Keeping Your Eye on the Drone
By Rebekah Waters, FAA Safety Briefing Magazine
Anyone who’s ever played baseball likely remembers the first thing they learned: “Keep your eye on the ball.” You’ve probably passed on this sage tip at least once. Well, when it comes to drone flying, keeping your eyes on your drone is not only a great tip, but it’s also mandatory.
Whether you are a part 107 pilot, or you fly for fun as a recreational flyer, you must maintain visual line of sight (VLOS) with your drone at all times. This requirement can be one of the most confusing parts of flying a drone. One reason is that the FAA has not set a maximum distance for this requirement. This is because the maximum distance you can maintain VLOS depends on several factors, such as the size of your drone, weather conditions, your visual acuity, and obstacles, to name a few.
Why VLOS?
To understand how to effectively keep your eye on the drone, let’s look at why this is a requirement. Section 44809(a)(4) tells recreational flyers: “The aircraft is operated in a manner that does not interfere with and gives way to any manned aircraft.” Drone pilots must “see-and-avoid” manned aircraft. Some might ask, “Why can’t I use my camera to satisfy these requirements?” With today’s technology, even the best cameras cannot replace the function of a pilot’s ability to see-and-avoid. In a crewed aircraft, the pilot can turn and look in any direction quickly to scan for obstacles. An effective scan must encompass all areas of the environment in which a hazard could be present. In this case, think about yourself as the pitcher instead of the batter. If you have “tunnel vision” from relying on your camera, would you notice the runner trying to steal second? You must use your eyes, unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, to see-and-avoid other aircraft, people, and property on the ground.
The “And” and “Or” of VOs
Another common area of confusion is that the FAA uses both “and” and “or” when talking about visual observers (VOs). Section 107.31(a), Visual line of sight aircraft operations, says “the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small, unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight.” It goes on to list four things that must be accomplished by VLOS: know the location of the drone; determine its attitude, altitude and direction; watch the airspace for other air traffic or hazards; and make sure the drone does not endanger the life or property of another. But in section 107.31(b) it says, the ability to do these four things must be exercised by the remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the controls, or the visual observer.
Let’s help this make sense. First, how can the remote pilot in command be someone other than the person manipulating the controls? Well, you may be training someone to fly, but you are still the one in charge and ultimately responsible for the flight. Next, is it and or is it or? VOs could be used for several reasons like allowing you to use your camera for photography or giving you time to look away from the drone to complete other aspects of your operation. What section 107.31(b) says is that no matter what is happening, at least one person in your operation must have eyes on the drone and the surrounding airspace. What section 107.31(a) says is that everyone involved in the operation must have the ability to see the drone even if one of them looks away from the drone. In other words, if your VO alerts you to a potential hazard, can you immediately put your eyes back on your drone?
Remember, when it comes to VLOS, your primary responsibility is to see-and-avoid other aircraft. Your drone is the ball, not the image sent back to you by the camera. So, whether it’s you or your visual observer, make sure you always keep your eye on your drone!
Learn More
Rebekah Waters is an FAA Safety Briefing associate editor. She is a technical writer-editor in the FAA’s Flight Standards Service.
