Air 2s purchased - should I wait for the CE marked next drone?

[AnDronioBanderos]

Hi All

I purchased the Air 2s fly more combo two week's ago new for a 200 euro discount as a replacement for my Air 2.

I held off opening it and still can return it. Advice was to wait for dji launch on 9th which was om5.

A main dji dealer here told me Air 2s was suffering bad sales and will be replace earlier than usual?

With winter almost here and flying opportunities Will be little for a few months where I live, should I just return it and wait for the 2022 drone's with potential CE markings? Or The mavic 3 if it will have CE markings?

I don't mind paying the extra for a longer product Life cycle.

Are we going to see CE markings for EU in early 2022.

Would it be worth returning the Air 2s and Just buying a mini 2 for Time being as a stop gap as I had mini 1 already and it's a lower investment?

Sorry for another crystal ball post

 

[eEridani]

Air 2S is limited to above freezing temps. The gimbal gets sticky when flying below freezing. At least that's what a DJI rep told me when I asked about the temp specs. The Air 2 will fly at -10c. The Air 2 also has obstacle avoidance - the Mini 2 doesn't. For me, OA is a game changer and worth the upsell.

ps: can't make any suggestions as for what's coming, but the rumors I've read here hint it is a high end drone, dual Hasselblad camera, etc. Not in the same price range as the Air 2 and Air 2S.

 

[old man mavic]

@AnDronioBanderos unfortunately any drone without the C marking is going to become a legacy drone from the end of December 2022 ,the manufacturers of drones do not have to produce any C rated drones for the UK till the middle of next year, so we as the consumers will have to wait till DJI, or any other maker decides it is in their interest to produce drones with the C marking on them,

 

[pommy]

Just enjoy the drone mate. You're not guaranteed tomorrow.

 

[AnDronioBanderos]

Thanks all, this whole thing with the CE marking classification is a pain.
When I previously bought a mini 1,less than two weeks later the mini 2 arrived but I bought the Air 2 at the time anyway.
@eEridani thanks for the extra info. Wind and rain is the biggest problem in winter here so flying opportunities get limited for the faint of heart like myself

@old man mavic thanks for the extra info on CE marking classification system.

@pommy cheer's mate. Very good point! So true.

I'm still debating waiting on the Mavic 3 lol

With DJI it's always a guessing game when new models are due. Although maybe we will see the Air 2 s in the line up for a while yet as it seems to fill the gap between the mini 2 and The pro models. It's a pity this whole CE thing is hanging about.

Is there any chance the Mavic 3 will have CE markings? I'm guessing not

 

[TheSnowyPilot]

What are CE markings?

 

[old man mavic]

@TheSnowyPilot the new drones coming out, will be classed as C rated to comply with the new weight classifications that drones will fly under after the end of December 2022 ,to be able to fly them in the open category they will have to have a built in switch similar to the one on the RC for selecting the sport, normal or cinematic mode that we have now ,this will put the drone in a very slow flight mode and will enable it to be flown much closer to people than can be done now ,
it will also mean that to fly this C rated drone in such a manner ,the pilot will have to obtain the A2 C of C certificate
the CE marking you asked about, is not the same as a C rated drone marking

 

[Céltic Drones]

Hi All

I purchased the Air 2s fly more combo two week's ago new for a 200 euro discount as a replacement for my Air 2.

I held off opening it and still can return it. Advice was to wait for dji launch on 9th which was om5.

A main dji dealer here told me Air 2s was suffering bad sales and will be replace earlier than usual?

With winter almost here and flying opportunities Will be little for a few months where I live, should I just return it and wait for the 2022 drone's with potential CE markings? Or The mavic 3 if it will have CE markings?

I don't mind paying the extra for a longer product Life cycle.

Are we going to see CE markings for EU in early 2022.

Would it be worth returning the Air 2s and Just buying a mini 2 for Time being as a stop gap as I had mini 1 already and it's a lower investment?

Sorry for another crystal ball post

Hi All

I purchased the Air 2s fly more combo two week's ago new for a 200 euro discount as a replacement for my Air 2.

I held off opening it and still can return it. Advice was to wait for dji launch on 9th which was om5.

A main dji dealer here told me Air 2s was suffering bad sales and will be replace earlier than usual?

With winter almost here and flying opportunities Will be little for a few months where I live, should I just return it and wait for the 2022 drone's with potential CE markings? Or The mavic 3 if it will have CE markings?

I don't mind paying the extra for a longer product Life cycle.

Are we going to see CE markings for EU in early 2022.

Would it be worth returning the Air 2s and Just buying a mini 2 for Time being as a stop gap as I had mini 1 already and it's a lower investment?

Sorry for another crystal ball post

Hi Alan.
Many thanks for your reply. The answer I sent you bounce back yesterday. The links on this site are a bit iffy!

Would be glad to brief you on the FlyRyte ground school. Good folks.

Our email is. [email protected] much more reliable..

Regards
Donough

 

[dirkclod]

Hi Alan.
Many thanks for your reply. The answer I sent you bounce back yesterday. The links on this site are a bit iffy!

Would be glad to brief you on the FlyRyte ground school. Good folks.

Our email is. [email protected] much more reliable..

you need to message to @BigAl07 and he will get back to you when he can ?

 

[thatswedishguy]

The Air 2s is a beautiful machine, but it will depend on how much of a problem it will be for you to fly in the A3 subcategory, which is where it will end up starting 1 January 2023.

I do really hope the Mavic 3 Pro will be C classed. It would end up being a C1 drone if they can get the weight below 900 g which would be ideal, but I'm thinking C2 is more likely given the dual camera rumors in which case I really hope it will have a low speed mode to be able to fly closer to people.

It's ridiculous how this transition has been handled. The rules have been in place for almost a year and still no compliant products available and they won't have to be yet. I think it would have been wise to make compliance a requirement from day one for newly released products, but oh well here we are.


There is a bit of confusion on the CE vs C thing. CE markings are mandatory for a long list of products sold in the EU, including all electronics and radio equipment. All drones sold in the EU are already CE marked (or should be if legal) and have been for a long time.

The OP may already know this, but I figure it could be useful for some members:
C class is the new system for drone classification. Drones without C classification will be very restricted starting 1 January 2023. This is the gist of it:

Drones without a class identification will be able to fly in subcategory A1 if they have a weight of up to 250 g, or subcategory A3 it they have a weight between 250 g and 25 kg. This is for the open category which almost everyone will be flying under.

A1: Basically no change for drones under 250 g except if you put prop guards on a Mini 2 it won't be able to fly in A1 anymore as it will be over 250 g and will be restricted to the A3 rules.
A3: No flying near or over people, and at least 150 m away from residential, commercial or industrial areas.

EASA has a good summary of the rules here: EASA - Open Category - Civil Drones

 

[AnDronioBanderos]

The Air 2s is a beautiful machine, but it will depend on how much of a problem it will be for you to fly in the A3 subcategory, which is where it will end up starting 1 January 2023.

I do really hope the Mavic 3 Pro will be C classed. It would end up being a C1 drone if they can get the weight below 900 g which would be ideal, but I'm thinking C2 is more likely given the dual camera rumors in which case I really hope it will have a low speed mode to be able to fly closer to people.

It's ridiculous how this transition has been handled. The rules have been in place for almost a year and still no compliant products available and they won't have to be yet. I think it would have been wise to make compliance a requirement from day one for newly released products, but oh well here we are.


There is a bit of confusion on the CE vs C thing. CE markings are mandatory for a long list of products sold in the EU, including all electronics and radio equipment. All drones sold in the EU are already CE marked (or should be if legal) and have been for a long time.

The OP may already know this, but I figure it could be useful for some members:
C class is the new system for drone classification. Drones without C classification will be very restricted starting 1 January 2023. This is the gist of it:

Drones without a class identification will be able to fly in subcategory A1 if they have a weight of up to 250 g, or subcategory A3 it they have a weight between 250 g and 25 kg. This is for the open category which almost everyone will be flying under.

A1: Basically no change for drones under 250 g except if you put prop guards on a Mini 2 it won't be able to fly in A1 anymore as it will be over 250 g and will be restricted to the A3 rules.
A3: No flying near or over people, and at least 150 m away from residential, commercial or industrial areas.

EASA has a good summary of the rules here: EASA - Open Category - Civil Drones

Thanks very much for the great post @thatswedishguy

Totally agree, It really is painful how the transition is being handled. I wonder if the Mavic 3 does not get C classification if it will have a big impact on European sales.

It's such a lot of money to spend if they don't give C classification.

 

[old man mavic]

with regards to the new Mavic 3 ,if it does not have a C class rating ,then i dont think many people will fork out south of a grand for something that will be virtually obsolete after 2022 and although my good old MPP is getting old now ,i will certainly not be purchasing a Mavic 3 if it is not C rated

 

[AnDronioBanderos]

with regards to the new Mavic 3 ,if it does not have a C class rating ,then i dont think many people will fork out south of a grand for something that will be virtually obsolete after 2022 and although my good old MPP is getting old now ,i will certainly not be purchasing a Mavic 3 if it is not C rated

Definitely agree with you on that @old man mavic . It's such a lot of money, looking over 2k for fmc For something we aren't guaranteed a future for. They've had a lot of time to think about it before this release. Might just pick up an Autel nano to scratch the itch for a new toy , if they come out this side of Christmas. Although the controller looks junk.

 

[old man mavic]

even if the Mavic 3 does have the C rating i will still wait till early next year ,to decide whether or not to get one, then by that time most of the bugs should be ironed out ,and it saves a lot of the hassle of early ownership,and it also gives you time to evaluate if the drone does the things you actually want ,of course it will fly well like all DJI products ,but its all the extra modes cameras, and indeed the development of the Fly App that take time to establish

 

[AnDronioBanderos]

Finally opened up the Air 2s fmc.

I've read the incoming regulations and the potentional changes they may bring.

Is my reading of the regulations that the Air 2s will be in A3 category if these regulations comes in to play and will petty much be restricted to being flown 150m from people's, buildings etc so the drone is still useful for remote landscapes, etc.


I'm living in Ireland and from what I can see frond YouTube today, there are many opportunities fit changes on there regulations and plenty opportunity for dji ensure our drone don't just become paperweights.

I'm guessing these are similar thoughts mp3 owners are worried about.

I had intended returning this unopened but with so much uncertainty over the mp3 too, maybe I'm better off just enjoying it and hoping for the best

I could just get a mini 2 but I don't think I will be happy with it and the mini 3 seem a long time away

Maybe Autel will really shake things up this time with the nano but their product release dates are usually very slow.

If you lived in Europe, what would your choice be?

Thanks for your advice

 

[old man mavic]

@AnDronioBanderos ,just to add something regarding the C rating and the restrictions from the end of 2022 this ruling only applies to the drone if is being flown in the open category i.e. 150m distance etc
so if you have your GVC certificate then you can fly a heavier than 250g drone in the specific category with all that that involves, permissions, log flights ,risk assessments etc ,and for very large lift drones the sort that film makers use then the certified category has to be used which is almost as strict as an actual pilot of a light aircraft would need to be able to fly, obviously there is going to be a considerable cost and effort involved to get the qualifications to fly in the categories other than the open ,so unless that expense and effort is required, for say making a living from drone flying ,then most hobby flyers are going to be flying in the open category