VLOS, people and populous areas in practice — transcript

00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:05.028 VLOS, people and populous areas: the standard conditions in practice.

00:00:05.900 --> 00:00:11.590 Visual line of sight means you can continually see, orient and navigate the drone,

00:00:11.590 --> 00:00:17.006 to keep it clear of aircraft and hazards. Glasses are fine. Binoculars aren't,

00:00:17.006 --> 00:00:19.954 and a screen or goggles alone don't count.

00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:26.236 A dot at the edge of your vision isn't control. Past about two hundred metres,

00:00:26.236 --> 00:00:30.021 a small quadcopter's front and back can look the same.

00:00:30.900 --> 00:00:34.859 So fly within a comfortable range. Add hi-vis markings and lights,

00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:39.705 and use a briefed observer. If haze, sun or distance makes orientation uncertain,

00:00:39.705 --> 00:00:40.591 recover early.

00:00:41.400 --> 00:00:44.744 Quick check. You can see the drone, but you can't tell which way it's facing.

00:00:44.744 --> 00:00:45.344 Is that VLOS?

00:00:46.800 --> 00:00:50.457 No. You need to see it, orient it, and navigate it.

00:00:51.300 --> 00:00:54.741 The four hundred foot limit, about a hundred and twenty metres,

00:00:54.741 --> 00:00:58.719 is above the ground directly below the drone, not above the launch point.

00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:02.301 Launch from a ridge and fly out over a valley,

00:01:02.301 --> 00:01:06.324 and the screen can still say four hundred while you're well above it.

00:01:06.324 --> 00:01:08.508 The altimetry video covers this trap.

00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:12.677 People are two separate checks. First, separation:

00:01:12.677 --> 00:01:18.074 keep at least thirty metres laterally from people who aren't part of the operation.

00:01:18.074 --> 00:01:22.122 People assisting with control or navigation are the exception.

00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.776 Second, populous areas. It's not a headcount.

00:01:25.776 --> 00:01:30.845 An area is populous if a failure could put people or property at unreasonable risk.

00:01:30.845 --> 00:01:34.285 Even one person below a low drone can change the answer.

00:01:35.100 --> 00:01:41.045 And people move. A walker heads into your area. Hold or recover until they're clear.

00:01:41.045 --> 00:01:45.732 The plan only works while the people picture matches the briefing.

00:01:46.600 --> 00:01:50.551 Emergency activity is an automatic trigger. If police, fire,

00:01:50.551 --> 00:01:55.149 ambulance or rescue crews appear, recover or hold clear, and reassess.

00:01:55.149 --> 00:01:59.165 Don't operate near them unless the person in charge approves.

00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.081 Recap: see it, orient it, navigate it. Height is above the ground below.

00:02:05.081 --> 00:02:10.580 Thirty metres and populous areas are two checks. And emergencies mean recover.

00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.893 Final check. One person sits right under your planned path.

00:02:14.893 --> 00:02:17.513 Can that matter for the populous area check?

00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:22.997 Yes. It's about the risk if something fails, not the headcount.