Anyone planning to buy the mavic 3 Pro in Europe?

[AroundTheWorld]

Hello

I'm wondering if some of you plan to buy the Mavic 3 Pro in Europe or already did it despite that it will not be C1 certified ?

If yes, are you going to change the way you use it or will you follow the necessary training courses to be able to fly closer to people ?

Thank you

 

[RoosArt]

I live in Europe and fly with the Mavic 3 Classic which has the C1 certification. The C2 certification that the Mavic 3 Pro has comes with far more restrictions when flying. You have to be 30 meters away from people and then there is the 1 : 1 rule. This implicates that 30 meters away counts when altitude is 30 meters. When altitude is 40 meters you have to enlarge the distance to 40 meters and so on up to 120 meters.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

I live in Europe and fly with the Mavic 3 Classic which has the C1 certification. The C2 certification that the Mavic 3 Pro has comes with far more restrictions when flying. You have to be 30 meters away from people and then there is the 1 : 1 rule. This implicates that 30 meters away counts when altitude is 30 meters. When altitude is 40 meters you have to enlarge the distance to 40 meters and so on up to 120 meters.

Does this rule apply even if you are a C2 certified pilot?

 

[RoosArt]

Apparently it does.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

Apparently it does.

Thank you for your answer. So what does the the pilot certification allows you to do than you cannot do without it?

 

[waynorth]

Thank you for your answer. So what does the the pilot certification allows you to do than you cannot do without it?

Here is a table showing the differences in the open category. This is from CAA Norway, but the same regulations applies to all EASA countries.

https://luftfartstilsynet.no/globalassets/dokumenter/dronedokumenter/nytt-eu-regelverk/drone-_-easa-tabell-2021_engelsk_v05.pdf

 

[waynorth]

Does this rule apply even if you are a C2 certified pilot?

There is no C2 certified pilot.
You can fly a C2-marked drone with A1/A3 certificate, but with A2 certificate you have less restrictions regarding distance from people and buildings.
See the link in my post above.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

There is no C2 certified pilot.
You can fly a C2-marked drone with A1/A3 certificate, but with A2 certificate you have less restrictions regarding distance from people and buildings.
See the link in my post above.

Yeah sorry I was talking about the A2 certification. So how far from people and buildings can you fly if you just have the A1 - A3 certificate ?

 

[RoosArt]

That depends on the drone certification.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

That depends on the drone certification.

For a Mavic 3 Pro drone that is classified as C2

 

[waynorth]

For a Mavic 3 Pro drone that is classified as C2

It is clearly written in the table in the link I posted above.

With A1/A3 certificate:
•Minimum 150meters from residential, commercial,industrial or recreational areas
•No uninvolved persons in the area of operation
•Minimum 30 meters from uninvolved persons entering the area.
•1:1 rule

 

[AroundTheWorld]

It is clearly written in the table in the link I posted above.

With A1/A3 certificate:
•Minimum 150meters from residential, commercial,industrial or recreational areas
•No uninvolved persons in the area of operation
•Minimum 30 meters from uninvolved persons entering the area.
•1:1 rule

Thanks for the clarification. I hadn't understood the table that way cause I was looking at the A2 category line.

 

[Hauptmann]

Sounds like a sub 250 gm drone is the way to go.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Sounds like a sub 250 gm drone is the way to go.

Always, if you can live with the capabilities and limitations of the Mini 3 Pro.

 

[js47]

I think the only place in Europe that the Mavic 3 Pro makes sense for is the UK, where it would have the same restrictions as the original Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Classic. Not to say that it makes sense for the UK necessarily, just that it makes as much sense as the earlier two versions!

Not being being able to overfly people in the EEA (even if you have the A2 CofC) would be too much of a disadvantage to me. Without the A2 certificate you'd need to fly the Mavic 3 Pro no less than 150m from uninvolved people and structures — basically impossible in Europe. The certification process itself is easy but it is an extra €150 (and a bit of a hassle).

It should be noted that when flying a C2 class marked drone there is no restriction for flying near structures and you are allowed to fly as close as 5m to uninvolved people when in low speed mode. A Mavic 3 Pro without the A2 certification is pretty useless — might as well be an Inspire at that point as they have to follow the same rules!

 

[mcde]

Not being being able to overfly people in the EEA (even if you have the A2 CofC) would be too much of a disadvantage to me.

One of the (many) reasons I got the original Mavic 3 last year was that because of its weight, it was almost certain it would get a C1 label and so it did. A C2 label drone even with A2 certification is way too restrictive. I would say that unless you specifically need the 3x zoom of the Mavic 3 pro and C2/A2 does not restrict your planned usage, this is a significant issue.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

I agree with both of you. But honestly, (and I don't encourage it at all) but I'm sure that many will break the rules because there is visually nothing that mentions the weight of the drone, no? And I find it hard to imagine what a hobbyist would risk without the presence of a policeman who knows the law.

 

[js47]

I agree with both of you. But honestly, (and I don't encourage it at all) but I'm sure that many will break the rules because there is visually nothing that mentions the weight of the drone, no? And I find it hard to imagine what a hobbyist would risk without the presence of a policeman who knows the law.

The C2 sticker indicates the weight class/shows that it is not legal to fly near people. Of course you’d need the drone in your hand to see the sticker though. I wonder if they could see the info via RemoteID?

Though in my experience if the police (or even just angry locals) get involved the onus is on you to prove that you’re allowed to be doing what you’re doing, not on them to prove you’re not allowed to be doing what you’re doing.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

The C2 sticker indicates the weight class/shows that it is not legal to fly near people. Of course you’d need the drone in your hand to see the sticker though. I wonder if they could see the info via RemoteID?

Though in my experience if the police (or even just angry locals) get involved the onus is on you to prove that you’re allowed to be doing what you’re doing, not on them to prove you’re not allowed to be doing what you’re doing.

Of course but it is also a matter of evaluating distances and common sense.

If you are an A2 certified pilot, how do you prove that you were 5 meters away from people and not 4? which leads me to think that this law will be difficult to enforce because it will not always be possible to prove anything except in the case of a direct accident between a drone and a person.

 

[js47]

Of course but it is also a matter of evaluating distances and common sense.

If you are an A2 certified pilot, how do you prove that you were 5 meters away from people and not 4? which leads me to think that this law will be difficult to enforce because it will not always be possible to prove anything except in the case of a direct accident between a drone and a person.

By the 1:1 rule you should only 5m from people when ≤5m AGL. It is a lot easier to gauge distances when the drone is so low. Still, I probably wouldn't be able to tell between 4m and 5m. But I could probably tell between 3m and 5m.

Of course, as you say, after the fact it would be very difficult to prove anything unless there was an accident. And if there was an accident you can always blame a sudden gust of wind or something. Still much easier to just have a C1 Mavic 3 original or classic! Then you don't have to worry about such matters at all. The Pro really is not such a groundbreaking upgrade that it makes up for its C2 classification.

But as I said before, it will likely end up being your responsibility to prove that you’re allowed to be doing what you’re doing, and not on them to prove that you’re not allowed to be doing what you’re doing. Better to not risk it I think.