Risky getting a Air2s before end of 2022?

[mreco99]

I know, sorry another question, (I did search the forum first)

Is it a bit risky getting an Air2s now, before the rules come in as to what you can actually do with it next year?
I dont want to get one now and find out its uses are limited, ie commercially.
Plus if that happened and you then wanted to sell it, it would be worth less (er not Worthless, but worth ... less)

 

[Phantomrain.org]

There not going to do anything that will render all drones worth less . At best everyone will have to fly with some type of ID tag, that will be sticker similar. The Air 2S is going to hold it own as being best in that weight class for awhiile.

Gear to fly your Air 2S in the Rain. Land on the Water.
Phantomrain.org

 

[old man mavic]

@mreco99 after the end of this year in the UK the Air2s will be considered a legacy drone and will only be able to be flown in the open A3 category, if you acquire your GVC certificate then you will be able to fly it in the specific category with all that that entails ,only drones manufactured to comply with the new C class of drone ,not in the 250gweight class will be able to be flown in the A2 weight class of the open category and to do so then the pilot will need an A2 C of C certificate to do so these rules do not apply to the USA at the moment and are mainly for Europe and the UK and to a point you are correct in your assumption that this rule change will devalue the resale price of any drone that becomes a legacy drone next year

 

[mreco99]

Quite amazing really, talk about how to demotivate people to buy them now. I would have thought the obvious thing to do would be to retrospectively class some drones. I mean how different will a legacy Air2s be to a new Air2sA thats a class? drone. crazy.

 

[old man mavic]

@mreco99 ,it was not my intention to demotivate you or anyone else from obtaining a drone right now,
i was merely answering you question
i did not make the new rules about drones having to have a C rating ,to be able to be sold and flown next year ,but it is one of the things that has stopped me from purchasing a new drone such as the new Mavic 3 , for instance ,
so i am sorry if my answer did not appeal to you ,and as far as retrospective C rating drones ,
this is something that has not been ratified by the powers that be ,and personally i would be very surprised ,and happy, if it were to happen ,but i am not holding my breath

 

[mreco99]

Oh no, old man, it wasn't you that was demotivating, at all. Your reply were great and welcome. I meant it was the industry regulators that are demotivating, at least to me, to bother. It should be so much simpler.
There are categories with sub categories, there are drone classes that dont even exist yet, legacy devices that nobody knows if they will be allowed to be used in specific category, except a low one (A3)
There are flyer IDs, and operator IDs
Different certificates A2 CofC, GCV, Operation Authorisations, PDRA, OSC, STS, legacy certificates like PFCO
Different agencies with different responsibilities, CAA, Not EASA now because of Brexit, NAA, (maybe NAA is the same as the CAA)
UK EU rules dont match USA rules.
Why not make the certificate names match the category names, GCV, why not call it "Specific Category Certificate SCC"
And I dont know the half of it.

I dread to even contemplate how the police, police this, they cant possibly know the rules well enough when they are called to drone situation?

I can see why its got into a mess, UK leaving EU, Drones (UAS) being relatively new and evolving, different organisations involved, and its good its being sorted out, but the class thing and legacy thing, that is a big mistake. As it stands now, I cant see how I can justify a drone for commercial use, when come January its useless and worth a lot less.
Im assuming all legal drones in the UK have a CE mark, so I would think to retrospectively class some of the newer 'legacy' drones or the older more expensive drones, would be possible.
If not then there must be some major manufacturing process that makes a 'class' drone more safe than a legacy drone.
Sorry for the rant, I know im very late to the whole discussion, and you've all discussed it to death already.

 

[old man mavic]

@mreco99 ,i agree the whole drone flying situation ,has become a minefield of rules and regulations
and unfortunately a lot of it is due to idiots flying drones in an inappropriate manner,and the negative media reporting that has been given to drones in general
the problem is that the drones themselves have become so easy to obtain and fly ,without having to have any knowledge, or regard for the safety of those flights
the thing that has been lacking with regards to the safe procedures for drone flying ,and still is ,is the lack of information ,at point of sale, and the misunderstanding of the general public to what drones are actually capable of, because of biased information from the media
unfortunately, the one thing that no amount of rules and regulations will prevent ,is the person with a drone, who uses it to cause harm ,or for criminal purposes

 

[mreco99]

Quote "unfortunately, the one thing that no amount of rules and regulations will prevent ,is the person with a drone, who uses it to cause harm ,or for criminal purposes"

Same with anything, guns, vehicles, planes, even hammers and knifes. Some are more restricted than others, but there are always 'idiots'

 

[Timbo141]

Same with anything, guns, vehicles, planes, even hammers and knifes. Some are more restricted than others, but there are always 'idiots'

Well said and so true.

 

[Yaros]

This really boggles my mind, in theory, it will make all of the current drones worthless when 2022 ends, but in practice, I'm flying for 1.5 years already, three different drones, absolutely no one went and asked to see my drone, or which model I fly. No one even asked for my license! Let alone I fly from the rooftop of my apartment, I don't think that someone will just come to me saying that I fly a legacy drone. It's just my opinion, people that want to fly 100% legally will upgrade their drones, but I don't have the money now to upgrade and don't think it's actually worth it. I really hope they can make some kind of sticker that you put on the drone and then it enters the C1 class but I don't think they will do that.

 

[old man mavic]

@Yaros you will still be able to fly your drone ,but with greater separation distances ,the issue you, me,and everyone else faces with flying a legacy drone in 2023 ,is that one moment when you are challenged by Law Enforcement,for whatever reason ,and risk having your drone confiscated and maybe a fine as well,as you say its a calculated risk to fly outside of the rules with a legacy drone next year ,and because of the rule changes ,unfortunately all legacy classed drones ,will decrease in value