Hi halid. Yes I did take my drone. Flying on Emirates, you must pack the drone itself into your checked luggage. They had signs at the checkin counter at DFW in the US saying no drones in carry-on luggage. All bags (checked and carry-on) are scanned when you enter Dubai. They did not seem to notice my drone in my checked bags, but they were very concerned about my two sets of binoculars. They were worried that they had cameras built in. This is the same worry they have about drones.
That being said, you can forget flying in Dubai or Abu Dhabi without a permit, which you cannot obtain without having an UAE local mobile number. I did not attempt it and I would not if I were you. People are very nice but you will get noticed and reported. Strict rules here. As for the desert, I was not able to fly because our tour was completely on a desert preserve. I asked about flying in the open desert. I was told that the military has the ability to track them and will catch you. I'm not sure about that, but I wouldn't want to risk it.
So I didn't fly at all in Dubai. If you are a rebel and often fly where you aren't allowed, you could try to get away with it. If you are going to try, be as discreet as possible and don't tell anyone. I'm not that type of drone pilot. The people there are very tech savvy and have seen lots of drones. Fly at your own risk. If you do, please don't post the videos.
If you are just flying through Dubai on your way to or from another country, I found a great way to pack my drone on Emirates. I took my
DJI Goggles with me to South Africa. They were too big to pack in my carry-on. So I was able to put my
goggles and my drone together in a BASSTOP
goggles hard case. It was a nice snug fit, and I used some socks to stuff the empty spots. My drone and
goggles are fine after 4 international flights.
