Good news for UK holders of an A2 CofC

[Johnmcl7]

well as @Cymru pointed out ,if its over 250g then basically that excludes you from doing any sort of flying ,except for very remote places ,but if you had a GVC you could get permission to fly at a particular location provided ,you had submitted a flight plan ahead of time and written a risk assessment ,which is what is required if you want to fly a heavier that 250g drone ,over people buildings and infrastructure,but that does not mean you are doing it for gain ,that applies even if you are just flying your drone for pleasure ,unless you want to stay more than 150m from everything

Nope, Cymru did not say that either - he said 150m which is metres, not miles so that's not very remote at all and it's been the restriction for a while for drones in the A3 class.

Given you are a moderator on this forum that can't be set to ignore, you shouldn't be making posts with incorrect, misleading or scaremongering data such as this just because of your personal beliefs which have no relevance to drone regulations. I've wasted quite a bit of time this evening as I was concerned about these rules you were talking about only to find they don't exist, I can carry on flying my Mavic 2 with the same restrictions as before and without needing a GVC.

To me it looks like the rules are actually better because the A2 will now apply from 2023 onwards so where a drone like the Mavic 2 Pro was going to be dropped to A3 next January now it can fly as A2 until January 2026. But maybe I'm getting mixed up, it's not made easy when people are posting incorrect information on here.

 

[old man mavic]

all this is starting at the end of this year ,and every drone heavier that 250g even the new mavic 3
will be classed as a legacy drone ,and for the next 3 years will have to be flown in the A 3 category ,unless you have the A2 C of C then the A 2 rules will apply ,till either the end of 2025 or till your current A2 C of C expires

 

[Johnmcl7]

all this is starting at the end of this year ,and every drone heavier that 250g even the new mavic 3
will be classed as a legacy drone ,and for the next 3 years will have to be flown in the A 3 category ,unless you have the A2 C of C then the A 2 rules will apply ,till either the end of 2025 or till your current A2 C of C expires

Not according to you, we all need GVC's now:

(2) if you want to be able to fly anything heavier ,with better flight capabilities ,as a recreational flyer ,then you are going to need to go to the expense of completing a GVC course,and flying your drone with the necessary permissions ,and record keeping,that is required, so you can fly in similar places to those enjoyed by sub 250g drones

Good news for UK holders of an A2 CofC

The CAA has just announced that: "Following the decision to extend the transitional period to 1 January 2026, holders of an A2 Certificate of Competence that references transition and legacy period dates of 31 December 2022, may continue to use these privileges until either the expiry date of...

mavicpilots.com

 

[Cymru]

Nope, Cymru did not say that either - he said 150m which is metres, not miles so that's not very remote at all and it's been the restriction for a while for 150m.

You're obviously unaware of just how dense the UK is regarding buildings.

Other than a few remote parts of Scotland and Wales most of it will have a manmade structure of some point somewhere in the vicinity (which means 150m).

Farmhouse? Powerlines? Road or rail line? Boat?.

Unless you just want to fly in moorland with no walking trails or people then it really does massively restrict the use case post-transition.

 

[old man mavic]

@Johnmcl7 ,the fact that i am a mod has nothing to do with this thread ,if you care to look at the A3 category to be able to fly your drone in that category is very restrictive ,and it excludes many many places ,from where the sub 250g drones can be flown

 

[Johnmcl7]

@Johnmcl7 ,the fact that i am a mod has nothing to do with this thread ,if you care to look at the A3 category to be able to fly your drone in that category is very restrictive ,and it excludes many many places ,from where the sub 250g drones can be flown

The fact you're a moderator has everything to do with this thread - you are held to a higher standard than normal users and as such, we cannot ignore your posts as I would anyone else posting the level of misinformation you do. It's also a poor reflection on the standards of this forum you're allowed to do this.

Again, you're posting more misinformation - you claimed the rule change now prevented drones above 250g being flown without a GVC but there is no such rule change. I'm well aware of the A3 category, I've been complying with the rule set since it was introduced and given you keep getting the rules wrong it's quite an insult to tell me to look up the rules.

You're obviously unaware of just how dense the UK is regarding buildings.

Other than a few remote parts of Scotland and Wales most of it will have a manmade structure of some point somewhere in the vicinity (which means 150m).

Farmhouse? Powerlines? Road or rail line? Boat?.

Unless you just want to fly in moorland with no walking trails or people then it really does massively restrict the use case post-transition.

I've lived in the UK for many years and in fact just completed a 1600 mile trip of the UK, so I'm very aware of how 'dense' the UK is but feel you really are not.

Regardless, as I've had to point out multiple times the A3 rules are not anything new so these are restrictions people have had to fly under already. There is no rule change that requires a GVC nor is there any rule change adding additional restrictions to drones flying in the A3 category. I can't see how extending the A2 system is actually more restrictive but people seem more interested in scaremongering than the actual rules it seems.

 

[old man mavic]

Not according to you, we all need GVC's now:

Good news for UK holders of an A2 CofC

The CAA has just announced that: "Following the decision to extend the transitional period to 1 January 2026, holders of an A2 Certificate of Competence that references transition and legacy period dates of 31 December 2022, may continue to use these privileges until either the expiry date of...

mavicpilots.com

you completely missed the point i was trying to make ,which was in order to be able to fly a heavier than 250g drone ,in the same airspace ,with similar minimum distances and the ability to fly intentionally over people structures roads rail etc in built up areas then the only alternative to a sub 250g drone would be to pass your GVC

 

[Cymru]

I've lived in the UK for many years and in fact just completed a 1600 mile trip of the UK, so I'm very aware of how 'dense' the UK is but feel you really are not.

Clearly you're not if you think A3 / 150m isnt exceedingly restrictive.

What he said, in a very easy to understand way is that post transistion, the lack of class marks mean trying to fly any drone above 250g without a GVC restricts you to A3 and therefore only allows tiny areas of the country legally where you can operate.
He didnt say "we need to get GVCs". He correctly pointed out to operate a drone over 250g not in the extremely restricted A3 category you'd need one.
And pointed to the relevant text.

 

[Johnmcl7]

you completely missed the point i was trying to make ,which was in order to be able to fly a heavier than 250g drone ,in the same airspace ,with similar minimum distances and the ability to fly intentionally over people structures roads rail etc in built up areas then the only alternative to a sub 250g drone would be to pass your GVC

That's not what you said though:

now all the changes have been announced ,and in most cases implemented

There is no rule change for over 250g drones, they're in the same restrictive A3 class as they've been for some time. The rules have actually eased for them slightly as they're not demoted in 2023 as they were going to be.

 

[Johnmcl7]

Clearly you're not if you think A3 / 150m isnt exceedingly restrictive.

What he said, in a very easy to understand way is that post transistion, the lack of class marks mean trying to fly any drone above 250g without a GVC restricts you to A3 and therefore only allows tiny areas of the country legally where you can operate.
He didnt say "we need to get GVCs". He correctly pointed out to operate a drone over 250g not in the extremely restricted A3 category you'd need one.
And pointed to the relevant text.

I've been able to fly my drone up and down the UK with 150m clearance easily, I don't really care if you believe me or not.

Old Man Mavic claimed there was a rule change that meant additional restrictions for drones above 250g - there isn't, you both now agree drones in the A3 category at the moment have the same restrictions as they did before therefore the post was incorrect. Unfortunately he didn't say what you claim which is the problem, I'd have no issue if he'd said drones above 250g fly in A3 with 150m restrictions:

if you want to be able to fly anything heavier ,with better flight capabilities ,as a recreational flyer ,then you are going to need to go to the expense of completing a GVC course,and flying your drone with the necessary permissions ,and record keeping,that is required, so you can fly in similar places to those enjoyed by sub 250g drones

There is no mention of 150m limits or A3 here as you claimed were said and there is a mention of having to get GVC's.

 

[old man mavic]

@Johnmcl7 ,well heres the thing ,i can go just up the road from my home and fly my Mini 3 over the factories and houses ,as long as i dont endanger anyone ,and in fact i could if i wanted fly over the estate where i live ,but i cant do that with my MPP ,but if i had a GVC and wanted to fly over the same areas ,then i could with the necessary permission in place ,and thats the point i was trying to make in post #10 of this thread

 

[GFields]

If the incivility continues, this thread will be closed!