Has anyone registered their drone in Patong, Phuket, Thailand recently?

[John Gowland]

Most people who want to fly in Thailand are holidaymakers they come for two weeks, on average. The process, prior to arriving in Thailand, is long and laborious. You can get an agent. It’s expensive you can wait till you get there. It’s long laborious then your holiday is over, that is the reality.
A great deal of form filling, stress, and expense.
Alternatively, you can be very smart where you fly. In fact, the most beautiful places are in isolation. There are no people anywhere and no one knows you’re flying there it’s perfectly safe, it’s perfectly fine.
If you live in Thailand permanently, of course, you should go through the legal process and do it correctly. If you go on holiday, it’s for two weeks and that’s it, next time you go you have start the process all over again.

I have flown legally a lot of great stress, great expense, and a lot of time.

I now fly without all of the bureaucratic stress, every day with the permission of the local farmers and owners who are perfectly fine with me flying there. Some of them encourage me flying because I do some promotional work for them with no charge. It’s a good relationship. Everyone wins. And I have been doing it since about 2018 with a P4P V2.0. Make your own choice.

Edit

https://www.youtube.com/@skyviewaerialvideography4985/videos

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[wco81]

Yeah if and when I ever visit Thailand, it will be for reasons other than flying drones.

 

[shb]

I'm thinking of going this summer. Looks like flying illegally is the only way. Specially in Bangkok.

 

[John Gowland]

I would not risk flying in Bangkok. I have not found anywhere that is away from eyesight. Besides there are beautiful places a few hours’ drive away. But somewhere like Patong has endless amazing places to fly a few minutes from the town.

 

[wco81]

Do you guys rent cars?

I hear the taxi mafia is bad in Phuket.

They will gang up on Grab drivers.

 

[John Gowland]

Bangkok is a car city. Rent a car. Patong and Phuket in general, is a bike place, rent a bike. You can rent a car but it is slow, sometimes very slow. But it is safer. If you want to travel out of Phuket, say Krabi, rent a car. "Up to you," as they say. That is what I do, based on a few decades of experience. My two small drones fit in my backpack very nicely. MM2 and Avata, very nice. Yes there is a taxi mafia 2 or 3 times the cost of say Bangkok, so don't winge and rent your own. But be aware the real, big mafia, are raising prices all over the planet and making massive profits, these taxi drivers live on very small incomes.