A2COC for Air 2

[Paul_H]

Hi All, I post these questions without trying to be in anyway a Devil's Advocate or provocative - I'd appreciate some reasoned opinions, please:
I have an Air 2 (fly more combo and a fitted hard case), purchased early December 2020. At that point I hadn't fully understood the implications of the new legislation (for UK) and made the choice mostly on it's camera specs, so the first part of the question is this:-
Can any one give me any very positive reasons to spend £100 on a Course to get an A2CoC, when it will effectively not be worth anything for my Air 2 after the end of 2022 as the craft will not have the new class rating on it?
I use the Air 2 to supplement my interest in Photography rather than to fly for the sake of flying, so the second part of the question is:-
should I change the little used Air 2 now while it still has some value, for a Mini 2 which will give greater flying flexibility after 2022 (in view of it's weight difference qualifying it for the looser restrictions concerning where you can fly)?
If I keep the Air 2 I guess it will lose significant value after 2022 due to those restrictions.
Does anyone think from actual practice, that I would notice a quality loss in pictures captured on a Mini 2 compared to what really comes off of an Air 2?
Thank you.

 

[old man mavic]

@Paul_H ,as you say the Mini2 has the least amount of restrictions ,but when the new class of drones come out and they weigh more than 250g then you will still need to have the A2 CofC to be able to fly them ,no drone keeps its value ,unfortunately ,its like a car or some other costly bit of tech ,the second hand value is always going to be a lot less than the initial price ,the Mini 2 is a good hobby drone ,and the camera is fine unless you are wanting cinema quality videos ,and dont forget that the A2 CofC enables you to take advantage of reduced separation distances for the next two years ,there is one more thing for getting your A2 CofC now ,and thats the cost ,its bound to increase once the lockdown restriction are lifted ,and then you will have to travel to a test place to do the flying part of the exam as well thats just my opinion

 

[Paul_H]

@Paul_H ,as you say the Mini2 has the least amount of restrictions ,but when the new class of drones come out and they weigh more than 250g then you will still need to have the A2 CofC to be able to fly them ,no drone keeps its value ,unfortunately ,its like a car or some other costly bit of tech ,the second hand value is always going to be a lot less than the initial price ,the Mini 2 is a good hobby drone ,and the camera is fine unless you are wanting cinema quality videos ,and dont forget that the A2 CofC enables you to take advantage of reduced separation distances for the next two years ,there is one more thing for getting your A2 CofC now ,and thats the cost ,its bound to increase once the lockdown restriction are lifted ,and then you will have to travel to a test place to do the flying part of the exam as well thats just my opinion

Thanks for your very prompt reply; hadn't even thought of the cost of the course changing once lockdown finishes. Sounds like a good option to do it now while it's "convenient" too!

 

[Deleted member 133794]

Paul_H
Myself and OMM have both done the A2 c of c using UAVHUB and as
well as getting you the certification it also teaches you a broader
understanding of our hobby. It cost myself £99 and all done from my
living room table.

 

[Paul_H]

Paul_H
Myself and OMM have both done the A2 c of c using UAVHUB and as
well as getting you the certification it also teaches you a broader
understanding of our hobby. It cost myself £99 and all done from my
living room table.

Thank you - just been looking at their website and was wondering if £99 was legit as there is another site charging quite a bit more for what appears to be the same thing!

 

[Deleted member 133794]

Thank you - just been looking at their website and was wondering if £99 was legit as there is another site charging quite a bit more for what appears to be the same thing!

Yes it is legit. It's a very well laid out course that you do at your own
pace, after you complete all the sections, you can do as many mock
exams as you like until you feel comfortable to sit the main exam. You
also sit the exam at home. I would highly recommend using them.

 

[Gkinghrn]

Paul_H
Myself and OMM have both done the A2 c of c using UAVHUB and as
well as getting you the certification it also teaches you a broader
understanding of our hobby. It cost myself £99 and all done from my
living room table.

As have I .... well worth it

I also sold my air 2 and bought a mini but I struggled to find a buyer and he got an absolute bargain...

 

[IslandBarnDave]

UAVHUB has an even better deal on right now... A2 CofC plus a drone masterclass in a bundle for £99.

 

[Paul_H]

As have I .... well worth it

I also sold my air 2 and bought a mini but I struggled to find a buyer and he got an absolute bargain...

Did you find any photo quality difference between the two, or is that a primary interest for your flying?

 

[lensimages]

UAVHUB is a brilliant course for your A2CoC and yes that price is genuine, best to enroll now because you can selfcertify your flying without having to travel anywhere , cheers Len

 

[Paul_H]

Thank you all, for your replies. Sounds like I should just bite the bullet and get on with it !

 

[Guido Cangelosi]

Hi All, I post these questions without trying to be in anyway a Devil's Advocate or provocative - I'd appreciate some reasoned opinions, please:
I have an Air 2 (fly more combo and a fitted hard case), purchased early December 2020. At that point I hadn't fully understood the implications of the new legislation (for UK) and made the choice mostly on it's camera specs, so the first part of the question is this:-
Can any one give me any very positive reasons to spend £100 on a Course to get an A2CoC, when it will effectively not be worth anything for my Air 2 after the end of 2022 as the craft will not have the new class rating on it?
I use the Air 2 to supplement my interest in Photography rather than to fly for the sake of flying, so the second part of the question is:-
should I change the little used Air 2 now while it still has some value, for a Mini 2 which will give greater flying flexibility after 2022 (in view of it's weight difference qualifying it for the looser restrictions concerning where you can fly)?
If I keep the Air 2 I guess it will lose significant value after 2022 due to those restrictions.
Does anyone think from actual practice, that I would notice a quality loss in pictures captured on a Mini 2 compared to what really comes off of an Air 2?
Thank you.

With the A2 C of C you can fly MA2 near people (A2 transitional) and you can fly the MA1 over people (A1 transitional).
Without the certificate you can only fly any drone in the wilderness and landscapes (A3).

Your MA2/MA1 will not be able to fly over or near people (A1) after 31 Dec 2022 - but you can fly them out in the wilderness and landscapes (A3), away from people.

DJI Mavic Mini and DJI Mini 2 can fly on all subcategories A1/A2/A3 before and after 31 Dec 2022 given the usual restrictions of distance to people.

Does this clarify ?

 

[Paul_H]

With the A2 C of C you can fly MA2 near people (A2 transitional) and you can fly the MA1 over people (A1 transitional).
Without the certificate you can only fly any drone in the wilderness and landscapes (A3).

Your MA2/MA1 will not be able to fly over or near people (A1) after 31 Dec 2022 - but you can fly them out in the wilderness and landscapes (A3), away from people.

DJI Mavic Mini and DJI Mini 2 can fly on all subcategories A1/A2/A3 before and after 31 Dec 2022 given the usual restrictions of distance to people.

Does this clarify ?

Thanks, I fully understood that which is exactly why I asked the initial question - what good reasons to pay for A2coc when it will not be valid for an Air2 (after 2022) which will become restricted to A3 only.
Previous replies have giving me more to think about though.
Still hoping to hear of any real experience regarding the difference in still photo image quality between the two models.

 

[Gkinghrn]

Did you find any photo quality difference between the two, or is that a primary interest for your flying?

tbh not seen anything different. Shooting in raw for photos and the mini 2 is every bit as good as the Air 2. 4K video similarly very good ... unless you are a photographer and want professional results the mini 2 is fine ..i wouldn’t pick the air 2 over the. Mini 2 based purely in the camera ...

 

[Gkinghrn]

Vic has done some excellent video’s on this exact aspect ... lots of comparisons on his channel ...

https://youtube.com/c/VICVideopIC

 

[Richard1970]

Try coptrz £58 all done at home at your own leisure

Coptrz Academy Drone Training

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coptrz.com

 

[Paul_H]

Vic has done some excellent video’s on this exact aspect ... lots of comparisons on his channel ...

https://youtube.com/c/VICVideopIC

Thanks! I'll take a look.

 

[Connolly55]

Just playing devil’s advocate.

What happens if I don’t get the A2 C of C license for my MA2?
Is it a fine?

 

[Richard1970]

It depends on where your flying and how close to people you are, just make sure you have flyer id on your drone at worst it's a fine you will probably get moved on its worth doing the a2 cofc as the laws will change again in 2022/23

 

[Guido Cangelosi]

I thought the drone should have the Operator ID (rather than the Flyer ID as mentioned above)