Suburban range extender balloon?

[Nerp]

I do work in a suburban area and fly my drone. However, it only goes line of sight from the remote and goggles. Does anyone knew if it was possible to attach a range extender of some sort to a low-altitude (under 1,000 feet so I don’t get in trouble) helium weather balloon to extend the range to the max line-of-sight 5 miles? If possible, how would I go about doing that?

 

[AMann]

if you are flying a Wi-Fi only drone it would be easy. Not sure that a DJI compatible repeater is currently available - unless you have a lot of R&D money to design and make one.

Then there’s always Uncle Faa to deal with…

 

[BigAl07]

I do work in a suburban area and fly my drone. However, it only goes line of sight from the remote and goggles. Does anyone knew if it was possible to attach a range extender of some sort to a low-altitude (under 1,000 feet so I don’t get in trouble) helium weather balloon to extend the range to the max line-of-sight 5 miles? If possible, how would I go about doing that?

First off WELCOME to the forum.

Unless you have some PHENOMENAL eye sight, your actual VLOS is a whole lot less than your stated 5 mile range (less by about 4 1/2 miles). Also, keep in mind that it's not just about seeing a speck on the horizon but about being able to see orientation of the aircraft. This is so you can See & Avoid if there is a possible hazard in the air.

Since you're in the UAS and you're on a Commercial forum we assume you have taken the FAA TRUST exam and potentially the Part 107 test which both should help you understand why what you're asking for is not only illegal, it's also a very bad idea in terms of Aviation Safety.

 

[Ajkm]

I do work in a suburban area and fly my drone. However, it only goes line of sight from the remote and goggles. Does anyone knew if it was possible to attach a range extender of some sort to a low-altitude (under 1,000 feet so I don’t get in trouble) helium weather balloon to extend the range to the max line-of-sight 5 miles? If possible, how would I go about doing that?

Two further points. If “the max line of sight” refers to specs on a DJI aircraft, DJI also states that the distance is a proxy for the strength and stability of the control link; it is not intended to indicate that you can, or should, fly to that distance.

Secondly, we presume that, if you are wearing goggles, you have a visual observer with you who is able to keep the drone in sight at all times, and to communicate with you effectively - their job is the See and Avoid part, that you can’t do wearing goggles, as you will not have situational awareness other than FPV, which is not sufficient.