When setting a piston on a delay to push a block, flying away from the area causes the piston to not extend when the redstone signal hits it. Using two repeaters to store the signal, i can see that the signal made it to the end of the delay but did not extend the piston. I can also fly back towards it after storing the signal at the end of the delay and can see it extending as it comes back into view meaning it did not extend when it should've.
Comments 3
As the prior 2 commenters have mentioned, both Java and Bedrock have what is commonly referred to as "simulation distance" or "ticking distance".
It would be impossible to process everything going on in a world, all the time. To combat this only a certain radius around a player is processed. What is likely happening is that you are flying away to a distance that no longer processes that piston. When you come back into range the piston starts "ticking" again and gets its update.
This is working as intended and affects many other aspects of the world such as crop growth, animal aging etc.
That is due to the fact that the chunk is unloaded and the player is too far away.