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How can you maintain vlos at all times, when your riding your bike and its behind you ,
Care to share said rules? Adding to what’s already been covered above?
Bearing in mind the drone is <250gm, has an operator licence ID on it, and isn’t flying over a crowd…?
TBF Having it follow you along a public road feels like it shouldn't be legal, but IANAL and can't think of a specific law it would technically break, I guess its just another case of the law not really keeping up with available technology. But also maybe a bit of 'Rule one' should apply?
As ever context is everything of course...
How can you maintain vlos at all times, when your riding your bike and its behind you ,
VLOS; It doesn't actually mean looking at it the whole time. it means not letting it get so far/hidden, you can't see it.
It's close enough to be seen.
DrP
This is what the caa states about. vlos
https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/drone-code/the_drone_code.pdf#page8
Some drones or model aircraft have a follow-me mode
that means you can set your aircraft to follow you within
a fixed distance.
You do not have to keep your drone or model aircraft in direct
sight when follow-me mode is active and set to follow within
50m of you. You must still follow all of the other points.
p41.
if you are going to quote rules, at least read them 😉
I’ve got a hover x1 pro got it from igg but can’t use it yet as it’s my Christmas present. I bought the cycling combo and the controller. I’ve been drone curious for a while but I know that I’d never be bothered to get something like a mavic mini out my bag, I can barely be bothered to switch on my go pro.
I do have a little buyers remorse after the neo had the speed increase but the x1 pro will be a step above and bit more portable but a lot lot more expensive. I’ve been waiting for this tech to become a reality since lily drone on kickstarter that vapourware. I’m recent bought a few dji thing and they are great. The x1 pro seems to have been released a little early to compete with the neo they have been desperately trying to get the firmware sorted it’s looking at lot better now so I not too bothered about not been able to use it yet. Here’s some footage someone else has short. It looks great and I can’t wait to use my flying suron
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ge1GXyv4pY4?si=VBhDdDxT-Atlc0w-
Sorry to be grumpy but leave it in the city. No place in the countryside . Noise.
One of the local kids had one and my dad was just waiting for it to fly over his field. An ounce of number 5 shot was waiting. The kid go so many bollockings from the neighbours that the parents gave it away.
Sorry to be grumpy but leave it in the city. No place in the countryside . Noise.
Dude... I get it's a bit noisy/annoying, but it passes quickly, and if someone can't deal with a slight portion of legal annoyance in Their life, I can't be responsible for their issues!
I don't like dogs. At all. I don't go telling dog owners (with dogs off a lead) where they should/shouldn't walk their dogs!
DrP
Sorry to be grumpy but leave it in the city. No place in the countryside . Noise.
One of the local kids had one and my dad was just waiting for it to fly over his field. An ounce of number 5 shot was waiting
There's a difference between flying it over some fields and buzzing someone at the top of Kinder Scout.
Your dad sounds like a ****
Now on offer at Very.
https://www.very.co.uk/dji-neo-drone/1601062970.prd
I’ve taken a punt on one at that price.
Sorry to be grumpy but leave it in the city. No place in the countryside . Noise.
One of the local kids had one and my dad was just waiting for it to fly over his field. An ounce of number 5 shot was waiting. The kid go so many bollockings from the neighbours that the parents gave it away.
Great story about how you think bullying a child is worht bragging about on the internet. "Grumpy?" because of someone doing something you don't like, do pay much attention to militant walkers who don't like MTB-ing?
Please tell me where this is? So I can buy a drone to fly there, as dicks like your dad that shouldn't have fire arms license. If he fires at a drone, he soon won't have one, but will have a criminal record as a bonus prize.
Wow..£120 for the drone, or £250 for the fly more kit, is incredible!
I'd strongly recommend the fly more kit...get the controller and 3 batteries!
@dynati
I'm watching a drone Xmas show with my daughter at Hove cricket ground next weekend!
DrP
For such a small and (relatively) cheap bit of kit, that’s bloody awesome! The follow me ability with a bike is practically witchcraft, and further updates and improvements in AI ability to avoid obstacles it’s only going to get better.
I’m interested, but while I could afford one, I think there’s a faff factor which makes me feel I’d just get bored with it and leave it at home.
Good riding skilz, mind, if I attempted popping wheelies like yours I’d be flat on my back in the middle of the road!
Sorry to be grumpy but leave it in the city. No place in the countryside . Noise.
About the only time I can remember being out in the countryside when it was almost silent was the day things reopened after the foot & mouth shutdown; normally there’s aircraft flying around, vehicles on nearby roads, farm machinery…
It would be interesting to see what the kites and ravens that turn up around my road would make of a drone like that; one question, does it have FPV?
Its very easy to break rule 1 and be a dick with drones. Fortunately folk tend to get bored of them. I did. I find them very annoying when out in public and I do not like them flying over my flat ( its an obvious scenic cityscape)
Great toys tho
Tempted to pick a Neo up at those prices, but guess that the 'follow me' tech is the same as in my Mini 3 Pro? Still might be worth it as my drone is bigger/heavier and more faff to launch. Wonder if my existing DJI controller would hook up to the Neo?
I had to have a word with myself about this, yeah it's cheap, but actually from the reviews and footage people have posted the thing that's clearly is it's really just a toy to capture slightly fancier selfies.
It's not got the runtime to get lots of rad chase-cam footage, and it'll inevitably look less awesome than I imagined, I could spend the money on ten better things before I need a 15 minutes and spent drone.. I'd play with it on a couple of rides then it'd end up as neglected as half the other 'tech' I've ever bought.
Cool toy Dr P, enjoy yours, but "I'm oot"...
Yeah, it has fpv....
For a tiny cheap drone it packs a lot of goodies like the follow me, fpv etc ..
DrP
I would get bored with a drone.
It would be another ton of Digital Litter of naff footage.
They look fun, but hate them anywhere near me 🙁 or in your face observing.
Anyway, I got a Insta360 X4 and you can achieve drone lookalike footage especially from behind to a point.
And it can do so much more at ground level.
Great fun. Actually it makes my riding look slightly faster. Upgrade from Slug to Snail speed 😉
DrP,
Watched your little vid.
Firstly - it looks like it's amazing tech for the price.
Secondly.....hmmm...for me you crossed the rule 1 threshold into dick move. Not with malice, just maybe noob naivety/over eagerness.
I've got an old drone I don't use much now and have been actively considering a new one (Air 3S is currently my sweet spot) but consequently have done the operator licence and flyer ID stuff. Whilst riding along a public road with cars going the other way and pedestrians being pedestrians with a drone in follow me mode is 'probably' (I've got my doubts - follow me is a VLOS workaround - but in full control around other people not connected to the filming?) legal for a sub 250g drone - for me at least that is not something I'd consider. Ever. It's aesthetically dull as **** too - but I suspect you know that and are only filming to test what can be done with your funky new tech. I'd bet my house that give it a week and you and everyone you know will never bother watching it again.
So go out and become the next Peter Mckinnon and make cool little beautiful vids of lovely places or go and get some sentimental footage of the family akin to a flying point and shoot camera that you'll revisit in years to come. But no more filming yourself riding down the road please.
It's not unusual for CAA UAV rules to contradict each other.
You can find two sets of rules/codes for VLOS and the 'follow-me' exception currently.
Since I've been flying them there's always been this sort of thing.
My take, as would be most commercial drone pilots - can you do it safely?
'Follow-me' mode in a wide open space in country is likely more safe than a built up area - where if something does go wrong, citing you were in follow-me from the code will be no defence.
Point is you are still responsible if the follow-me mode fails and causes an incident.
Both fly safely and follow the rules is the best advice.
All that said in this day of road rage and manic sur-ron riders I think drone enthusiasts are given a hysterically hard time compared the relatively low number of issues.
Its privacy, people seem to get excited about being filmed 🙂
The issue I have with follow me is that it can position itself into face level of oncoming cyclists .
For £120 it’s a great flying platform to get a few selfies on or get a great overview of your location, if it flies off into the great unknown it’s not a total catastrophe as your not losing £1k.
I’ve got one and plan to charge on the go, I’ve had drones before and this is a zero farf tool to get a quick vid to set the scene of where I’m riding.
It’s like taking a mid ride waz thou, only whip it out when no-ones around 🙂
Loved the technology and ability to follow. My first watch of the skatepark video had me thinking about £800.
The wife came past and said, no there about £200 to which I laughed at.
To see she isn't wrong is amazing, think I'll get one to have a play with.
The mtb ride would be good with some gear and rider noise imbedded too. Not sure how feasible that is.
I get the comments and thoughts about privacy etc but I'm thinking of open land / moorsides / very out of the way. If I see two people on a ride, I've done well. As for noise, surely a heavy breathing rattly (and slighty sweary occasionall) rider is just as much of an annoyance to anybody else in comparison to a very small drone.
edit - got the flymore kit from Currys for £250 with a code they show on their site.
There are people driving 2 tonne cars at 20 mph down those same streets.
Well, were not quite at the point that any of those cars in that vid were moving autonomously. All drivers 'should' have had hands firmly on the wheel. The drone......shooting the video....the user couldn't make that claim. Those of us with a smidge of drone experience know that follow-me modes are not all that (yet) - more than happy to veer off to the side, change altitude , loose it's target and just hoover or even lock on to something else by accident. And.....this is a drone without collision avoidance......
Yes...a sub 250g drone with prop guards isn't going to kill anyone (apart from baby robins maybe) but suddenly veering off into the windscreen or the path of a driver of one of those 2 tonne cars you're concerned about who then reacts with unfortunate consequences.....very much within the realms of possibility.
Rone put it very susinctly - sensible drone use passes both the legal test and the 'is it safe" test. That didn't do that for me. In fact I'd go as far as saying it wouldn't do it for me even if I'd been using an actual controller. Follow me in that scenario - no, no, no. I don't profess to be an expert, I've probably only got around a thousand hours of use, but that would definitely not be something I'd do.
So for me rule 1 ........breached. Again - not with malice, just naivety/ignorance/over enthusiasm.
Hi @DrP - this looks like a very nice bit of kit. Out of interest, are you using the hand controller at all or is this mostly controlled from the unit itself (or is the an iPhone/Android app that you use to control)? Very tempted!
The WHOLE MTB video was done with JUST the drone buttons (ok, using the phone app I changed the follow me height/distance settings, but no manual control at all).
The skate park video was a mix of drone AI and the controller...
So you can see, for £120 the drone can do a fair amount by itself!
@convert... You certainly have a lot more experience than me, so I do take on what you say. And the only experience I've had of the drone going a bit 'flippy out' was flying it indoors in darkish conditions (no gps, and not enough light to position itself).. but at the time of using it outdoors, in the light, with a high follow mode, I made the decision it was safe. If it 'lost' me it would simply hover 10ft in the air. It wouldn't lock onto a car or other person (as far as I believe), and IF it did, it would follow them from 10ft in the air. There was minimal wind, and no instructions.
Yes, the unknowns are unknown, AND I reiterate, you've more drone experience than I, but at the time I felt it was a safe action.
I also take in board your statement it was a boring bit of video... I had fun, no one died, my kids and parents liked it. That's a win for me!
DrP
It’s not got the runtime to get lots of rad chase-cam footage, and it’ll inevitably look less awesome than I imagined, I could spend the money on ten better things before I need a 15 minutes and spent drone.. I’d play with it on a couple of rides then it’d end up as neglected as half the other ‘tech‘ I’ve ever bought.
TBH you can’t underestimate the amount of time it takes to get good footage and assemble it and if your filming yourself then it’s even more.
Being able to chuck it up for a quick circle around you or a 2 minute follow, or just get a little higher view of the scenery can make for an interesting post on social media/Strava as opposed to something pretty boring.
For £120 you’re not going to get as much bang for your buck and it’s super convenient to just let it do one of its inbuilt shots.
On up and then back on your hand and back in your bumbag .
DrP hasn’t broken rule no 1 with the on-street filming. His little drone is harming no-one. There are people driving 2 tonne cars at 20 mph down those same streets.
But to drive a 2 tonne car at 20 mph you have to have passed a test and paid to be using that road.
Again comes back to me that if we all had one of these anti social devices and were just testing them out where we fancy, everyone would be more annoyed
Hopefully OP has got some public liability insurance that covers injuring people/damaging property for flying drones?
Sometimes the 'whatiffery' of you lot amuses me!
It's not a drone crtical mass!
I agree - if EVERYONE had one, life would be awful. If EVERYONE had a kite on teh seafront, life would be awful. If EVERYONE decided to skateboard in the park, life would be awful....
heck..if EVERYONE decided to take a mountain bike on the hills, legally, life would be awful...
Hopefully OP has got some public liability insurance that covers injuring people/damaging property for flying drones?
Nope... not a legal requirement, and a decision made based on my personal useage, potential risk possibility, etc etc..
Anyway.. you do know a FRISBEE weighs more than this drone?! Do you have insurance for your frisbee in the park...sigh.....
DrP
I used my neo to check if my gutters were full of debris from the previous storms.
Pity DJI haven't added an automated house gutter check setting. I had to fly it manually with the controller. Sad face/winky eye emoji.
My neighbours are impressed with the drone and they are in their 80s.
It's always the libertarian ones who have paid road tax and have a right to drive their 4x4 round town at 30 mph (because 20 mph is a socialist conspiracy) who then get on their high horses about stuff like this drone.
Sorry to be grumpy but leave it in the city. No place in the countryside . Noise.
I live "in the countryside" so I'd be obliged if all you city-dwellers could stay there and not spoil my environment.
Meh - small drones are pretty quiet. Once a few metres away the noise is barely perceptible - certainly no worse than the constant drone of an e-bike.
I would get bored with a drone.
I've had several and yes, this happens. It's not just flying (and controlling) it, it's the editing of footage, getting decent shots in the first place...
My youngest niece (via my sister) has asked for one at Christmas (the elder niece already has a basic drone) and I know it'll end up exactly that way. A fun toy for a day. Too much hassle after that (assuming she hasn't crashed it into a tree).
I posted about a Neo a couple of weeks ago, daughter wanted one to film her on her horse, I quite fancied it for quick holiday snaps and occasional follow me on the bike / walking
Most comments I received where, it won't go fast enough, its too loud and will scare a horse
Guess what, it keeps up on general bike rides and the horse couldn't give a toss about it buzzing above him
I don't want a "proper" drone, too much faff getting it out and setting it up and I'll get bored, this I stick in my jacket pocket and its on and in the air in seconds, not much more hassle than whipping a phone out to take a selfie, and thats how we will, as a family, mostly use it. I didnt buy it to film me on the bike, bike footage is boring as hell but the fact it can follow you is a big bonus, and despite having no collision detection I have had it follow me down a singletrack 'blue' trail (Snibston) quite easily, it got a bit confused by switchbacks but less severe corners it did great
Great bit of kit, got mine for £150, have since bought an extra couple of batteries and will pick up a controller 2nd hand at some point. At £120 from Currys its an absolute steal
I don’t want a “proper” drone, too much faff getting it out and setting it up and I’ll get bored, this I stick in my jacket pocket and its on and in the air in seconds, not much more hassle than whipping a phone out to take a selfie
That is, I think, this drone's selling point... Quick snap, then away again!
DrP
but at the time I felt it was a safe action.
I don't doubt you did - and as I said, never believed otherwise. But still (imho only - I'm not the drone police!) not the right decision.
I had fun, no one died, my kids and parents liked it. That’s a win for me!
Absolutely! And why not. It's all a novelty right now. But not long from now.....that'll probably change. It's no different really from the Gopro phenomenon - at some point relatively early in their ownership most people realise their riding is not that exciting, even to them! And you don't know quite what the footage is for. Imo (again, only imo) unless you are doing some god like riding/parkour/dragon wrestling....and that really isn't me....using the rider/runner/swimmer/kayaker as the metaphorical vehicle to take the watcher through the landscape. The Landscape is the star....so you need to find the right landscape and use the voyager to provide scale and context. And boringly, if you want to just go for a ride where you want, when you want - light is important too. The stars don't often align. The good news is the drone is so much better placed than the Gopro to provide a variety of angles for B roll and variable angles and therefore less tedious footage. Good luck - it can be fun.
Good little review of the Neo,
I recently bought a £1k DJI Mini 4 Pro - bought through the business to take aerial shots of the solar farms I work on.
Used it once for that and once out on the bike in the three months or so I've owned it. Both sets of footage were rubbish, lost interest in going to the effort of taking it out and setting it up. Similar to the GoPro Hero 9 Black I bought a couple of years ago - generally just put that in a pocket MTB'ing and use it for stills
My GoPro is mainly used for stills too, but I shoot video. It's easier than trying to find that one perfect moment when I'm riding along. It's also a bit more robust and easier to handle than trying to whip out my mobile phone, especially while riding. I have it attached to a little (floating) selfie stick.