Mavic 3 receives amazing update (C1 Cert granted for EU)

[Bob in Savannah]

This is GREAT news for our friends across the pond. This can only point towards leniency here in the US and every where else, I would HOPE. Maybe we've just been paranoid with all these upcoming dates of potential rules and restrictions...?? Maybe Im just dreaming.

NOTE: As far as the abbreviated UAV model names go, its beginning to get a little convoluted. Ive noticed on SEVERAL threads people trying to figure it out and others correcting these peeps.. MAYBE we could get a "sticky" somewhere with a list of the correct and accepted abbreviations? Maybe there ALREADY is one and Ive missed it? If I have to search for it its really not out there easily for newbies (like me) to find or just SEE as we comb the forum then its easy to miss. Saying all that, its probably right there in front of me. grr.. just a suggestion..

 

[MaximusCZ]

Maybe there ALREADY is one and Ive missed it?

good intention, but stuff like this barely works. People are used to skip stickies, and even those who read it might make mistakes. The best would be to dynamically recognize common abbreviations and notify the poster before sending the post. Once per user/type would be enough. Ofc technically it would not be worth the work, so I think the easiest way is to just go with it, and correct peeps from time to time.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

good intention, but stuff like this barely works. People are used to skip stickies, and even those who read it might make mistakes. The best would be to dynamically recognize common abbreviations and notify the poster before sending the post. Once per user/type would be enough. Ofc technically it would not be worth the work, so I think the easiest way is to just go with it, and correct peeps from time to time.

You're probably right. People DON'T read the stickies...especially when they see a "last posted date" that's nowhere near anything recent.. I'm guilty. lol.

I'm trying to figure it all out, myself. The M3P is the mini 3 pro, right? And the M3 is the Mavic 3, right? No such thing as a Mavic 3 Pro, right? Following that logic, a MP is a Mavic Pro from years ago and a mp2 is the Mavic pro2, right? whats a mini 2? M2? lol. Maybe its not so hard, after all. lol

 

[MaximusCZ]

I'm trying to figure it all out, myself.

You are right in all of your guesses

 

[wco81]

That means until 31 Dec 2023, the C markings don't mean anything. A M2P and M3P can both be flown in the A2 or A3 subcatagory, depending on the license you hold. As you hold an A1/3 License, you can only fly in A3 subcatagory (>150m from people).
From 1st January 2024, you could fly your CE marked drone (Currently M3, but others will follow) in the A1 subcatagory, IE no intention overflight of people, but no specific "You must stay x meters away from them".

That's my understanding of the system, having flown in both the UK and Europe (Spain), and read the latest on the EASA page as per the above link. Insurance requirements also vary from country to country.

TLDR; in france there isn't a whole lot of point upgrading from the M2P to the M3 until 1 Jan 2024 from a pure regulation point of view. You may also enjoy longer battery life, a wider field of view, even better wind resistance, a version of the DJI app which hasn't been abandoned by DJI and actually works with a new drone, etc, etc.
You may also want to consider a Mini 3 Pro, which is <249g and you could fly in the A1 category tomorrow.

Hmm, interesting, I hadn't thought about being excluded from A2 in 2023.

Even 50 meters away from people can be hard given certain places which are usually not deserted. You could be in compliance when you launched but people could wander in near the home point.

Or I could be flying and people walk within the 50-meter radius footprint.

Drone manufacturers are probably happy, this regulation will spur upgrades.

The Mini 3 Pro is tempting but sounds like a real downgrade because of sensor size.

If DJI could do the kind of computational photography that phone makers are doing, then a small sensor doesn't necessarily have to be as limited.

But they're not going to have the kind of processing power or the AI software to do that.

 

[thewishy]

Just a small nitpick: You probably mean M2P and M3, not M3P. Theres no Mavic 3 Pro, so M3P only fits Mini 3 Pro, which can be flown in A1 category both today and after transition period ends.

Yes, bit of a qwerk to the naming scheme. Funny that I'm flying a 1800 pound non-pro model.. I'd used M3 in all but 1 occasion, but will endeavour to avoid the slip in the future

 

[thewishy]

Hmm, interesting, I hadn't thought about being excluded from A2 in 2023.

Even 50 meters away from people can be hard given certain places which are usually not deserted. You could be in compliance when you launched but people could wander in near the home point.

Or I could be flying and people walk within the 50-meter radius footprint.

Drone manufacturers are probably happy, this regulation will spur upgrades.

The Mini 3 Pro is tempting but sounds like a real downgrade because of sensor size.

The intent of the regulations is to stop large and heavy drones being flown near people. IE that you fly in deserted places where your drone is unlikely to hurt people if you were to crash. The regs also cover cheaper / poorly build drones, which may be more likely to fall out of the sky than a M2P.
There is some tolerance, you don't need to turn yourself in to the police the moment someone comes 49m from you, but you're expected to have enough space to move out of their way

Higher end drone manufacturers will be happy, but with the new timeline and retrospective certification, it will only really be the M2P which would seriously be hit, which will be 5 years old by the time of the regulations. Those producing cheap stuff will likely continue to sell as legacy aircraft, and their owners will likely continue to ignore all the regs...

Mini 3 Pro - Judge it on the end image quality, not the sensor size. To my eye, it's fine in most well lit situations, the limitations of the sensor become more apparent in poor light or at sunrise/set

 

[Hiwayman]

I can't help wondering if there is any update from the CAA regarding UK use of the now available C1 drones....

 

[thewishy]

I can't help wondering if there is any update from the CAA regarding UK use of the now available C1 drones....

They've been very very quiet. Not even an update on extending the Transitional Period, although that's widely believed to be indefinite

 

[Hiwayman]

They've been very very quiet. Not even an update on extending the Transitional Period, although that's widely believed to be indefinite

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[wco81]

We still have over a year before these EU regulations take effect on 1/1/2024.

So what are the odds that DJI will have a new drone with either a 1-inch or Micro 4/3 sensor, weighing under 900 grams, by the end of 2023 or first part of 2024?

Well probably a lot less since the M3 Classic was just announced, so would they release another drone in a comparable price range and specs a year or so from now?

Certainly there will be the Air 3 to be released in the next year and presumably DJI will make sure that's certified with C1 if they want sales in the EU.

I'm sure it will be hobbled compared to the Mavic 3/3C though, like no variable aperture or something like that.

 

[thewishy]

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I don't think it's a bad update as such, although it misses out the DJI process whereby firmware is updated and updated markings are provided. I don't think this has kicked off as a process in Europe yet, so I don't think there are actually any Mavic 3's which actually meet the C1 requirements yet.

Heliguys and UAVHub are both taking the view that while the requirements for c rated aircraft are aligned with Europe, the CAA may or may not recognise the EU TUV certification, and the DJI process for retrospective certification. I'd take their view over a youtube channel with a few hundred subscribers.

We still have over a year before these EU regulations take effect on 1/1/2024.

I'm sure it will be hobbled compared to the Mavic 3/3C though, like no variable aperture or something like that.

Originally it was supposed to come in 1/1/2023, and the CAA Paperwork (CAP2012: Drone Rules: REQUIREMENTS FOR FLYING IN THE OPEN CATEGORY) still shows that transitional status only applies to UAVs on the market prior to 1/1/23. EU moved back the date, UK didn't. TLDR; it's rather a mess

And yes, DJI have reserved variable aperture for the top end mavics - the Air2s's camera is identical to the Mavic 2 Pro