Licensing.

[TheSnowyPilot]

Hello there,

I was just wondering if any of the more experienced pilots lurking in these parts could offer some advice.

I fly a Mavic Mini, and have been for quite a while now, and up until quite recently I was unaware you need a flyer ID to pilot one - Relatively unfortunate considered I was already flying a lot prior to then.
I live in the 'UK', and after conversing with the CAA I now know you have to be eighteen or over to apply. In your opinion would it be wiser to wait until December to get my drone registered in my name, or would it suffice to have it registered under the name of a parent until then?

If any of you could offer me some advice that would be much appreciated.

Have a good day now.

 

[old man mavic]

@TheSnowyPilot apart from the Flyer ID you will also need an operator ID ,technically if you fly before you are 18 without them, you could end up with a fine or having your equipment confiscated ,if something were to happen that came to the notice of the police ,the laws with respect to drone use are on the statute books ,and although there is not a fixed amount to pay, it does say up to a £1000 fine could be levied, and if you are as you say under 18 then that fine would fall on your parents

 

[TheSnowyPilot]

@TheSnowyPilot apart from the Flyer ID you will also need an operator ID ,technically if you fly before you are 18 without them, you could end up with a fine or having your equipment confiscated ,if something were to happen that came to the notice of the police ,the laws with respect to drone use are on the statute books ,and although there is not a fixed amount to pay, it does say up to a £1000 fine could be levied, and if you are as you say under 18 then that fine would fall on your parents

@old man mavic I now begin to question the common sense of allowing someone my age to drive a car, but not allowing me to officially own my drones.
I would bet a lot of money there would be more damage caused by idiot drivers in comparison to drone pilots - Within reason.

 

[old man mavic]

@TheSnowyPilot ,unfortunately ,whatever you think of the relevant rules for drone flying ,they are there ,and its up to you whether or not you choose to comply with them or not ,i didnt make the rules ,but because of the unfortunate instances of drones being flown in an unsafe manner or used for criminal purposes ,then we all have had to comply with the recent changes ,every aspect of our lives in todays world ,has some sort of compliance to be considered ,if we want to take part in that particular pastime

 

[quadcol]

@TheSnowyPilot apart from the Flyer ID you will also need an operator ID ,technically if you fly before you are 18 without them, you could end up with a fine or having your equipment confiscated ,if something were to happen that came to the notice of the police ,the laws with respect to drone use are on the statute books ,and although there is not a fixed amount to pay, it does say up to a £1000 fine could be levied, and if you are as you say under 18 then that fine would fall on your parents

Hello,

I'm sorry if digging up this old post is pest but I found this running a search and I'm curious if you still belive that to be the case?

The CAA say

• Register as an operator (this is a legal requirement for all drones or model aircraft weighing 250g or over; and for all drones or model aircraft with a camera, apart from toys).

His mini is sub 250g and a toy if used for no professional reasons. Why does he need a operator id?

It also says

If your drone has a camera (unless it is a toy) or weighs 250g or more then you need to register with the CAA. You need to renew this registration every year. Anyone flying a drone 250g or more needs to pass a test and get a flyer ID from the CAA. If you already have a flyer ID that is still valid, you don’t need to re-do the test until it expires, although you are required to keep up to date with the new regulations.

So seemingly no flyer ID either.

Is this not true?

 

[mobilehomer]

Hello,

I'm sorry if digging up this old post is pest but I found this running a search and I'm curious if you still belive that to be the case?

The CAA say

His mini is sub 250g and a toy if used for no professional reasons. Why does he need a operator id?

It also says

So seemingly no flyer ID either.

Is this not true?

The Mini has a camera. It is NOT a toy.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

if you fly before you are 18 without them, you could end up with a fine or having your equipment confiscated

Old-ish post but it's surprising the age requirement there.
Here it's 16, and in the US there is no restriction in age for flying a drone, only registering, and that's 13 years of age.

And yes, "If your drone has a camera (unless it is a toy) or weighs 250g or more", you need both Operator and flier ID, as well as registering.
The camera is definitely not a toy in quality on any of the Mini models.

I'd say any of the tiny 720p (or less) camera in the small drones online for around the $40 mark (GBP20) would qualify as a toy.
Range for those is under 100m at most normally.

 

[old man mavic]

@quadcol ,i still believe that any sort of Mini size drone ,with the flight capabilities that they have needs to have an operator ID ,and purely from a knowledge standpoint a flyer ID
as @MAvic_South_Oz said these drones are not toys ,if people choose not to comply with the rules, that is their choice

 

[TheSnowyPilot]

From what others said and my own understanding, regardless of weight if a camera (I only use DJI so only referencing that from personal experience) is present, the toy class becomes void, therefore meaning the Mini (whatever model) is not a toy, and these are still required.

 

[quadcol]

Fair enough.
There are lots of expensive, high quality toys in this world but there's not much point in arguing the point.

This page from the CAA have a table at the bottom that shows a flyer ID is not required only a operator ID.

Regarding the comments brought up about age the CAA also say here
"Minimum age to fly In most cases you must be at least 12 years old to fly a drone on your own*. You can fly if you are under 12, but you must be supervised by someone 16 or over and both of you must have passed the flyer ID test."
Seemingly the flyer ID requirement is also void for the sub 250 class.