is under investigation?
1 Like
Means no freestyle FPV videos at all I guess nowā¦ How ANYONE (spotter as well) can tell the direction a freestyle is pointing in (my rates are 1000 degress per second, thatās nearly 3 rotations a second) at a point in time is not going to happen!! As we tend to fly < 30m the rules are justā¦ Not helpful for FPV at all!
1 Like
If youre giving up FPV Martin Ill take first dibs on O3 Air Unit mate
This further supports the fact that those making the regulations have no clue as to what they are regulating. If you take the literature the CAA have recently published on face value youād think weāre all flying DJI Phantoms and self built hexacopters. Even that Callum chap from the CAA stated he knew very little about FPV. He tried it once but it made him airsick.
Just have the lotā¦ Never fly anymore
If the average person can only reliably see a Mini 2 out to 50m to truly ascertain its attitude, will the current maximum permissible height above ground also be reduced? If I take my Mini 2 up vertically directly above me to the legal 120m limit, I canāt even see itā¦
Food for thought.
Cheers - Rob
1 Like
