Mini 3 Pro in Europe - First Trip!

[cv2065]

Hey all! I had the original Mavic Pro for a few years and decided to upgrade to the Mini 3 Pro. Amazing how that drone has been upgraded in every way in such a small body of the mini. Favorite flights and capture with my Mavic Pro was in Big Sur in CA. I almost lost my drone that day due to the massive wind gusts off of the cliff areas, but got video I never planned on getting! I thanked DJI for creating the return to home button where the motors went into overdrive and got back with 7% battery remaining!

Anyhow, I'm heading to Europe in a few months. Trip will run through Paris, Zurich, Munich, Rome and then to Berlin. First time I've taken a drone overseas, so should be a lot of fun. Question is around the flight rules. I signed on to the UK Civic Aviation Authority and plan to take the test for a fairly cheap Operator ID. The site states that if you have a drone under 250g, but it's not a toy and has a camera, that you don't need a flight license, but you do need an Operator's license. Does this sound right? Looks like a Beta site, so maybe they are trying something new?

Also, as you know, the stock battery keeps it under 250g, but the plus battery takes it over. I thought I would buy the two plus batteries and use them in the open, and the smaller battery when over people or ruin areas with tourists. Not ideal, but I'd hate to have all 3 smaller batteries and not be able to use the additional flight times when I get back to the US. Are drones typically challenged in the UK, where police or others ask to look at your drone or weigh it? Sounds silly I know but wondering how they enforce that? I'm assuming that it would only be if one had an accident and not following the rules would it really be scrutinized, but I could be wrong.

Thanks and look forward to being a part of the forum.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum
in order to fly your drone in the UK you will need an Operator ID which is now £12 per year and its advised to take the free Flyer ID test which lasts 5 years, if you log on to the CAA web site it is all explained there ,but be advised that for the EU then their rules and requirements are slightly different and you would need to obtain similar credentials as they are not transferable

 

[Deleted member 162835]

We're heading to Sweden soon and I plan to take a Mini 3 Pro. I had to register with Sweden and take a class followed by a 40 question exam to be legal. You register in the first EU state that you will visit and your registration is good in the remaining. The drone needs to be programmed with the operator ID provided after registering (for remote ID) and the drone needs to be marked with the ID. The class and exam can be taken from any EU state's site and works anywhere in the EU.

 

[Cymruflyer]

France has a test in English that you can take and that will be good all through EU countries.

 

[isdoo]

Trip will run through Paris, Zurich, Munich, Rome and then to Berlin.

Forget Paris and Rome

Not sure on the others.

Most capitals are tough to fly in, just like London.

Your UK registration will not be valid in Europe and vice-versa.

 

[cv2065]

Well, just got back from a two week trip to Paris, Switzerland, Rome and Berlin. I was able to get some great footage with the drone in Rome, Capri and Switzerland. I did have three mishaps that I thought were interesting.

Once, when in Switzerland, I was by a city park overlooking the bay. I tried to get the drone to take off in a remote area of the park but it would not take off, stating that it was in a restricted area and I needed to sign in, in order to give it a code? I didn't have wifi so moved on.

The second time I was in Rome and launched from the rooftop of my hotel. I was only about a half mile from the hotel and a very strong signal suddenly went to no signal. Not sure if I was over something I wasn't supposed to be or what, but had to press auto home a couple of times before it responded.

Third time I was in Capri and launched it over the main port. All was great for about 10 minutes, then I flew over to a very short run of ruins that were not accessible by land, right off the water areas. I suddenly lost complete signal, struggled to get some height and signal restored once I moved up about 30 feet or so.

One other thing. If you are going to Pompeii they won't even let you have a drone in your bag. I had no intentions of launching it, but they confined it to a locker until I left. Herculaneum didn't have that restriction.

All in all, I got some great footage, but seems like there is some kind of signal that goes out in certain places to disrupt drone usage. I'm sure that might be common knowledge for EU folks, but I've never seen that in the US. Hope that helps someone traveling.