New Drone Regulations 1st July 2020

[fificap]

The "flying weight" of an unmodified MM with no prop cages on is 249g. The MTOM is undefined (DJI would need to define it, as the maker of the drone) but would likely be over 250g as it is designed that it can be flown with the prop cages on.

MTOM is probably not going to be used in the UK rules for legacy aircraft.

Hi, Prop guard is only for indoor flight, and you can buy a brand new mini without it! So flying weight is 249g (199g for Japan version with smaller battery), why such interrogation?

 

[Scoop]

I don't know...but if we had that regulations I probably would not buy a drone.

I'd just start another Revolution ...

 

[scro]

Hi, Prop guard is only for indoor flight, and you can buy a brand new mini without it! So flying weight is 249g (199g for Japan version with smaller battery), why such interrogation?

The proposed new EU rules (and UK) were going to refer to the "maximum take off mass" - ie MTOM of drones to decide what category they will be classified under. If a drone has an MTOM less than 250g the rules will be less strict. This then raises the question of what is the MM's MTOM?! It weighs less than 250g but is quite capable of taking off with a mass greater than 250g (just put the larger battery in and fit the prop guards, or some leg extensions). There's been a lot of discussion on youtube/forums as to what the MM's MTOM is. The short answer is: undefined, as the drone manufacturer must specify this and so far DJI haven't published anything.

Fortunately for the UK (not sure about the EU) it has been changed to takeoff weight, so it's a lot less ambiguous.

ps, the prop guard isn't exclusively for indoor flight, as it can also be useful for flying in tighter outdoor spaces, such as close to cliffs/rocks/trees or for beginner pilots to practice. Most outdoor flight would be without the prop guards though

 

[CarstenB]

MTOM is the maximum weight it can still fly with. Not officially determined yet but clearly more than 250 grams. It doesn't matter what you add to reach MTOM. The MTOM determines the maximum damage it can cause hence it's very reasonable to use it as discriminator isn't it?

 

[scro]

MTOM is the maximum weight it can still fly with. Not officially determined yet but clearly more than 250 grams. It doesn't matter what you add to reach MTOM. The MTOM determines the maximum damage it can cause hence it's very reasonable to use it as discriminator isn't it?

It's a good starting point and I can see why it was initially chosen. However, the MTOM determines the max theoretical damage it can cause, whereas the flying weight determines the max actual damage it can cause, so is probably a more reasonable discriminator.

If no MTOM has been defined (eg MM, or a home made drone) it just gets complicated as it's a theoretical number, whereas takeoff weight is a physically measurable thing and hard to dispute.

Incidentally drones with a defined MTOM can probably take off with more weight added, but probably not reliably fly. It's akin to the maximum load a truck is approved to carry. Sure, it'll be able to carry a bit more, but handling/braking/chassis etc will start to get overly compromised.