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Flying in Austria

Annevanzwol

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if I understand correctly flying a drone recreationally in Austria means (i) max height 150m, (ii) LOS and (iii) having an Austrian pilot license or passing an exam. Has anybody experience in passing this exam? It seems it's only in German. I also read about gigantic fines like 22,000 EUR for not obeying these rules. Seems like no use taking my mavic with me on holidays there. Am I missing something here?
 
Thank you. Unfortunately it is difficult for me to understand in German. I will try to contact him in English.
 
Try Google translator.
It comes down to the camera. If the purpose of the flight is aerial filming or photography, then you need the exam thing.
For the purpose of flying (including FPV flights) it is not needed.

Now it's a question of interpreting your specific flight ;)
 
I will bring my Mavic in April when I go skiing. Maybe not to the piste but flying near my apartment. And I still ask in the ski station for any regulation. We'll take it from there


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots
 
Yeah, ski stations always know everything about airspace laws...
 
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Also interested in this. I'll be holidaying in Austria/Switzerland/Germany/leichentstein in the summer and would love to know if it's worth taking the mavic or not.
 
Just watch out for the kangaroos!

16209-deciding-between-ruger-lc9s-ruger-sc40-beretta-px4-storm-sub-compact-conceal-no-kangaroos-e1459509702774.png
 
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I was in Austria a couple of weeks ago and asked about a bit...it seems that most people don't care but officially you could get in a lot of trouble and they're on the lookout around any tourist spots. A couple were ok but one said they've had other tourists call the police when they see a drone :(

Basically anything with a camera they define as being used for photo/video, even if you're not recording. That requires registration of the drone with the authorities which takes a while and costs a fair amount :( Breaching that could mean a hefty fine and the police won't look on it lightly if they're called.

That said I know people who've had successful flights off the beaten track, just don't do it anywhere near people that might call the police on you. Such a shame to have such epic scenery off-limits to the lovely Mavic!

tl;dr: Austria has super-strict laws so (very sadly) best not to risk flying in all but the most remote places.
 
Laws are everywhere. Most people, even police are not updated to the latest requirements. Find a quite spot and if people come, ask friendly if they mind to fly your drone. If they have children, they exited to watch you. I made many friends in the Bavarian Alps to which I have to send my footage ;-)
You need to be experienced to control your drone. Don't fly over public areas.
 
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Well, everything comes down to how heavy the drone is, under 250g you can fly everywhere not close to people. Obviously means you are flying a toy. Austria is dengerous for flying without permit and you do need one for flying a non toy with camera. Here even the neighbor would call police if your drone is too close to the border line of your own garden. Actually, the majority of people have no clue about the regulations for drones all they know is that they are strictly controlled and you will be the looser if it comes to complaints where privicy concerns are also involved. Shooting in Austria is possible if you get for example the allowance from the property owner, many hotels in Tirol or Vorarlberg with huge landscapes will allow you to fly and record. In this case I would recommend to take the drone with you eitherway and just make sure you keep it away from people respecting the 500m radio and 30m high you shouldn't get any trouble.
 
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Just got back from a trip which included a week in Austria. I didn’t even try to fly there because I’d heard Austria was so stringent.

But I saw someone take off briefly and he didn’t get in trouble.

Now as of 2020 one set of drone laws for all of Europe will take effect so maybe it will be easier to fly there though the pilots and aircraft over 250g will have to register from June 2020.

There’s talk about requiring liability insurance but that doesn’t seem to exist for Americans traveling to Europe.
 
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