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Mavic Mini now or wait til July?

OgaKpataKpata

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Hi and I hope all of you are doing and staying safe.
My post is regarding the new EU regulations that will come into force from summer.

I want to get the Mavic mini, as it is a good starter drone, good enough quality of photos and videos for me and my family and also currently without the need to do any sort of registrations if I plan to fly safely.

I have read around, and watched a couple of videos regarding these new regulations they wanna put in place.
Now, the thing is:
1. DJI markets this drone as 249g, however, it seems most consumers don't realise that the mavic mini has MTOM of above 250g. (Except the Japanese version)
2. The regulations refer to drones with MTOM of over 250g and another clause that talks about sensors that captures personal data (of which people are divided whether the camera is that)
3. It is speculated that the regulations might change a bit before it kicks in.. Due to EU and its messy processes.

I want to get a small light drone that I can use without having to pay extra for registrations and the like. Should I wait till July to see how it pans out? Or for those of you who own a mavic mini based on that criteria, is it fine to get it now. What are your thoughts and how do you plan to still fly without restrictions?

I'm also secretly wishing DJI's new product is something with MTOM of 249g or less.

Another reason why I ask is that the Mavic Air falls in the category that requires registration. So if it comes to that I can just add some extra money to get the Mavic Air... perhaps.

Thank you :)
 
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welcome to the forum it does appear that when the new regs come into play that the advantage of having a drone under the 250g weight limit is not going to prevent it being registered in whatever registration system that country is using simply because it has a camera on it ,if you really have your mind set on getting a drone ,then just go ahead ,and then if it does need registering then face the issue when the time comes
 
welcome to the forum it does appear that when the new regs come into play that the advantage of having a drone under the 250g weight limit is not going to prevent it being registered in whatever registration system that country is using simply because it has a camera on it ,if you really have your mind set on getting a drone ,then just go ahead ,and then if it does need registering then face the issue when the time comes


Thank you for your response. Great, because the Mavic mini has had some discounts over the past weeks where I live. Just to practice and get the hang of it, I think your advice is great. Then maybe I can upgrade to the Mavic Air when that time comes around - since having a camera requires registration anyway
 
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as OMM - i'd be tempted to wait and see what the Air 2 costs .... I am tempted to sell the mm now that it has to be registered so may as well have something more capable ...
 
@OgaKpataKpata You raise an interesting question for me... what's the technical definition of MTOM? I know what the acronym means, but what exactly does it measure?

I'm fairly confident my MM weighs just under 250g with standard battery (checked on several different scales) but I can add weights to it to put it over 250g and it can still take off... so... is its MTOM more that 250g? If so how do you define/prove the MTOM, and does this have to be done regularly, as it seems the available thrust from am MM can vary over time?
 
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Due to covid-19 UAV Europe regulation could be delay until January 2021.

Link (in french) from the official belgium transport authority.
Réglementation européenne applicable au 01/01/2020 (01/01/2021) | SPF Mobilité

If you are in Norway why are you concern by Eu rules? For holidays?

Yes mostly for holidays, because we usually travel down South into Europe during the summer and when we are not crosscrountry skiing in winters and sometimes on Easter :D , also Norway's rules closely follow EU rules. I checked their website on Nytt EU-regelverk for droner fra 1. juli 2020
You can use Google translate to read, in case you come to our beautiful fjords for holiday.

Thank you so much for the update. No need to bother about waiting till July then I guess (will just wait for discount offers and/or the new drone coming soon)
 
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@OgaKpataKpata You raise an interesting question for me... what's the technical definition of MTOM? I know what the acronym means, but what exactly does it measure?

I'm fairly confident my MM weighs just under 250g with standard battery (checked on several different scales) but I can add weights to it to put it over 250g and it can still take off... so... is its MTOM more that 250g? If so how do you define/prove the MTOM, and does this have to be done regularly, as it seems the available thrust from am MM can vary over time?

I know, it is really confusing as if you read on the internet, some people say weight is under 250g and some other people look at the MTOM as over 250g. Also DJI does not make things easier as they only advertise the weight.

Other websites really get technical. I have seen it here https://pigscanfly.photography/easa-regulations which says MTOM of Mavic Mini is 272g and here What class are you in?

Just look for MTOM on those pages. Technically it probably means the maximum mass at which the aircraft will be able to lift off the ground without any issues - which I would then infer that is the total mass becomes 273g, the Mavic Mini will probably give you a message like too heavy or something. That might be one way to prove the MTOM.

I wish I had a Mavic Mini manual so I can probably see the full specs - if they list it. On DJI website, I only see the 249g weight listed. Except when I change country to DJI Japan, then its 199g.

PS: There is even a page on our national news forum Denne dronen på 249 gram endrer alt that brings the interesting point that making the Mavic Mini safer by adding propeller guards makes it 'unsafe' since it will become over 250g LOL
 
I know, it is really confusing as if you read on the internet, some people say weight is under 250g and some other people look at the MTOM as over 250g. Also DJI does not make things easier as they only advertise the weight.

Other websites really get technical. I have seen it here Commercial Drone Pilots Courses only £549.99 flat fee ZERO VAT which says MTOM of Mavic Mini is 272g and here What class are you in?

Just look for MTOM on those pages. Technically it probably means the maximum mass at which the aircraft will be able to lift off the ground without any issues - which I would then infer that is the total mass becomes 273g, the Mavic Mini will probably give you a message like too heavy or something. That might be one way to prove the MTOM.

I wish I had a Mavic Mini manual so I can probably see the full specs - if they list it. On DJI website, I only see the 249g weight listed. Except when I change country to DJI Japan, then its 199g.

PS: There is even a page on our national news forum Denne dronen på 249 gram endrer alt that brings the interesting point that making the Mavic Mini safer by adding propeller guards makes it 'unsafe' since it will become over 250g LOL
the full manual can be downloaded from the DJI website
 
$799 is an attractive price IMHO (ok so you may want the flymore bundle (guessing that will add about $200) but at a flight time of 30+ minutes I think just 1 more battery would be enough for me ....

wonder how much I can get for my MM out there now (goes off to look on ebay )
 
Why not pass the exam and pay for registration? It's not a lot of money and should you have any issues it shows you've at least attempted to show you're a responsible pilot. Plus you'll be able to fly larger drones. In the UK it costs £9, and the test is online and very easy.

Also consider getting insurance - whilst nobody plans to crash, there's always the chance you'll lose signal or something and the drone flies at full power into someone and injures them. Often being a member of a model flying association give you that.

Yes it means maybe £50 a year in fees for insurance and registration, but it means you don't have to worry about whether you're flying legally and you're covered should an accident happen.
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but who cares if you have to register your drone? Also, I'm reading that the mini may not be the best intro drone for a newbie due to its light weight, being more affected by winds...
 
Hi and I hope all of you are doing and staying safe.
My post is regarding the new EU regulations that will come into force from summer.

I want to get the Mavic mini, as it is a good starter drone, good enough quality of photos and videos for me and my family and also currently without the need to do any sort of registrations if I plan to fly safely.

I have read around, and watched a couple of videos regarding these new regulations they wanna put in place.
Now, the thing is:
1. DJI markets this drone as 249g, however, it seems most consumers don't realise that the mavic mini has MTOM of above 250g. (Except the Japanese version)
2. The regulations refer to drones with MTOM of over 250g and another clause that talks about sensors that captures personal data (of which people are divided whether the camera is that)
3. It is speculated that the regulations might change a bit before it kicks in.. Due to EU and its messy processes.

I want to get a small light drone that I can use without having to pay extra for registrations and the like. Should I wait till July to see how it pans out? Or for those of you who own a mavic mini based on that criteria, is it fine to get it now. What are your thoughts and how do you plan to still fly without restrictions?

I'm also secretly wishing DJI's new product is something with MTOM of 249g or less.

Another reason why I ask is that the Mavic Air falls in the category that requires registration. So if it comes to that I can just add some extra money to get the Mavic Air... perhaps.

Thank you :)
get the mavic mini, nobody will ask you if your drone has 249 g or more... I fly with drone that has more than 249 g and everyone is fine about it
 
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Why not pass the exam and pay for registration? It's not a lot of money and should you have any issues it shows you've at least attempted to show you're a responsible pilot. Plus you'll be able to fly larger drones. In the UK it costs £9, and the test is online and very easy.

Also consider getting insurance - whilst nobody plans to crash, there's always the chance you'll lose signal or something and the drone flies at full power into someone and injures them. Often being a member of a model flying association give you that.

Yes it means maybe £50 a year in fees for insurance and registration, but it means you don't have to worry about whether you're flying legally and you're covered should an accident happen.


True. Thanks for the info, especially about the insurance part. I'll look into it here in my country.

Why I was asking about the registration is because of the different rules around Europe. I may be mistaken, but currently don't you have to register it everywhere you intend to fly? Even if you aren't resident.. Someone even said it's super hard to get registered in some places. Norway is nice, but we usually go down south for holidays, and my line of work isn't film making, so that extra cash might be better somewhere else. Haha.

About your insurance? Does it cover you everywhere you travel to? Or just within your country?

Thanks for the tips once again.
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but who cares if you have to register your drone? Also, I'm reading that the mini may not be the best intro drone for a newbie due to its light weight, being more affected by winds...


Yes, possibly it may not be the best intro drone due to that. But that price point though.....

LOL
 
get the mavic mini, nobody will ask you if your drone has 249 g or more... I fly with drone that has more than 249 g and everyone is fine about it

Haha. Don't you get scared that you will get fined or something...


Let's see how 27th pans out though.. :D
 

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