Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread

[Troop]

Not much point in staying under 250g anymore it seems.

Registration in the UK (CAA) under 250g with camera requirement to register after 31 Dec.

Here is a cut and paste from the relevant paragraph.

"On December 31, 2020, any operator of a drone which weighs less than 250g but has a camera (other than a toy), such as the new DJI Mavic Mini, must also be registered."

 

[pioneer2000]

Not much point in staying under 250g anymore it seems.

Registration in the UK (CAA) under 250g with camera requirement to register after 31 Dec.

Here is a cut and paste from the relevant paragraph.

"On December 31, 2020, any operator of a drone which weighs less than 250g but has a camera (other than a toy), such as the new DJI Mavic Mini, must also be registered."

Eh? You will have to register but none of the other rules apply, so you’re free to fly within the drone code. It’s any drone over 250g that is getting shafted.

 

[Gerard]

It’s any drone over 250g that is getting shafted.

In what way? Yet more restrictions?

 

[Haggisman]

Been doing a bit more reading around restrictions in the UK, and it seems there are very few places you can actually fly legally? National trust properties, national parks and most local councils all seem to prohibit it - sure in the more remote places you're unlikely to actually get caught, but the risk is still there...

Putting me off a bit now as it seems a bit daft to spend £££ on something I can hardly use legally!

 

[Ali195]

Been doing a bit more reading around restrictions in the UK, and it seems there are very few places you can actually fly legally? National trust properties, national parks and most local councils all seem to prohibit it - sure in the more remote places you're unlikely to actually get caught, but the risk is still there...

Putting me off a bit now as it seems a bit daft to spend £££ on something I can hardly use legally!

Difficult situation. If you ask permission in any of the places you mentioned i would fully expect a blanket no. The recent issues with airports being shutdown because of drones & more articles appearing about UAV's, it makes me wonder if people working in councils, national or private companies even understand them and therefore fear them. It's easier to say no than deal with the hassle & move onto the next email in the Inbox.

If you want to follow the exact letter of the law in a country like the UK regarding drones then frankly, don't bother.

Was filming in Lee Valley on Saturday & several people showed huge interest, asking how much, how far can it go, can you lose it etc. Had anyone said you need to stop i would have packed up & moved on. I'm not going to argue with people & according to the law would have been right to question me.

I kept away from people fishing & at a height i felt wouldn't scare the birds away. Note people were throwing bread & whatnot into the water causing quite the commotion but whatever.

I wonder if anyone stopped kids in the street riding those electric hoverboards which could only be used on private land. As if parents were only going to let them use it on the driveway. Same goes for electric scooters, been seeing people in London shoot around on those for years now. I find the law eventually changes as these things become more & more mainstream, to the point people just ignore them, so Gov updates them to better work with the realities of the average consumer habits.

Anyway, for a Mavic Mini i'm really happy with it. Got a lot of 360 GoPro Max footage to get through as well.

 

[Haggisman]

If you want to follow the exact letter of the law in a country like the UK regarding drones then frankly, don't bother.

Was filming in Lee Valley on Saturday & several people showed huge interest, asking how much, how far can it go, can you lose it etc. Had anyone said you need to stop i would have packed up & moved on. I'm not going to argue with people & according to the law would have been right to question me.

Agreed - would be happy to move on if asked to, it's more the risk of being slapped with a fine when in reality you're not doing any harm to anyone. No intention of being an idiot and flying around airports or "buzzing" people - just be nice to get a few cool shots when out walking the hills etc.

 

[Ali195]

I have huge respect for radio controlled aircraft pilots. The skill it must take to keep them up in the air, as we're talking about (compared to drones) crude winged models with little motors to control the ailerons and flaps. I totally get why you would want to fly those in specific areas with clear viewing, soft landing for crashes & mini airstrips. It's incredible watching the local one to me.

Drones with 4K cameras fly themselves, it's fly-by-wire with you telling it where to go & the aircraft adjusting things accordingly to make that happen. It gets boring right quick flying them without any intention to film interesting stuff (eg video photography). Thus the people want to fly them in national parks, trust, coastlines & Citiscapes.

 

[Gerard]

Agreed - would be happy to move on if asked to, it's more the risk of being slapped with a fine when in reality you're not doing any harm to anyone. No intention of being an idiot and flying around airports or "buzzing" people - just be nice to get a few cool shots when out walking the hills etc.

Seems a bit dumb, it's similar in the U.S, i recall someone a whole ago getting drone footage of the Grand Canyon then when they uploaded it the video was taken down and they got a fine from some government agency. Though i think the Canyon has helicopter flights in and around it so it could be a bit dodgy that way.

Some places just seem to restrict them for no real reason, Giants Causeway over here restricts them as well, and the causeway can be filmed from the sea easily without putting the drone near anyone, but even if you do that they have some big spiel about privacy concerns or annoying birds etc. Even if the place is empty it's prohibited. That's one area i would really like to get footage of but it's restricted due to the spiel below \/.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/features/our-policy-on-drone-use

 

[SimonCHere]

I'm trying to understand the new EASA drone rules that come in on 31st December and how they will affect me. So far I understand the following.
This applies to my Mavic Air 2.

From Jan 1st I will have to take an A2 competency course (about £200) to continue flying
Because the Mavic Air 2 doesn't comply with C1 specs (it has not been certified and never will be because you can't retrospectively apply the certification):
From Dec 31st 2022 I will no longer be able to fly my drone within 150M of any residential, commercial, or recreational area (so for all intents and purposes, I will not be able to fly anywhere).

This is not good. If I am understanding the new rules correctly I need to pay for the course and even then, after 2022 my Mavic Air 2 becomes a paperweight.

It looks like a total mess for the existing quads and drones out there. I'm really surprised there isn't more chatter on the forums about it. Perhaps I'm just not looking at the right places.

From what I can see (https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1789 Edition3 June2020 cor.pdf)
the C levels are about the actual craft being sold and the A subsections are about what you want to do with it.

As you say though you don't get a C level with existing craft. I think this paragraph covers it though:

Unmanned aircraft which do not comply with the requirements of classes C0 to C4 are able to continue to be operated indefinitely within subcategory A3 (far from people) and, if they are less than 250g, within subcategory A1 (over people)

But you are right. if you want to fly in the A2 subsection after the 2022 you need a new compliant drone along with the certification.

 

[MG42Maniac]

Has my Mavic Pro just under a year. Really enjoy using it. From looking on eBay I should be able to get around £500 for it. I am tempted to "upgrade" to the Mini 2. The much smaller size and more up to date tech appeals to me. Having said that, I worry the image/video quality might be a side grade, at best. Air 2 looks good but quite a bit more money.

 

[Ali195]

They couldn't make it more complicated if they tried. No way they'll be able to enforce it.

We're not talking about broadcast grade drones with DSLR cameras zipping around but models people are paying the same or less than their 2 year mobile phone contract. A few hundred quid, I suspect most will have no idea these rules even exist.

Was looking to upgrade in 2021 to a Mavic 3 or next Phantom 5 (if they ever make one) but will have to think long & hard if that's a good idea considering what I want to film, as previously mentioned.

 

[Beer_MonsterUK]

Looking to get the lad a mavic mini for xmas. The rules look very complicated and depending on what forum/website you look at, technically you can't "launch" it from 95% of places because of by-laws.

If you look on the CAA drone laws page, it seems less complicated and so long as you are registered, in line of sight, more than 30/50mtrs away from buildings and less than 400 ft altitude, you're good to go.

But I'd hate to spend over 500 quid for a brick and it's a toss up whether you're gonna get your collar felt by some PCSO. Hmmmm

 

[Haggisman]

Looking to get the lad a mavic mini for xmas. The rules look very complicated and depending on what forum/website you look at, technically you can't "launch" it from 95% of places because of by-laws.

If you look on the CAA drone laws page, it seems less complicated and so long as you are registered, in line of sight, more than 30/50mtrs away from buildings and less than 400 ft altitude, you're good to go.

But I'd hate to spend over 500 quid for a brick and it's a toss up whether you're gonna get your collar felt by some PCSO. Hmmmm

In the same boat here, I have an unopened Mini 2 sat on my desk at the moment, debating sending it back or not...

I did post on Mavic forums and got some positive sounding replies, but still not sure :/

I would hazard a guess that as long as you're following the drone code and not being a **** then 99.9% of the time you'll be fine, worst case get asked to move on, but at the same time, like you say, the risk is always there that some busybody will decide to try and fine you for breaching some archaic byelaw from 400 years ago designed to stop poachers from catching rabbits with a falcon...

 

[MG42Maniac]

I've just picked up a Mini 2 to replace my original Mavic Pro. I'm currently charging everything all up and it's too dark to fly it now but my first impressions are that it is properly tiny and feels like a child's version of my drone . My main reason for upgrading was so I have something smaller I can carry around as I found lugging the Mavic Pro around to be a ballache at times. Other reason was a new toy I will post my findings over the next week or so. Weather is truly horrid this weekend so probably won't get to fly it until Monday

 

[pioneer2000]

I've just picked up a Mini 2 to replace my original Mavic Pro. I'm currently charging everything all up and it's too dark to fly it now but my first impressions are that it is properly tiny and feels like a child's version of my drone . My main reason for upgrading was so I have something smaller I can carry around as I found lugging the Mavic Pro around to be a ballache at times. Other reason was a new toy I will post my findings over the next week or so. Weather is truly horrid this weekend so probably won't get to fly it until Monday

I had a Pro a few years back, recently got the mini 2. It’s as capable as the pro was but obviously 4K and a lot more compact.

 

[MG42Maniac]

I had a Pro a few years back, recently got the mini 2. It’s as capable as the pro was but obviously 4K and a lot more compact.

Interesting to hear. I've just had a really quick flight while there was an hour gap in the rain. The camera produces some really nice results, it's much quieter than the Mavic Pro as well. My only real hope so far is that the range doesn't seem as good as the Mavic? I presumed it would be better as it's occusync 2 but it appears to be worse. I'll do some more testing when the weather is not so bad.

 

[savagesam117]

I've just picked up a Mini 2 to replace my original Mavic Pro. I'm currently charging everything all up and it's too dark to fly it now but my first impressions are that it is properly tiny and feels like a child's version of my drone . My main reason for upgrading was so I have something smaller I can carry around as I found lugging the Mavic Pro around to be a ballache at times. Other reason was a new toy I will post my findings over the next week or so. Weather is truly horrid this weekend so probably won't get to fly it until Monday

If you wish to donate the pro to a good cause, I’m happy to receive

I’ve been tempted to buy one for years now, I just can’t seem to pull the trigger

 

[Lmg80]

If you wish to donate the pro to a good cause, I’m happy to receive

I’ve been tempted to buy one for years now, I just can’t seem to pull the trigger

Do it, they are freeking awesome

 

[Lmg80]

Interesting to hear. I've just had a really quick flight while there was an hour gap in the rain. The camera produces some really nice results, it's much quieter than the Mavic Pro as well. My only real hope so far is that the range doesn't seem as good as the Mavic? I presumed it would be better as it's occusync 2 but it appears to be worse. I'll do some more testing when the weather is not so bad.

Hoping software will fix that

 

[savagesam117]

Do it, they are freeking awesome

I know, I think it might be the time to buy a 1st gen air or something seeing as all the new stuff is coming out. But I don’t trust second hand Facebook sellers or places like that anyways.

Maybe after this whole covid thing eases I’ll treat myself so I can use it on holiday.