Mavic 3 picture Released

[CanadaDrone]

Personally I think people, especially hobby fliers, must be nuts to even contemplate paying that sort of price for something that can be destroyed in its first crash.

Many common and expensive things people buy can be lost or destroyed instantly if one simple mistake is made or from forces beyond our control - vehicles, TV's, most other electronics, cameras/lenses, artwork, jewelry, entire homes, etc. etc. Even our own lives can end in an instant with one tiny mistake. That's why insurance is available for all of those things if desired.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I don't think the comparison is valid but there's no point in arguing about it.
It is, of course, your money to do with as you wish.

 

[Drone_Pilot]

Many common and expensive things people buy can be lost or destroyed instantly if one simple mistake is made or from forces beyond our control - vehicles, TV's, most other electronics, cameras/lenses, artwork, jewelry, entire homes, etc. etc. Even our own lives can end in an instant with one tiny mistake. That's why insurance is available for all of those things if desired.

State Farm ensures your drones, cameras pretty much your entire gear

I don't think the comparison is valid but there's no point in arguing about it.
It is, of course, your money to do with as you wish.

There is no need to argue.

Completely understand what you're saying at the end of the day like you've mentioned people are going to do with their money what people do best spend it.

If someone with no experience decides to spend three or four thousand for a drone and crash it in 10 minutes well that's on them.

 

[CanadaDrone]

State Farm ensures your drones, cameras pretty much your entire gear

There is no need to argue.

Completely understand what you're saying at the end of the day like you've mentioned people are going to do with their money what people do best spend it.

If someone with no experience decides to spend three or four thousand for a drone and crash it in 10 minutes well that's on them.

I'm guessing it's a little different in the USA but in Canada, drones are usually covered under our home contents insurance - we would just have to pay a $500 deductible in most cases. The only exception is if you intentionally destroy it, which I am assuming nobody would do or admit to anyway haha.

The bottom line is that insurance is available for those who feel like the replacement cost / risk ratio that they are personally comfortable with has been exceeded, which is no different than virtually any other product out there. Good to have options!

 

[Drone_Pilot]

I'm guessing it's a little different in the USA but in Canada, drones are usually covered under our home contents insurance - we would just have to pay a $500 deductible in most cases. The only exception is if you intentionally destroy it, which I am assuming nobody would do or admit to anyway haha.

The bottom line is that insurance is available for those who feel like the replacement cost / risk ratio that they are personally comfortable with has been exceeded, which is no different than virtually any other product out there. Good to have options!

State farm is a home and auto insurance. I guess it's very similar or the same as in Canada

 

[globetrotterdrone]

@CanadaDrone
If you are interested for a German speaking regional view:

At least in Austria and Germany you need to provide a liability insurance before you are entitled to fly - this covers damages against third parties (I am currently paying about 50 Euro/year for a Mavic 2 Pro, which was the cheapest option)

If you wish to insure damages of your drone with crashes etc. you normally have to sign a special insurance additionally (I am paying about 100 Euro/year as part of a photo insurance). Home insurance most likely never covers these tools along with cameras etc. Sometimes, a special holiday insurance may be applied but not when you are flying at home.

My impression is, that Europe is highly regulated yet lacks an efficient system nowadays, refer to the C label/marks.
It's only efficient in terms of tax but not in terms of usage.

That's why I envy North America a bit, it all seems less of a hassle - but I may be wrong here.

 

[Macinfo]

I don't think the comparison is valid but there's no point in arguing about it.
It is, of course, your money to do with as you wish.

Its not an argument, its trying to understand how a drone is any different than anything else you might purchase that is expensive and can be lost or destroyed in seconds..

 

[wco81]

@CanadaDrone
If you are interested for a German speaking regional view:

At least in Austria and Germany you need to provide a liability insurance before you are entitled to fly - this covers damages against third parties (I am currently paying about 50 Euro/year for a Mavic 2 Pro, which was the cheapest option)

If you wish to insure damages of your drone with crashes etc. you normally have to sign a special insurance additionally (I am paying about 100 Euro/year as part of a photo insurance). Home insurance most likely never covers these tools along with cameras etc. Sometimes, a special holiday insurance may be applied but not when you are flying at home.

My impression is, that Europe is highly regulated yet lacks an efficient system nowadays, refer to the C label/marks.
It's only efficient in terms of tax but not in terms of usage.

That's why I envy North America a bit, it all seems less of a hassle - but I may be wrong here.

I flew once or twice in Austria this summer.

I got my EU pilot number in France and have it on a label on my M2P.

I have an email from my American homeowner's insurance company stating that I have coverage including liability for the drone.

However, I don't know how I would have provided proof if this liability coverage before I flew.

What should I have done, look for a cop and show them?

The place I flew was a lake, sparsely populated. I don't even know where the police would be closest to where I launched.

I did observe the rules for the area around the lake, which is only 30 meters altitude, not flying over people (such as people swimming in the lake or riding small water craft).

 

[Xooterpust]

Personally I think people, especially hobby fliers, must be nuts to even contemplate paying that sort of price for something that can be destroyed in its first crash.

For me the drone is a toy I use occasionally. I definitely will not be paying that much to update a toy.

 

[Jeffdj]

My biggest disappointment is the lack of a true wide angle lens, ie, an 35 mm equivalent of 14mm. With two lenses this would have been easy to do. The telephoto lens is a bit of a waste of space. I was hoping for something with a big sensor, 5.8k video and the ability to shoot footage like the old phantom 2 with a GoPro camera yet still have the ability to zoom in with the second lens. I won’t be buying the Mavic 3 unless they give me the option of a wider lens. Even the air2 s has 22mm.

 

[wco81]

You can kind of work around the lack of wide angle with panos though.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

I flew once or twice in Austria this summer.

I got my EU pilot number in France and have it on a label on my M2P.

I have an email from my American homeowner's insurance company stating that I have coverage including liability for the drone.

However, I don't know how I would have provided proof if this liability coverage before I flew.

What should I have done, look for a cop and show them?

The place I flew was a lake, sparsely populated. I don't even know where the police would be closest to where I launched.

I did observe the rules for the area around the lake, which is only 30 meters altitude, not flying over people (such as people swimming in the lake or riding small water craft).

As always for legal things: it depends ...

• What drone have you been using back then?
• It seems this liability insurance is regulated in the respective Austrian aeronautics law, which I think than only translated to citizens of Austria. At the time I registered my drone at the certification authority, I had to provide the policy number. No policy, no certificate, no flying.
• France and other member states might act different and as it is not explicitly addressed in the EU regulation, I guess you were just fine for flying (not sure, what happened if an accident with third parties might have happened) in Austria too.

Don't get me wrong: I think you have been doing just fine (I have not followed of how to get a EU registration for non-EU-citizens), apply common sense and to 99 % you never run into any troubles or need more regulations. That's how it has been for a long time. We used to have a 150 AGL in Austria before the new EU law but with raising sales especially aiming for quick leisure pleasure, there are certainly some serious issues with people not carrying about anything (and maybe never will).

However Austria's law has always been very strict concerning flying near/over people, settlements and buildings. Unlike like in Portugal, where I just applied (online) and got my clearance to fly in and around Porto/Lissabon, you will probably never get this in Austria for a hobby flight and if, it has a hefty price tag (> 500 - 1.000 Euro upwards) easily.

The thing is, like with the copying for movies and the prohibition screens etc., people who just get their drone still really don't care but pilots like us will have more and more obligations to obey. That and considering you have to pay quite a lot here for administration, sometimes makes this hobby (I'm not a professionell of any sort) feel troublesome often.

And as another side note: I have not ever been checked for my documents here and I certainly think, most of the police have better things to do or really know the details. Nearly all of my encounters with strangers have been positive and interested in this technology. However if you get confronted, than, for my experience, it is always ends in a negative way, as these people really believe that one is spying on them. Best to abort and sally forth even if you are entitled to fly ...

 

[wco81]

Austria actually used to have restrictive policies. You couldn't fly anything with a camera unless you paid a hefty license fee.

Then they adopted the EU-wide drone policy like every EU country. They all adopted common rules and if you register in one, you're valid to fly in all EU countries.

I don't recall if I gave them my US homeowners policy number to get my pilot number.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Austria took a very strong part in carrying out those new regulations.
The good thing is, that the annual 300 Euros for a license to fly are now gone - you are right there. It's now roughly 50 Euros for a couple of years.

But now we have an unclear situation wether the C marking/label is really going to work out and still the systems lacks a fast approach like LAANC anyway. And it is also unclear, if the certification authority can charge you for additional exam in person, which will be necessary with a drone like the M2P. If the take off weight fall below 900 g, than you definitely have advantage to the old rules (supposed C1 label is in place) but with the legacy drones, you are facing huge restrictions.

So I am ambivalent for the EU wide unification, which only fully works on paper so far.
There are many uncertainties and nobody (rule makers, producers) are apt to tell, how it is going to work out until 2023.

Then they adopted the EU-wide drone policy like every EU country. They all adopted common rules and if you register in one, you're valid to fly in all EU countries.

Yes and no. Every member state is given the chance to name more rules if necessary for special purpose. Like the said mandatory insurance, which applies to Austria citizens. Or labeling your drone in Austria with a pen is fine, in Germany it needs to be fire resistent for instance. And being able to fly in a nature park in member state X doesn't necessarily mean you are entitled to fly in members state Y. You still have to obey country specific regulations of course or need to apply beforehand.

The registration and certifications was unified, not the whole process of the EU wide aearonautic laws.

 

[wco81]

Yeah I did look at the civil aviation agency websites, to look for drone maps if nothing else.

I don't recall anything specific that was different than the EASA rules.

In theory they have to honor the pilot numbers of each EU member states.

I understand about not being able to fly in national parks, wildlife preserves, near military installations, prisons, etc.

In fact I would often check with local police or tourism boards about local regulations. I don't always get an answer but I try to get the information.

And in some cases, I opted not to fly if there are too many people around, even though after launch, I would be able to keep away from people.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Yeah I did look at the civil aviation agency websites, to look for drone maps if nothing else.

I don't recall anything specific that was different than the EASA rules.

In theory they have to honor the pilot numbers of each EU member states.

I understand about not being able to fly in national parks, wildlife preserves, near military installations, prisons, etc.

In fact I would often check with local police or tourism boards about local regulations. I don't always get an answer but I try to get the information.

And in some cases, I opted not to fly if there are too many people around, even though after launch, I would be able to keep away from people.

Hey, I don't judge you, certainly not.
I hope your flights in Austria were pleasant. ;-)

I just wanted to point out, that those regulations, as nice and clear they might read and sound, and also save you some Euros, are still, after one year, not really operational to an extent, where we could trustfully buy new drones here use them according to the individual classes.

It's not even clear now in Austria, if local agencies can put a drone ban within their territory. Some have put signs up but they are not legally binding yet there is no case. It's said, that the Ministry lacks of an additional map for such restrictions, which should be in place by 2022. No one really knows.

Just European things ...

 

[wco81]

It would be very tough to enforce unless cops are everywhere. You have wide expanses of countryside, sparsely populated.

Maybe some property owners would object that you overflew their properties.

I would never try to fly in a big city like Vienna or Salzburg, though obviously it would be very scenic.

You can see some European cities have filming license agencies, for TV and film productions, willing to pay a big license fee to be able to fly over areas that hobbyists are barred from doing.

It's not even a big productions, with large budgets. There is an American show called House Hunters International, about people moving to another country and they're looking for homes. They use a lot of drone footage, including in European cities. I don't think they have drone footage for big cities like London or Paris but for smaller towns, they often have shots where the house they're looking at is filmed as the drone is rising or landing.

 

[toadmeister2k]

Was your first car a Lamborghini? RC pilots always started out with trainer planes.