Hey everyone,
I'm new here so I hope this is in the right place!
I Just picked up a DJI Mini 4 Pro from Currys last week – it's got the C0 label and weighs exactly 249g on my scales.
With the new UK drone rules in effect from today (1 January 2026), night flying requires a flashing green anti-collision light visible to other aircraft.
The Mini 4 Pro does have built-in flashing green LEDs on the rear arms, but annoyingly, they turn off automatically when you start recording video (to reduce light pollution in footage, apparently). So for actual night recording, they're not on.
The issue is that even the lightest third-party strobes push the total weight over 250g.
From what I've read on the CAA site and recent guides:
C1/UK1 drones can weigh up to 900g and still fly in A1. DJI used to let us apply C1 stickers/change the class by contacting them on the Mini 4 Pro, but that's no longer available, and it wouldn't change the UK treatment anyway (C0 stays as UK0 equivalent).
So, unless DJI releases a firmware update to let us keep (or toggle) the built-in green flashing LEDs on during recording (without adding weight), any external strobe will bump it over 250g and massively restrict flying locations – especially frustrating for night video.
Have I understood this correctly, or am I missing a workaround? The CAA explicitly says strobe weight counts toward the total MTOM.
Also, post-2027 when EU C-marks are no longer recognised – any chance DJI or CAA will offer official UK0 stickers or reclassification for existing C0 Minis to keep the sub-250g privileges? Or any shot at them letting us change it to C1/UK1 again?
is there any rumours of DJI firmware adding a built-in strobe mode when recording at night to keep it legal and also DJI letting us change the class to UK class and hopefully letting us change from Class 0 to Class 1 again?
Thanks in advance!
I'm new here so I hope this is in the right place!
I Just picked up a DJI Mini 4 Pro from Currys last week – it's got the C0 label and weighs exactly 249g on my scales.
With the new UK drone rules in effect from today (1 January 2026), night flying requires a flashing green anti-collision light visible to other aircraft.
The Mini 4 Pro does have built-in flashing green LEDs on the rear arms, but annoyingly, they turn off automatically when you start recording video (to reduce light pollution in footage, apparently). So for actual night recording, they're not on.
The issue is that even the lightest third-party strobes push the total weight over 250g.
From what I've read on the CAA site and recent guides:
- During the transitional period (2026-2027), EU C0 drones like the Mini 4 Pro are treated as equivalent to UK0.
- As long as it stays under 250g, it can fly in the Open A1 subcategory ("fly over uninvolved people" – but not assemblies/crowds).
- If it goes over 250g (even slightly, due to the strobe), it becomes a legacy drone over 250g, restricted to Open A3 ("far from people"): at least 150m from residential/recreational/commercial/industrial areas, no overflying uninvolved people.
C1/UK1 drones can weigh up to 900g and still fly in A1. DJI used to let us apply C1 stickers/change the class by contacting them on the Mini 4 Pro, but that's no longer available, and it wouldn't change the UK treatment anyway (C0 stays as UK0 equivalent).
So, unless DJI releases a firmware update to let us keep (or toggle) the built-in green flashing LEDs on during recording (without adding weight), any external strobe will bump it over 250g and massively restrict flying locations – especially frustrating for night video.
Have I understood this correctly, or am I missing a workaround? The CAA explicitly says strobe weight counts toward the total MTOM.
Also, post-2027 when EU C-marks are no longer recognised – any chance DJI or CAA will offer official UK0 stickers or reclassification for existing C0 Minis to keep the sub-250g privileges? Or any shot at them letting us change it to C1/UK1 again?
is there any rumours of DJI firmware adding a built-in strobe mode when recording at night to keep it legal and also DJI letting us change the class to UK class and hopefully letting us change from Class 0 to Class 1 again?
Thanks in advance!
