Regulations starts to include Mavic Mini ("above 248 grams")

[maelstrom]

We have GPS and Wifi connection as well as RTH and the safety settings to make FPV a safe approach to flying a 249g object very safely.

The regulations are not designed to help you get your drone back safely, they're meant to make you monitor it to prevent it from being a hazard to other things (like, for example, a real helicopter which could well be operating at a similar height).

 

[chadCO]

The laws will keep coming from the puritan inept's in authority until there is no fun left... then they are happy, they don't care if something is safe, only that it is devoid of pleasure.

 

[agiorgitis]

Regulations: 250g
DJI: 249g!
Regulations: 248g
DJI: 247g!
Regulations:246g
DJI: 245g - ha! checkmate!

 

[mgste]

In some jurisdictions, this is like similar to "spot zoning" where a regulation is passed to get around certain legislation, without data or justification.

I will assume that the data used to fix the 250 gram lower limit is based upon data that was determined to be "relatively safe" with respect to potential accidents, whether falling on people or in air to air collisions with commercial aircraft.

There needs to be room for the "toy drone" which is generally less than 250 grams and which is flimsy compared to the Mav Mini.

The fact that DJI introduced such a functional sub-250 gram drone clearly goes beyond the definition of a "toy drone" and it introduces more issues (such as privacy) which a sub-250 gram drone could not raise.

The fact that this legislation comes from a smaller European country does not mean that major powers will follow suit, since there would be a strong lobby or legal opposition to keep a sub-250 gram category for minimal regulation.

l think it's any drone that can be flown under control further than 400ft is not a toy.

 

[tvdwouw]

This is where it gets slightly more complicated. Specifically for the Mavic mini (legacy, under 250g) it will be able to be flown in the A1 category, which will remove the specific distances from buildings, but not people. In this instance it will be a relaxation from current requirements, based on the fact that a small, light drone doesn't pose a significant risk to buildings, but does pose some risk to people.

If flying a >500g legacy drone then it would be in category A3, where the distance from "residential/industrial/recreational areas" will be 150m. Legacy drones between 250 and 500g can be flown in the A1 category until 31 Dec 22.

However, this all digresses from the OP, who was talking about new regs for Bosnia and Herzegovina. They don't seem to be quite as favourable as the proposed UK regs, and a bit of a shock to anyone who was previously used to just applying common sense to their flights, rather than trying to abide by complex, ambiguous and onerous regulations.

1. It is exactly why I did not buy a Mavic Air 2, but kept my 413 gram Mavic Air: the coming years it is still allowed to fly in A1, unlike the MA2!
2. We will ban the drone haters from Bosnia and Herzegovina from the EU! So incredible silly!

 

[scro]

l think it's any drone that can be flown under control further than 400ft is not a toy.

I have a Tello which weighs 80g with battery and is smaller than my hand. Some of the marketing aims it at children, as an educational toy. The image quality from the camera isn't good enough for any professional use. I've flown it over 700ft away. So is it a toy or not?

 

[maelstrom]

It is exactly why I did not buy a Mavic Air 2, but kept my 413 gram Mavic Air: the coming years it is still allowed to fly in A1, unlike the MA2!

Not sure if you have different rules, but in the UK (which is adopting the same regulation package as the rest of the EU), drones with <500g flying weight will only be in the A1 transitional class until 31 Dec 22 then will move into the A3 Legacy class. The only DJI drone which will be unaffected by the rule changes is the Mini.

 

[scro]

Not sure if you have different rules, but in the UK (which is adopting the same regulation package as the rest of the EU), drones with <500g flying weight will only be in the A1 transitional class until 31 Dec 22 then will move into the A3 Legacy class. The only DJI drone which will be unaffected by the rule changes is the Mini.

The MA2 has a flying weight of more than 500g so is outwith the scope of the A1 transitional class. The MA1 is under 500g so can be flown in A1 transitional class until 31dec 22.

 

[maelstrom]

The MA1 is under 500g so can be flown in A1 transitional class until 31dec 22.

Exactly. But after that date, unlike the mini, the MA1 goes into the much more restrictive A3 legacy class with the MA2.

 

[scro]

I think we're in agreement - the MM gets the most favourable treatment with the proposed new rules. Registration will become a requirement, so it doesn't come through completely unscathed, though. However, registration is no big deal for me.

I think @tvdwouw 's point was that if they'd upgraded to the MA2 they'd have been hit with the more onerous A3 rules 2 years sooner than if they stuck with the MA1.

 

[BokiFly]

What is the difference with A3 rules?
Are there different rules about allowed distance and height?

Strange thing in this Bosnian Regulations is that they created categories:
248 - 1000 g is A1 (Mavic Mini, Mavic Air, Mavic Air 2, Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic 2 Pro, all in the same category)
1 kg - 2 kg is A2
and so on.


Bez there are no other mentioning of these categories in any other place in Regulations. There are no "A1 can do this but can't do that", "A2 can do this but can't do that".
So I don't see (for now) what is the purpose of these categories.

 

[scro]

@BokiFly Have a look at the table in this post to see how the UK regs will be once the changes kick in this December. It gives some details as to what the different categories allow:

New rules as of 2020 - Mavic Air

Hi all, I am a bit worried as I have recently bought a Mavic Air (original not 2) to get into drone recording at a casual level and am in no position to be upgrading to a £1000 drone any time soon. I have been reading the new rules on Heliguy's site and this graphic concerns me somewhat. I...

mavicpilots.com

However, there doesn't seem to be any alignment with that and these new rules in Bosnia.

 

[Ramjam61]

For people in the UK, now might be the time to consider joining the British Model Flying Association. Iff you are not already a member.
I can remember when everyone was rushing to register their UAV's. Members were told to hold off and do it through, the Association. This was due to them still fighting the 400ft height limitation for fixed wing, which they won, for their members. I expect them to try and negotiate concessions again. I would also expect them to be, possibly, involved in any onling training and tests. Making it easier to have everything under one roof so to speak.
I could of course just be dreaming, but it makes sense for the CAA and EASA to be dealing with one organisation, rather than potentially thousands of individuals. Any thoughts?

 

[drdikky]

Hearing lots of things about MTOM, Maximum Take Of Mass but Mass and Weight are not the same thing. May seem to be a petty pedantic thing but facts is facts
Understand the Difference Between Weight and Mass.
So if your mini is slightly heavy, take it up a mountain to weigh it !!
Lol

 

[scro]

Hearing lots of things about MTOM, Maximum Take Of Mass but Mass and Weight are not the same thing. May seem to be a petty pedantic thing but facts is facts
Understand the Difference Between Weight and Mass.
So if your mini is slightly heavy, take it up a mountain to weigh it !!
Lol

Tell that to the CAA... They're the ones using units of mass (ie grams) to quantify what they refer to as "flying weight" ?

For better results weigh your mini up a mountain at the equator. ?

 

[Radius]

Just buy battery from Mavic Mini Chinese edition, voala, weigh will be 199g (China has limit 200g).

 

[scro]

FYI, it's the Japanese version that is 199g. The Chinese version is 249g. Allegedly the 50g Japan version batteries are very rare!

 

[BokiFly]

Japanese battery can fit into European Mini?
What is the flight time with Japanese battery?

 

[scro]

I believe it is only the battery that is different so if you have a CE MM then you'd just need a Japanese battery to fly under 200g. Official flight time is 18min, so I'd say you could expect 12-14min typical flight time in actual use, landing with 15-20% left.

Alternatively go onto the hardware mods section here and have a look at the BoB project and similar. You can very likely make your own li-po based battery that can keep your flying weight under 248g.

 

[tvdwouw]

Not sure if you have different rules, but in the UK (which is adopting the same regulation package as the rest of the EU), drones with <500g flying weight will only be in the A1 transitional class until 31 Dec 22 then will move into the A3 Legacy class. The only DJI drone which will be unaffected by the rule changes is the Mini.

As of Jan 2021 we may fly the Mavic Air in class A1 until December 31, 2022 (so extra 2 years), whereas the Mavic Air 2 is restricted to class A3, unless you go for a 'real' exam in a classroom, which comes at a cost and (a lot of) effort and after that the MA2 is still restricted to A2!
The attached matrix hopes to clarify the rules.
It is striking that there is not a single drone as yet which is a EU certified! And that while the EU rules would originally be introduced last July 1 - the introduction was postponed 6 months because of "Corona", but I wouldn't be surprised if there would be a second postponement.