Confused from Surrey, UK

[TonyT67]

Hi,

Found this site a few weeks ago. There are certainly a lot of experienced, helpful people present. At the time, someone said I should wait for MA2 to be launched before buying which was great advice.

However, I am now even more confused around whether I will be able to fly the drone in 2022.

A few things about me:-

• I live in Surrey, UK.
• I have never had a Drone before and will only ever be a leisure pilot.
• I understand the current Drone code, registration process, feeds, etc and that you cant fly in certain areas due to air space restrictions.
• I know there are changes to the legislation coming but not too sure what that means for a casual leisure Drone user like me.
• I clearly don’t want to buy a Drone now, spending £1000 on a MA2 only to find I can’t fly it again in 2 years or be even more restricted on where I can fly it.
• I don’t really understand many of the acronyms used on this site which confuses me but do appreciate the need to learn more before venturing into the skies.

Is there a specific thread (or site) that is more suited for leisure Drone pilots that can give me the simple facts?

I need to understand that, based on my profile above, if:-

• I buy a UK MA2 now as it won’t be too bad later this year or in 2022. I will still be able to fly it sensibly for leisure purposes.
• Not worth it as it is too unknown at this point and any Drone bought now will be highly restricted in 2022.

Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated. Hopefully number 1 is the answer ?

Thanks,

Tony

 

[CJG]

Hi,

Found this site a few weeks ago. There are certainly a lot of experienced, helpful people present. At the time, someone said I should wait for MA2 to be launched before buying which was great advice.

However, I am now even more confused around whether I will be able to fly the drone in 2022.

A few things about me:-

• I live in Surrey, UK.
• I have never had a Drone before and will only ever be a leisure pilot.
• I understand the current Drone code, registration process, feeds, etc and that you cant fly in certain areas due to air space restrictions.
• I know there are changes to the legislation coming but not too sure what that mean for a casual leisure drone user like me.
• I clearly don’t want to buy a Drone now, spending £1000 on a MA2 only to find I can’t fly it again in 2 years or be even more restricted on where I can fly it.
• I don’t really understand many of the acronyms used on this site which confuses me but do appreciate the need to learn more before venturing into the skies.

Is there a specific thread (or site) that is more suited for leisure Drone pilots that can give me the simple facts?

I need to understand that, based on my profile above, if:-

• I buy a UK MA2 now as it won’t be too bad later this year or in 2022. I will still be able to fly it sensibly for leisure purposes.
• Not worth it as it is too unknown at this point and any Drone bought now will be highly restricted in 2022.

Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated. Hopefully number 1 is the answer ?

Thanks,

Tony

Me too Tony!

 

[Lastrexking]

Hi. Welcome to the forum.

As a leisure pilot, you'll be able to fly your new Mavic Air 2 long after 2022 following the drone code.

 

[dirkclod]

If we could predict the future we all would be in a wonderful
place. Seize the moment and enjoy what you can while you can. It’s no telling what the future holds with these regulations . If you wait to see what is going to happen and
it turns out good look at the time you could have been enjoying yourself that you lost.

 

[TonyT67]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[mosh]

@TonyT67 i made a similar post. I also am a newbie and complete side with you on your original post. So much out there that baffles me. Not much response on this. Did you find anything useful elsewhere?

 

[TonyT67]

@TonyT67 i made a similar post. I also am a newbie and complete side with you on your original post. So much out there that baffles me. Not much response on this. Did you find anything useful elsewhere?

The simple answer is that I have picked the wrong time to buy my first drone in the UK, considering my budget of about £1k.

Legislation is changing and this will mean that all drones available now will be classed as legacy drones in 2022. Certainly the drones that I am looking at I.e. MA2, M2 Pro, MZoom, etc.

This will mean there will be a change to where and how you can fly it for example, the 50m clearance needed now will change to 150m. Personally, this will limit where I can fly any drone.

You can get take further exams to lift this restriction but, as a leisure flyer, this doesn’t appeal to me right now.

lt’s all to do with the CAA classification of the current drones. I was told by DJI that they are working with these bodies to agree further standards (remote ID) and this will then mean that any future drones may be OK as they can get a different classification.

I have also read that the CAA have said that it is not possible to re-classify any existing drone and that includes the MA2.

So the choice I have is:-
1. Buy a drone now, say an MA2, follow the current drone code, register and pay the small fee and enjoy flying it for 18 months In and around where I live. Then I need to find new places to fly it, well away from others as it will be a legacy drone or pay £300 ish to gain further qualifications. Or......
2. Wait until the end of this year and see what DJI and others do. There may even be a new M3 Pro the, who knows.

Of course, I may have misunderstood and I am sure one of the experienced pilots will comment if I have.

 

[RonW]

It is confusing, I admit.
I fly an M1P, now 2.5yrs old, and will find the proposed new regs restrictive in areas that I tend to fly, especially the 150m rule, and NOT being able to overfly anybody, whether accidentally or on purpose. (I sometimes overfly a beach area where dog walkers go, but not when crowded with families, kids, etc.) That is, unless I pay a lot of money to pass the CofC certificate, AND I buy a new drone in two years time which will have to be certified to certain class of aircraft and class of usage area.
I had a discussion with somebody recently regarding this, and the main thing to come out was 'how the heck are they going to police the new regs'? Basically, in two years If I keep my Mavic Pro, then I'll only be able to fly in countryside where there are no people or buildings etc. Very restrictive I feel, although I do use common sense when flying now and keep to current regs.
Maybe between now and 2022, some modification to the regs will appear, giving us a bit more freedom. Unfortunately, it seems the droners flouting the current regs and laws have spoilt the hobby for the rest of us. Time will tell.

 

[Buzzing_Drone]

Ok, here’s my opinion on the subject. I was going to buy the mavic air last year in September time, but waited because of the new laws and drones with the new classifications that were coming in 2020. So I waited for the mavic air 2 that I thought was going to be class registered. Then it launched with no classification and I ended up thinking I could wait and wait and not end up buying a drone until 2021 at this rate. So I took the plunge and I got the mavic air 2 and I don’t regret it. It’s amazing and I love my new hobby, been out flying at every chance I get... The way I see it if I have to buy a new drone in 2022 when is becomes legacy I will still be able to sell this and upgrade. You wouldn’t think twice about upgrading your £1000 iPhone every 2 years? Don’t defer joy. Life is too short, you never know what’s around the corner.

 

[mosh]

Well that changes everything for me.. limited restrictions and further costs. I agree doesn’t sound appealing for a relatively small hobby. Guess it’s time to park the idea of purchasing one. Real bummer considering I’ve been wanting one for ages but could never stomach the price tag and just when I’m in a position, there are all these new rules being implemented. Will keep an eye out for further updates but appreciate both your responses.

 

[mosh]

It is confusing, I admit.
I fly an M1P, now 2.5yrs old, and will find the proposed new regs restrictive in areas that I tend to fly, especially the 150m rule, and NOT being able to overfly anybody, whether accidentally or on purpose. (I sometimes overfly a beach area where dog walkers go, but not when crowded with families, kids, etc.) That is, unless I pay a lot of money to pass the CofC certificate, AND I buy a new drone in two years time which will have to be certified to certain class of aircraft and class of usage area.
I had a discussion with somebody recently regarding this, and the main thing to come out was 'how the heck are they going to police the new regs'? Basically, in two years If I keep my Mavic Pro, then I'll only be able to fly in countryside where there are no people or buildings etc. Very restrictive I feel, although I do use common sense when flying now and keep to current regs.
Maybe between now and 2022, some modification to the regs will appear, giving us a bit more freedom. Unfortunately, it seems the droners flouting the current regs and laws have spoilt the hobby for the rest of us. Time will tell.

I do feel to I want to take the risk and just buy the **** thing but even still without the new regs there’s too many restrictions. I don’t fancy just seeing Greenery and water.. I want to be able to capture reality which includes built up areas and also memories with my family out in the public.

 

[Garilla]

I would actually buy a mavic mini in your position. From November all you will have to do is complete the dmares and this will give you the ability to fly it just about anywhere with in the drone code. The mini will not be under the same legacy rules from 2022 and you will be able to pretty much fly anywhere again within the drone code and local bylaws and fly it over uninvolved persons just not crowds.

The mini has potential to be a beast from this November so I'd go snap one up. I've just got a A2 c of c so have read and researched this all very recently. Take a look at the cap 1782 update for the latest news on the mini. Hope this helps. If you

 

[Pablo]

I have a M2Pro but by the time 2022 comes around I will probably have bought a newer model anyway. I'm fairly sure that DJI will fix things before 2022 though and most of their drones won't be classed as legacy. That's purely a hunch.

Two years is a long time and so much could change. I don't think there will be any more drones within your £1000 budget coming any time soon (Mavic 3 possibly later this year but will be nearly £2000 probably) that will have the CE mark, so unless you're prepared to wait it until I think you're stuck.

As Garilla says the Mini is a decent shout too.

 

[Andy Mac 230]

The simple answer is that I have picked the wrong time to buy my first drone in the UK, considering my budget of about £1k.

Legislation is changing and this will mean that all drones available now will be classed as legacy drones in 2022. Certainly the drones that I am looking at I.e. MA2, M2 Pro, MZoom, etc.

This will mean there will be a change to where and how you can fly it for example, the 50m clearance needed now will change to 150m. Personally, this will limit where I can fly any drone.

You can get take further exams to lift this restriction but, as a leisure flyer, this doesn’t appeal to me right now.

lt’s all to do with the CAA classification of the current drones. I was told by DJI that they are working with these bodies to agree further standards (remote ID) and this will then mean that any future drones may be OK as they can get a different classification.

I have also read that the CAA have said that it is not possible to re-classify any existing drone and that includes the MA2.

So the choice I have is:-
1. Buy a drone now, say an MA2, follow the current drone code, register and pay the small fee and enjoy flying it for 18 months In and around where I live. Then I need to find new places to fly it, well away from others as it will be a legacy drone or pay £300 ish to gain further qualifications. Or......
2. Wait until the end of this year and see what DJI and others do. There may even be a new M3 Pro the, who knows.

Of course, I may have misunderstood and I am sure one of the experienced pilots will comment if I have.

Tony why not have a look on the classifieds. Drones are like cars take it off the forecourt and it halves in value. I picked up aPro platinum with the extra fly pack and loads of extras for a steal. Times are hard at the moment so it’s a buyers market. Mine was 6 months old with less than 2 hours flight time.

 

[ven]

I knew about the potential changes, but just purchased the MA2. Life is too short and 2yrs is a good way off. That’s a heck of a lot of flight time . Live more for today, who knows what will change in a few years. No regrets so far so all, awesome bit of kit. So IMO go get, enjoy and no looking back. Get that awesome footage / pics you want. Those will be with you for ever(memories)

 

[DroneBG]

The simple answer is that I have picked the wrong time to buy my first drone in the UK, considering my budget of about £1k.

Legislation is changing and this will mean that all drones available now will be classed as legacy drones in 2022. Certainly the drones that I am looking at I.e. MA2, M2 Pro, MZoom, etc.

This will mean there will be a change to where and how you can fly it for example, the 50m clearance needed now will change to 150m. Personally, this will limit where I can fly any drone.

You can get take further exams to lift this restriction but, as a leisure flyer, this doesn’t appeal to me right now.

lt’s all to do with the CAA classification of the current drones. I was told by DJI that they are working with these bodies to agree further standards (remote ID) and this will then mean that any future drones may be OK as they can get a different classification.

I have also read that the CAA have said that it is not possible to re-classify any existing drone and that includes the MA2.

So the choice I have is:-
1. Buy a drone now, say an MA2, follow the current drone code, register and pay the small fee and enjoy flying it for 18 months In and around where I live. Then I need to find new places to fly it, well away from others as it will be a legacy drone or pay £300 ish to gain further qualifications. Or......
2. Wait until the end of this year and see what DJI and others do. There may even be a new M3 Pro the, who knows.

Of course, I may have misunderstood and I am sure one of the experienced pilots will comment if I have.

Do you know what qualifications I can get after 2022 in order to fly a Mavic Air 2 with less restrictions?

 

[Garilla]

Do you know what qualifications I can get after 2022 in order to fly a Mavic Air 2 with less restrictions?

The GVC will allow you to keep using legacy drones.

 

[mosh]

I would actually buy a mavic mini in your position. From November all you will have to do is complete the dmares and this will give you the ability to fly it just about anywhere with in the drone code. The mini will not be under the same legacy rules from 2022 and you will be able to pretty much fly anywhere again within the drone code and local bylaws and fly it over uninvolved persons just not crowds.

The mini has potential to be a beast from this November so I'd go snap one up. I've just got a A2 c of c so have read and researched this all very recently. Take a look at the cap 1782 update for the latest news on the mini. Hope this helps. If you

Googled DMARES and Came across BMFA . There is a BMFA remote competency certificate. Having tried half of this test it was just like taking the CAA. What’s the difference?

 

[RonW]

Googled DMARES and Came across BMFA . There is a BMFA remote competency certificate. Having tried half of this test it was just like taking the CAA. What’s the difference?

Test is no different to CAA one, all multichoice. If you join BMFA, benefit is £25million public liability insurance, also the BMFA register you with CAA through their association, you'd only get a drone ID from CAA, not a Flyer ID, as you'd be covered through BMFA.
Cost per yr currently £33, plus £9 CAA fee.
Like a lot of forum members in the UK, I am a BMFA member also. View their website for details.

 

[civ]

Another newbie here - wanted the MA2 but don't want to end up with something that is heavily restricted in the UK in just a few short years, especially if people who waited end up with exactly the same product but without the restrictions because it has a class sticker on it.

Have gone for the Mini instead for now and currently awaiting delivery. Still very much looking forward to it and will hopefully be able to upgrade once the dust settles with the regulations. Has an added bonus of not having as much invested in it if the hobby isn't for me after all ?