Still a newbie here. I keep seeing the term Visual Line of Sight mentioned here, and that you should not fly outside of that. I'm not disagreeing with it at all, but maybe my understanding of exactly what that means is wrong. To me, VLOS means always being able to actually see your drone. If that's the case, I can't see ever letting the drone get very far away since they're so small you would lose sight of it pretty quickly.

Is my understanding of that term wrong? Does it mean that you should just have a clear line of sight to where your drone is even though it may be too far away to see without a pair of binoculars? Something like flying straight out over water with no visual obstructions like trees or buildings?

Your first interpretation is the correct one and the legal obligation in most countries. You have to be able to see it with your eyes.
The second definition you gave is the technical requirement for a stable connection between RC and AC.

which aircraft you have?

Being able to actually see your drone,  without the use of other visual aids, binoculars etc.. If you can no longer see the model in flight, it's simply beyond your VLOS.

When it comes to legal stuff, my vision suddenly improves and my eye resolution switches to 0.0000001 arc seconds.

Thanks for the quick answers. I thought that was the case, but with so many people flying so far away they can't possibly see it, I wasn't 100% sure.

I have the Mavic Air. I know it's a little smaller than the pro, but it cant make that much difference when it's 8000 feet away.

Might help you to view this web site.  It's the FAA site and explains how you should fly as a hobbyist without getting yourself in trouble.  https://www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/

Some folks will get out there and fly not knowing, but you are taking the right steps in asking and researching.

That was a very good question.
As usual the guys on the forum have all the right answers. Keep asking questions and they will set you right.

The main thing to know is to use common sense ,obey the rules, and fly safely.

integer Posted at 2018-3-26 07:03
which aircraft you have?

Mavic Air.

According to the FAA  ( https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_ ... _Model_Aircraft.pdf )

Visual line-of-sight:
While flying your drone you must to be able to see it at all times using only your natural vision (which includes glasses and contacts, but not first person view goggles or binoculars).  

Wachtberger Posted at 2018-3-26 08:43
Mavic Air.

sorry, I didn't notice the avatar

you can buy a strobe light and you can see your mavic at more distance

The strobe is a good idea, but you'll need one on a four sides.  My MP is out of sight over a quarter mile away most of the time, due to glare.  A half mile is just a guess.  If you are looking at your drone and can look away and then find it again, you are in VLOS.  Otherwise, it's a guess and you are flying blind.  The (FPV) camera can only see a few degrees out the front, nothing from the sides or rear.