My eyesight isn't great so I just try and be aware of my surroundings and approximately where it is but often I can't actually see it.

Getting back to the Litchi subject real quick, does it have a wider compatibility with devices? I posted in another thread I am having trouble with a Samsung Tab A(6) & Go 4 App, my Samsung S5 works great with the App, I like the Tab A and would probably keep it if Litchi is more adaptive/compatible, if not it's going back to BB soon.

I'm canadian, so, Justin told me I have to !!! Hey !! Pfffff Like if...

After an incident where the RC lost signal (phone screen) with Mavic, I always fly with Line of Sight. Meaning to say, during the incident I was able to locate the mavic and bring it back to me safely ;)

Best practise, always fly LOS to avoid expensive lesson

Line of sight: not often
Line of sound: almost always

VLOS is important to have all the time. Even if you as the pilot don't have VLOS, but your visual observer does you are ok. You don't want to rely on the camera to get you home, what if the feed cuts? Just ask yourself, is the shot worth the cost of losing the drone? Is it worth the potential fine? If it is then it's one hell of a shot. I have yet to come across that kind of shot.

Dear Pilots,
I was on vacation and didn't read all the answers from some days. I thank all of you by sharing your experience and thoughts with me!
Cheers!

very rarely almost never, as when the mavic gets 100  yard plus away its gone and it would be even less with the spark.

I always "try" to lol.  Sometimes you just see something you have to go check out and look up and cant find the drone.  OOPS

first of all, i only flying a Spark right now.  second of all i find flying strictly  VLOS is more dangerous, for me atleast, i fly about 90% of the time on screen.. Visual only is like flying drunk.  10% of the the time i dont use the screen is usually landing or taking off.. i have had to make a few emergency landings with critically low battery on my Spark not allowing my to completely return sub 10% battery so those events i aim camera down and aim for best clear patch i can..  happened twice now.. it usually allows me to fly forward at 4-6 mph and it descents half that speed.. 2-3 miles per hour.. so usually around 12% battery now i pull it hard up as i go forward so i can hopefully get it much closer if not on me.. but still..

i think the "rules" or "policy"  or "laws" should be common sense..  if you feel comfortable flying visually, that's all you, thats how you best fly..  if you best fly with FPV/camera like i do, then that's how you best fly.. nonsense stopping people from flying with cameras, if they forced me to fly by visual only it would be flying like most drunk pilot ever... cameras its safe, if your comoftable doing that, specially with all the "fail safes" we have like RTH, and obstacle avoidances and speeds and heights we can reach, always an inherent risk but overall its fairly safe..

simple answer no.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-13 16:44
first of all, i only flying a Spark right now.  second of all i find flying strictly  VLOS is more dangerous, for me atleast, i fly about 90% of the time on screen.. Visual only is like flying drunk.  10% of the the time i dont use the screen is usually landing or taking off.. i have had to make a few emergency landings with critically low battery on my Spark not allowing my to completely return sub 10% battery so those events i aim camera down and aim for best clear patch i can..  happened twice now.. it usually allows me to fly forward at 4-6 mph and it descents half that speed.. 2-3 miles per hour.. so usually around 12% battery now i pull it hard up as i go forward so i can hopefully get it much closer if not on me.. but still..

i think the "rules" or "policy"  or "laws" should be common sense..  if you feel comfortable flying visually, that's all you, thats how you best fly..  if you best fly with FPV/camera like i do, then that's how you best fly.. nonsense stopping people from flying with cameras, if they forced me to fly by visual only it would be flying like most drunk pilot ever... cameras its safe, if your comoftable doing that, specially with all the "fail safes" we have like RTH, and obstacle avoidances and speeds and heights we can reach, always an inherent risk but overall its fairly safe..

Dear ImHereToCrash,

Very interesting points you said.
Thanks for your opinions.
Cheers.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-13 16:44
first of all, i only flying a Spark right now.  second of all i find flying strictly  VLOS is more dangerous, for me atleast, i fly about 90% of the time on screen.. Visual only is like flying drunk.  10% of the the time i dont use the screen is usually landing or taking off.. i have had to make a few emergency landings with critically low battery on my Spark not allowing my to completely return sub 10% battery so those events i aim camera down and aim for best clear patch i can..  happened twice now.. it usually allows me to fly forward at 4-6 mph and it descents half that speed.. 2-3 miles per hour.. so usually around 12% battery now i pull it hard up as i go forward so i can hopefully get it much closer if not on me.. but still..

i think the "rules" or "policy"  or "laws" should be common sense..  if you feel comfortable flying visually, that's all you, thats how you best fly..  if you best fly with FPV/camera like i do, then that's how you best fly.. nonsense stopping people from flying with cameras, if they forced me to fly by visual only it would be flying like most drunk pilot ever... cameras its safe, if your comoftable doing that, specially with all the "fail safes" we have like RTH, and obstacle avoidances and speeds and heights we can reach, always an inherent risk but overall its fairly safe..

Pretty much everything you said translates to, "bad pilot" and a lack of understanding on how small UAV piloting works. These craft specifically are unequipped with the sensor packages we need to do anything other than stare with blinders through the screen.

None of what you said was a good idea.

You're right though, the laws and rules should be common sense. It appears they aren't, though.

ephektz Posted at 2017-8-17 12:05
Pretty much everything you said translates to, "bad pilot" and a lack of understanding on how small UAV piloting works. These craft specifically are unequipped with the sensor packages we need to do anything other than stare with blinders through the screen.

None of what you said was a good idea.

i disagree, it doesn't make me or anyone a bad pilot..  i still take care to keep my distance and watch where im going...  but i would find it far more irresponsible if i had to fly Visually without live view only..   because its like flying drunk, i can keep my aircraft more stable at safer from FPV/live view..  if you are differant thats fine.. fly how you are most comfortable and do best.  

its like with shooting guns, i rather be around people who shoot in their own way that's best for them and most comfortable for them.. i would not be happy to be around people who shoot by the book only and struggled with the technique..

I try to keep in LOS but whilst looking and adjusting everything on the screen thats not easy... although I do often have someone else with me to watch out for it.

It all depends on what you define as Visual Line of Sight... Where i fly I am On the top of  a shelf that has better than 10 miles visibility. My line of sight is unobstructed all the way to Utah, 20 miles away. I know exactly where my AC is in relation to my position at all times.  Yes my tiny little Mavic is invisible at 2500 meters but I sure as heck can see and hear a small single engine plane easily at 10 miles out and have done so many times. My only issues are with irresponsible single engine pilots who think it is cool to fly under 400 feet right next to the mountain/area where I fly... I can hear them coming and I dive for the ground, had some yahoo go right over my LZ at 150 feet, I gave him the 1 finger salute... And flying up a box canyon to a cliff face is not as dangerous as flying inside of any City Limit, (ever have a Fly Away and wonder who you just impaled???)The only thing I am risking is my Mavic... Its all about being hyper aware of your surroundings and flying under 400 feet... This video is an example of flying Line of Sight aided by the Live video of the Mavic, I was never once above 400 feet AGL from my LZ take off point...You City dwellers should come out to the country to fly, I do...

dancopter Posted at 2017-7-3 07:27
Of course we all do;).

All the time!!! I don't even use a device attached to my  controller...

ColoradoBob Posted at 2017-8-17 15:39
It all depends on what you define as Visual Line of Sight... Where i fly I am On the top of  a shelf that has better than 10 miles visibility. My line of sight is unobstructed all the way to Utah, 20 miles away. I know exactly where my AC is in relation to my position at all times.  Yes my tiny little Mavic is invisible at 2500 meters but I sure as heck can see and hear a small single engine plane easily at 10 miles out and have done so many times. My only issues are with irresponsible single engine pilots who think it is cool to fly under 400 feet right next to the mountain/area where I fly... I can hear them coming and I dive for the ground, had some yahoo go right over my LZ at 150 feet, I gave him the 1 finger salute... And flying up a box canyon to a cliff face is not as dangerous as flying inside of any City Limit, (ever have a Fly Away and wonder who you just impaled???)The only thing I am risking is my Mavic... Its all about being hyper aware of your surroundings and flying under 400 feet... This video is an example of flying Line of Sight aided by the Live video of the Mavic, I was never once above 400 feet AGL from my LZ take off point...You City dwellers should come out to the country to fly, I do... Line of sight flying...

ya... out in town last week, i was in a field and fairly large area.. just outside of town..  i swear some guy flying so low i could count the rivets on his aircraft's belly..   had to been no more then 75 feet up...  he also had no tail number...  i tried to find an airfield in the area that would explained such a low pass, but nope... closest one is unpaved and it was like 11 miles or so out on google maps..

makes me a bit p*ssed off that news daemonized drones but yet they say nothing about people flying planes in such retarded dangerous ways unless they crash..

I fly  in VLOD, ....... visual line of direction.

Dear Pilots,

I just want to leave here my opinion about forums, community and level of discussions.
Sincerely, I am here because I love to flight my drone and I have a DJI MAVIC.
All of us have our stories; our mistakes and our moments of dumbness. But always have our moments of “heroes”.
I, REALLY, don’t believe in anyone being better than anyone.
I do like discussions. To read, think, and decide if it can fit my reality or not. If it can make me a better person.
And, if I read something that is different of what I think, it doesn’t give me the right to accuse someone of being worst, or wrong; to be a good guy or a bad guy.
So, this thread is awesome, with so many information and so many different opinions that will elevate the level of every pilot on this forum.
Someone that has different points of view from mine is not, necessarily wrong or bad or enemy.
Just to think.

Cheers!

I never fly ilos I love flying far away

By Law within USA -  Visual line-of-sight (VLOS) only; the unmanned aircraft must remain within VLOS of the remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small UAS. Alternatively, the unmanned aircraft must remain within VLOS of the visual observer.

And here, we have one thread that goes further this one;


http://forum.dji.com/thread-109366-1-1.html

Cheers.

60% of people ALWAYS or MOST OF THE TIME fly via LOS? Well that is the fakest thing I've read for a while.

coconutbun Posted at 2017-8-4 01:36
After an incident where the RC lost signal (phone screen) with Mavic, I always fly with Line of Sight. Meaning to say, during the incident I was able to locate the mavic and bring it back to me safely ;)

Best practise, always fly LOS to avoid expensive lesson

Happened to me multiple times. You can just press on the RTH button or use the "distance" info on your remote. You don't need LOS to bring back the Mavic

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-13 16:44
first of all, i only flying a Spark right now.  second of all i find flying strictly  VLOS is more dangerous, for me atleast, i fly about 90% of the time on screen.. Visual only is like flying drunk.  10% of the the time i dont use the screen is usually landing or taking off.. i have had to make a few emergency landings with critically low battery on my Spark not allowing my to completely return sub 10% battery so those events i aim camera down and aim for best clear patch i can..  happened twice now.. it usually allows me to fly forward at 4-6 mph and it descents half that speed.. 2-3 miles per hour.. so usually around 12% battery now i pull it hard up as i go forward so i can hopefully get it much closer if not on me.. but still..

i think the "rules" or "policy"  or "laws" should be common sense..  if you feel comfortable flying visually, that's all you, thats how you best fly..  if you best fly with FPV/camera like i do, then that's how you best fly.. nonsense stopping people from flying with cameras, if they forced me to fly by visual only it would be flying like most drunk pilot ever... cameras its safe, if your comoftable doing that, specially with all the "fail safes" we have like RTH, and obstacle avoidances and speeds and heights we can reach, always an inherent risk but overall its fairly safe..

Username checks out

I too always fly within VLOS, legalities aside I prefer to see my drones and take whatever actions are necessary as and when. Not saying that is how you should fly, just how I fly.

Always. If I fly alone hit record before takeoff and just fly around keeping line of sight.

Very rarely I watch my Mavik. As a rule, this is the control of landing or if the flight takes place in close places - where there are invisibles that Mavik has not seen.
In the pine control of the flight, I do the screen. I control the position of Mavik on the map in relation to the point of the house. And also according to the indications on the display - height - battery - distance. Further, 2 km from the takeoff site has not yet tried. More often flights on 1-1.5 km, no more.

I have ducked briefly behind large structures like a water tower, but mostly in line of sight, as I'm still starting out.

Erick705 Posted at 2017-7-3 07:04
When you're filming video, you're looking at your screen, adjusting gimble while flying.  Reading altitude, checking battery levels, exposure, etc.  You don't have your eyes on your drone.  These LOS guidelines are vague.  I don't see an issue flying beyond LOS.

I think he means solely not looking at the drone at all. That'd be like saying you can't look at your speedometer while you drive because you take your eyes off the road. I would imagine if you had to be evaluated for a Part 107 certificate they would want to ensure you're looking at all of those things to ensure your drone is safe to fly and you're not exceeding any limits, so long as that is not your only focus.

I always try to fly line of sight. I have the goggles but only use them if I have someone else with me to keep track of where the drone is. That being said, I'm standing on top of the bridge in this video when the Spark goes underneath.

Tom_A Posted at 2018-1-31 22:15
I always try to fly line of sight. I have the goggles but only use them if I have someone else with me to keep track of where the drone is. That being said, I'm standing on top of the bridge in this video when the Spark goes underneath.

https://youtu.be/AyrCVAtpA7M

What a beautiful place!

Not so much because of the "rules," as for common sense.  I respect the environment in which fly -including the hazard created by flying a heavy object above that could injure or damage in the event of a hardware or software failure.  These are expensive toys, too, and I enjoy flying what I have without worrying about my "investment!"  I lose this and there won't be a replacement in my "budget."  I "Plan" my flights to avoid the 'necessity' of flying beyond LOS.

[double post - sorry]

Everlast556 Posted at 2017-7-18 12:02
I don't know how some popular youtubers can keep LOS when they fly over certain objects or thru steam like this: 1000 ft stack from a power plant. Even if you or a spotter were far enough away to be able to see the top of the stack where the drone is, you'd be too far to actually see it.

spoiler alert: they don't fly by LOS

Sunny D Posted at 2017-8-4 06:52
Line of sight: not often
Line of sound: almost always

"line of sound" LOL

VLOS Always.

Always Line of Sight - in fact, I have never flown the drone beyond 150 meters or so away from me and have no intention of doing so. Video doesn't interest me, neither does flying it. I like to take photographs and the pictures I want are all where I am at the time. The 120 meter ceiling we have here in Portugal is perfectly fine too - way higher than I need. My drones are flying cameras to get different perspectives that I cannot achieve with my DSLR's on the ground.

I’ve only been flying for a few weeks but I’ve tried to keep it close and in LOS. That said, my spotter and I lost track of the Mavic after descending from clear blue skies to having trees in the background over the lake. I flew it back manually by following the marker it left on the mini map. I would’ve press the RTH but I was on top of a Dam wall.
Since then I’ve been considering getting a brigh (orange/red/yellow carbon) skin/decal to make the Mavic more visible.