Visual line of sight is §107.31. With vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer if one is used, and the person manipulating the flight controls must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight. The purpose is specific. You must be able to know the aircraft's location; determine its attitude, altitude, and direction of flight; observe the airspace for other traffic or hazards; and determine that the aircraft does not endanger the life or property of another.
Throughout the flight, that ability has to be exercised either by the remote pilot and the person manipulating the controls, or by a visual observer. A camera is not on that list. The rule uses unaided vision except for corrective lenses, and it applies for the entire flight, not only at takeoff and landing.
What does not count as seeing it
Corrective lenses count. Eyeglasses and contacts are the aid the rule names. Binoculars do not. First-person-view goggles do not, if they are the only way anyone is looking. The map, the telemetry, and the live video do not. A mapping mission that flies until the aircraft is a speck, then continues on the moving map, is beyond visual line of sight. Altitude under 400 feet does not cure it. A 4K camera does not cure it. The legal path for a true beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight is a waiver of §107.31, described on the waivers page. Part 108 is not an in-effect substitute as of October 2026.
A pilot flying alone in goggles for the whole flight, with no waiver and no visual observer, is not legal. One pattern that can work without a waiver is a visual observer who maintains the line of sight while the pilot uses the goggles, with the remote pilot and the person on the controls still able to see the aircraft, for example by lifting the goggles. The observer must communicate, scan for traffic, and keep awareness of the aircraft's position, under §107.33. The observer is optional when the pilot can see the aircraft directly. Glasses do not force you to use one.
AC 107-2A, which the course uses for this topic, says the person maintaining visual line of sight may have brief, incidental moments of not looking at or not seeing the aircraft if they still retain the capability to see it, or can quickly maneuver it back into sight, and they regain sight as soon as practicable. The AC does not authorize a fixed number of seconds, a planned flight behind a building, or a screen as a substitute. Passing behind a tree for a moment is not the same as disappearing down the property line.
Remote ID does not relax it
A broadcast-module Remote ID setup has its own see-it requirement in Part 89. Even with a Standard Remote ID aircraft, §107.31 still applies unless it is waived. Registration, Remote ID, and a LAANC authorization can all be in order while the flight is still illegal because nobody can see the aircraft. The Remote ID page keeps that equipment rule separate.
Night does not relax it either
Anti-collision lighting helps you and others see the aircraft after sunset. It is not permission to fly farther than you can see. Civil twilight and night add the light rule in §107.29. They do not delete §107.31. If you cannot determine attitude and direction with your eyes, you are done, regardless of the video.
The remote pilot in command remains responsible under §107.19 even when a visual observer is scanning. The observer does not become the pilot. The pilot still has to be able to direct the aircraft to keep the operation compliant.