The EASA is supposedly looking into the possibility of grandfathering in some current models of drone. The idea is that owners will need to get their vendor to send them the appropriate CE marking sticker, which they can then affix to the drone. *Assuming* that plan goes ahead, then it's going to be a decision that'll likely be made on a model-by-model basis by the vendors, a reasonable handling charge to cover costs wouldn't be unreasonable, so it'll depend on whether they think the greater benefit lies in hoping to sell more new drones with the CE marking now or fostering some goodwill and positive PR that will likely pay off later in customer loyalty and word of mouth marketing. After all the anti-DJI rhetoric of late, I'd be more than a little shocked if DJI had the option to do this but didn't take it up on their more popular and expensive models at least.
That's also where it might get messy for UK pilots and for the CAA. While I think the CAA would likely go along with it if the scheme actually did get up and running, the CAA is no longer obliged to follow everything the EASA does and might not actually do so. In that case, assuming I have an eligible drone for getting the sticker, it becomes a question of whether or not I can get a sticker anyway should I want to travel to the EU with the intention of flying my drone there - and I'd absolutely want to do that. That then puts the CAA in a bind; how do they manage and enforce regulations without causing confusion when they potentially have UK pilots and visitors from elsewhere with drones bearing a totally valid CE marking but are non-the-less still classed as legacy in the UK?
I can only hope that all this will work itself out while it's still largely immaterial due to Covid lockdowns and other travel restrictions. Or DJI ships the M3P in a timely manner with that necessary CE marking, I can make that work too, but I'd still like a sticker for my M2P for use as a backup or in more hostile environments.
