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I still use Pilot v1.0.2 and recently completed a flight in rural Montana which had a maximum horizontal distance of 22000 feet from my transmitter, at 50 feet AGL. That is 4.2 miles or 6.7 km from the transmitter; substantially greater than the 2km DJI spec. I was on a 200 foot hill and flew along a dead-end 6 mile long gravel road where I could land anytime without endangering anyone. Where I was located, there is no cell service, homes, radio towers or anything to cause EM interference. I chickened out at that distance because the bird was freaking out about return to home. There were a few video dropouts lasting 1-2 seconds, but I believe I could have gone further! (I was using a TB47!). My total flight distance was 38500 feet, and about 14 minutes of flight time (yes the bird did not get back to my home point) I will see if I can break that record, but I need an accomplice to pick up the bird because It won't make it back home and I will have to land in a safe place along the road.

I've wondered about this scenario.  What if as you get to your battery charge limit landing point and begin to descend, the Inspire loses signal and tries to return to home?  

That is a potential risk. One hopes that with line of sight, the signal will  return as the bird gets closer and you can regain control for a voluntary landing. I believe when the bird reaches critical battery, it will auto-land wherever it is. My area is one of wide open plains, with trees only along the creeks, so my risk is reduced.

I've experimented several times with the inspire and the phantom 3.  This was over farmland where there were costal fields to land.  The greatest distance on the phantom 3 was 16,624 feet out.    I got  a weak signal and returned.   I tried it a second time and got just over 15,000 feet out with video.   I lost contact on video and when it started to return and came back online it was at 17% on the battery and within 10,000 feet.  Wind was in my favor on the return and I got it to land.   The last 200 feet or so, it tried to auto land.  I just pushed it up until it got close and I grabbed it.  That was the phantom.  It was on the edge of the field when it started to land, so I just kept it up.  I was ok with it landing away from me, as there was nothing really but cut costal hay.  So, it would of been just fine.  

I pushed an inspire out to 13,500 feet before video got weak and I returned it.    Some things to remark on.  I did this over farm land.  I was ok with landing it anywhere along the return route.    I had a trackimo to go get it if I lost it.   I was ok with what happened should it land prematurely and crash.    I've only done this a few times to see what it is capable of but I normally just fly very closely.     The are capable of 3 plus mile linear travel over unobstructed views.   
What I'd like to see is to have someone drive the distance to see how far it would go and pick it up at it's farthest distance. Provided you have the capability to land.  It would be risky but you can set it to auto land where it is.  But you better know where that is.  I think the safest would be something like a dried salt lake.

Check out some of the two way and one way inspire 1 Record distance flights on YouTube
think I saw 6+ miles , one starts on a beach and heads way way out to some small islands
and back...

daver/m Posted at 2015-6-17 12:00
Check out some of the two way and one way inspire 1 Record distance flights on YouTube
think I saw  ...

yes i saw that russian guy who got 4.5 km(13,500 feetone way) over water

My next project will be a comparison of Pilot app 1.0.2 with the latest version 1.1.2 and this will not be completed until late July.  My goal is to test transmitter link stability and range. If indeed the wider choice of channels provides better flight distance, stability, safety, then we must petition DJI to upgrade the pilot app with more LEGAL channels.....

Rbimd Posted at 2015-6-17 18:34

...we must petition DJI to upgrade the pilot app with more LEGAL channels.....

Unfortunately I think the problem is that they are now using all the legal channels that the hardware can support.  I still don't know how they made the mistake of having all those additional channels in there in the first place while having an FCC type acceptance stamp on the thing.

Dji don't quote the range anymore on their web site.  We all bought into this because of the 2.5km range, but in the u.k it don't affect us, so why don't hey put in a user select option depending on your country. Don't treat us all the same! After all a speed limit on a road is controlled via the driver not the maker. You break the law, you get the fine...simple.

mark@gray52.fsn Posted at 2015-6-18 20:46
Dji don't quote the range anymore on their web site.  We all bought into this because of the 2.5km r ...

What do you mean "in the UK it don't affect us"?

Could you explain that statement please and why you think the UK is not limited to Ofcom allocated frequencies in the 2.4ghz spectrum under the UKFAT (United Kingdom Frequency Allocation Table)?