RE: longest range
Uh sgt rick have you seen any of the video's steve molmer or eagle something... they have flown 35miles via video. As for the 8 miles, I'm sure range video used a patch antenna, still that's all they did. No modification to increasing power output etc.
Take a look at rangevideo.com or some of the other long range video sites.[:-]
As for the "beyond visual range", this is becoming an outdated policy with the new range of video cameras and ability to control airplanes at extreme ranges. It should be changed to in control.
Ivan.