Which Drone for Traveling Outside US (Particularly Europe)?

[MS Coast]

But, for anyone wanting to take a drone to Europe, the mini 4 Pro is light weight and in a pretty compact case. It will do right by you.

I just returned from a month in Scotland with a Mini 4 Pro. Be aware that "Europe" includes the United Kingdom and the European Union, each with their own set of drone regulations. The EU member countries abide by their common European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations, which are also used several country that aren't EU members. Each country also has additional specific regulations, though most are minor differences.

I agree that the Mini Pro 4 is a good travel drone. But, there were situations where I was unable to fly because I had only Plus batteries, which puts the drone's weight above 250 grams. I had to maintain 50 meters of horizontal distance from people and couldn't fly over areas that would have been open if I'd had a standard battery in the drone. I envied the fellow that flew his Neo right over the people clustered around the Kelpies sculptures.

I had no issues with airport security whatsoever. Lithium batteries must be in your carry-on baggage, not checked. I was careful not to be obtrusive with the drone and had no negative reactions from anyone. I met a nice fellow with a Mini (<350 g) at a photogenic small harbor. He was able to fly over the jetty, while I had to wait until the young couple shooting cellphone selfies had left.

 

[PINEBARON]

Although I live in the US, I frequently travel across the border (less than a mile away) to BC Canada, I have my SFOC-RPAS for Canada and also passed/have my UAS Remote Pilot Open Category - [UAS-OPEN-A1+A3] certificate should I travel to an EU country. I have personal insurance, AMA (American Model Asson) membership and insurance plus other coverages. I have the A3S and Mavic 4 Pro and don't own any drones under 250g.

 

[Fat Pappy]

In addition to all the above, with the current customs climate, I would be leery of whether or not my drone might get taken as contraband by customs upon returning to the states.

 

[PINEBARON]

In addition to all the above, with the current customs climate, I would be leery of whether or not my drone might get taken as contraband by customs upon returning to the states.

Bring back only what you took out and having all receipts, invoices, certificates etc. handy helps with identifying yourself as a rightful owner.

 

[wco81]

I just returned from a month in Scotland with a Mini 4 Pro. Be aware that "Europe" includes the United Kingdom and the European Union, each with their own set of drone regulations. The EU member countries abide by their common European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations, which are also used several country that aren't EU members. Each country also has additional specific regulations, though most are minor differences.

I agree that the Mini Pro 4 is a good travel drone. But, there were situations where I was unable to fly because I had only Plus batteries, which puts the drone's weight above 250 grams. I had to maintain 50 meters of horizontal distance from people and couldn't fly over areas that would have been open if I'd had a standard battery in the drone. I envied the fellow that flew his Neo right over the people clustered around the Kelpies sculptures.

I had no issues with airport security whatsoever. Lithium batteries must be in your carry-on baggage, not checked. I was careful not to be obtrusive with the drone and had no negative reactions from anyone. I met a nice fellow with a Mini (<350 g) at a photogenic small harbor. He was able to fly over the jetty, while I had to wait until the young couple shooting cellphone selfies had left.

You couldn't fly in some situations because you were aware that your drone with the extended flight batteries were just over the weight limit or the DJI Fly app prevented you from flying?

Did you see signs of enforcement, like police or other authorities who'd ask to verify the weight class or Open Category class of your drone?

Or you knew the rules and you just complied without seeing anyone enforcing the rules?

 

[MS Coast]

You couldn't fly in some situations because you were aware that your drone with the extended flight batteries were just over the weight limit or the DJI Fly app prevented you from flying?

Did you see signs of enforcement, like police or other authorities who'd ask to verify the weight class or Open Category class of your drone?

Or you knew the rules and you just complied without seeing anyone enforcing the rules?

I made the decision not to fly in those situations because I knew the regulations and chose to honor them. The Fly app would have allowed it. I'm nearly certain that I could have disregarded the regulations without being held to account.

I saw no sign of anyone interested in enforcing drone regulations, in line with 99.9+% of my flying in the US. (The only time a police officer in the US has asked about my drone turned out to be because he flew for the PD and was just curious about what I was flying and wanted to chat.)

I was a private pilot in the past and I treat flying drones much like the way I treated flying airplanes with people in them. I studiously avoid giving anyone anything to complain about. That filters out a lot of potential problems, and a little courtesy removes almost all the rest.

 

[PINEBARON]

You couldn't fly in some situations because you were aware that your drone with the extended flight batteries were just over the weight limit or the DJI Fly app prevented you from flying?

Did you see signs of enforcement, like police or other authorities who'd ask to verify the weight class or Open Category class of your drone?

Or you knew the rules and you just complied without seeing anyone enforcing the rules?

Would be no issue if he had UAS Remote Pilot Open Category - [UAS-OPEN-A1+A3] certificate; its a pain but worth getting it. Stay Legal, penalties can be severe.

 

[MS Coast]

Would be no issue if he had UAS Remote Pilot Open Category - [UAS-OPEN-A1+A3] certificate; its a pain but worth getting it. Stay Legal, penalties can be severe.

No, I have the certificate and it wasn't a pain to get. It just required an on-line study course and exam and a small fee. But even with the A1+A3 certificate, you're not allowed to fly closer to people than 50 meters with a drone weighing 250 grams or more.

An A2 Certificate of Competency allows flying closer to people. But an A2 ticket involves flight training and a written exam.

 

[MikeReidPhotography]

I've been all over Europe with a M3P. No issues, but I also don't post stuff on Youtube like LOOK What I got Away With in London!!!!

 

[wco81]

I've been all over Europe with a M3P. No issues, but I also don't post stuff on Youtube like LOOK What I got Away With in London!!!!

I just got an Air3S just to have that Class A1 label indicating that it's under 900 grams. But I probably could have gotten a Mavic 3 or 4 Pro instead and use it in A1 Open Category like a C0 or C1 drone and probably never get confronted to check my drone.

But I've seen no indications that anyone in Europe is frequently checking for it, even though it's the EU who created the regulation requiring those labels.

Maybe if there's an incident with the drone, like something involving injury or property damage, they'd check at that point and use it as another reason to fine or even prosecute you.

It's obvious however that they're not actively enforcing.

You would think with Remote_ID and other tools, they can tell when drones which aren't in the appropriate class is operating in areas where they're not allowed to operate.

But that would require a lot of manpower. Do their cops have that much free time or do they have cops dedicated just to scanning for unauthorized drones? Seems unlikely, though I've heard claims that Spanish police proactively look for violators.

My guess is that for some big event, like a sporting event or some other event with thousands of people, they make sure nobody is flying over these events. In those cases, they are probably scanning for unauthorized drones and have things like jammers and those things to shoot nets at drones. That's like for some dignitary or something like a royal wedding or like a huge soccer match, which is like their Super Bowl.

But for someone filming near a small town? Pretty unlikely. Now if you are doing it in central London, Paris, or any other big city, they might have additional cops to make sure people aren't flying near all the famous sites, where there are almost always a lot of people milling about.