mine was never out of sight.... and believe me, its expensive, i dont ever want to lose sight of it.. though it was far away, but i plan each flight with it, sent it on its way, orientated the right direction for my purpose, and all that was needed to return it home manually was a pull back on the stick, no orientation change needed, as that far away, orientation becomes an issue. though, LEDs, and radar on the controller help with that...... and fortunately, living in a relatively new suburb, all powerlines are underground. no major roads nearby, and the flight never went over a building, except mine.
i hope most other operators take the same level or risk analysis before every flight..