Zurich, Italy, Greece, Malta, Amsterdam: Suggestions, restrictions?

[KeithLa]

Heading to those destinations shortly, so thought I'd ask about them here. Of course, I've searched these forums, Googled, checked DJI's Fly Safe map, and will use AirMap on location.

Already ascertained Amsterdam is NFZ within city limits. Zurich, Italy (Tuscany, Orvieto, Sicily, Sardinia), Malta, and Greece (Crete, Mykonos) all look straightforward and legal, similar to USA rules. Santorini looks fairly restricted.

Will be carrying my MPP and batteries in carry-on backpack, and taking on-board a Celebrity cruise.

Experiences and admonishments welcomed.

 

[JoostGT3]

For flying in the Netherlands, have a look at this map: Drone no-fly zones | ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu

Red means flying prohibited, orange means flying allowed, but limited (mostly meaning it is allowed when using a spotter to watch the airspace, as it is military low-level flying area).

 

[CamoGreg]

airport close to Zürich (Kloten) and lot of NFZ... try to go outside the city

 

[Former Member]

Im jealous.

 

[KeithLa]

Zurich, District 10, just outside central area.

I did have to click through DJI Go 4 confirmation due to airspace height restriction (150m), but drone flights are legal in much of Zurich central and surrounding, beyond 5m of the airport.

 

[Phil68]

Hi guys
Can't fully agree with that statement. There is only a small part (in the South-West) of Zurich without any restriction in the greater Zurich area. Most ot the city area is completely forbidden for drones. Have a look at the Swiss drone map here.

 

[KeithLa]

Hi guys
Can't fully agree with that statement. There is only a small part (in the South-West) of Zurich without any restriction in the greater Zurich area. Most ot the city area is completely forbidden for drones. Have a look at the Swiss drone map here.

View attachment 43840

Phil68, hello from Zurich. Blue zones on that official Swiss map permit drone flights up to 150m. Here's the corresponding excerpt and legend from that Swiss federal map: Swiss Geoportal

"Restricted zones for model aircraft and drones (Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA))

The operation of model aircraft and drones weighing between 0.5 and 30 kg is prohibited within 5 km of the runways of a civil or military airfield in accordance with [...] These areas are shown on the map as no-fly zones (5 km from the runway). In addition, their operation in active control zones (CTR) is prohibited at an altitude of over 150 m. These areas are shown on the map as limited no-fly zones (150 m above the ground)..."

Legend

I've flown in three different areas of the "limited no-fly zone" multiple times in past two days, including central Zurich. No low flying manned aircraft nearby (far too many hills, steeples, cranes, etc.)



DJIGo4 app treats that blue region as a "warning zone" -- not NFZ, which many on this forum confuse -- and requires a click through agreement accepting responsibility.

 

[KeithLa]

Another Zurich shot, legal flight from ETH Polyterrasse, overlooking the Altstadt (old city).

 

[KeithLa]

Plus corresponding video, created in DJI GO 4 Free Form movie editor.

Zurich, Switzerland | SkyPixel.com

 

[Vilco]

I wish I'm not too late... anyway, here's a post from myself some months ago:

In Italy, if your drone weighs more than 300 grams, in order to fly near houses and/or people you have a lot of paperwork to do and money to pay and heavy hassles, while if you're under 300 grams it's all easy-peasy. Here are the requirements, I marked the only one that also applies to drones under 300 grams:
- take 2 exams for certification, paying between 600 and 1000 eur each
- pay 94 eur a year to ENAC for registration (also drones under 300 grams)
- request permissione to ENAC for every flight, paying 94 eur each and waiting 30 days circa for the authorization to arrive
- delimit a buffer area around the operations area at least 6 meters radius (if you have a tethering cord tied to the drone) or 12 meters (if no cord) using barriers
- install a flight terminator device on the drone

As you see, with a spark reduced to 300 grams I only have to abide by the 2nd point, 94 euros a year. And, most of all, I don't need to ride a truck full of barriers in order to fly in urban areas

That said, if you have a Mavic you must keep out of urban areas and far from people not involved in the drone ops and from buildings, and that distance is not clear even to me after 2 years of information gathering: some say it's 150 meters some say 100. IOW, with a Mavic Pro in Italy the only legal areas are country areas.

 

[Sburke91]

Make sure you confirm with Celebrity that they allow drones on the ship. Some cruise lines (Disney is one--see HERE) do not allow you to bring a drone on the ship--full stop. Since your carry-on goes through an X-ray on boarding, odds are good they'd see it.

 

[KeithLa]

Make sure you confirm with Celebrity that they allow drones on the ship. Some cruise lines (Disney is one--see HERE) do not allow you to bring a drone on the ship--full stop. Since your carry-on goes through an X-ray on boarding, odds are good they'd see it.

This week, I've carried my MPP with spare batteries, remote, and accessories onto Celebrity Reflection seven times with no issue, put through x-ray machine. Celebrity's stated drone policy on their webpage is drones allowed in staterooms but not to be flown on the ship or at ports.

 

[KeithLa]

I wish I'm not too late... anyway, here's a post from myself some months ago:

In Italy, if your drone weighs more than 300 grams, in order to fly near houses and/or people you have a lot of paperwork to do and money to pay and heavy hassles, while if you're under 300 grams it's all easy-peasy. Here are the requirements, I marked the only one that also applies to drones under 300 grams:
- take 2 exams for certification, paying between 600 and 1000 eur each
- pay 94 eur a year to ENAC for registration (also drones under 300 grams)
- request permissione to ENAC for every flight, paying 94 eur each and waiting 30 days circa for the authorization to arrive
- delimit a buffer area around the operations area at least 6 meters radius (if you have a tethering cord tied to the drone) or 12 meters (if no cord) using barriers
- install a flight terminator device on the drone

As you see, with a spark reduced to 300 grams I only have to abide by the 2nd point, 94 euros a year. And, most of all, I don't need to ride a truck full of barriers in order to fly in urban areas

That said, if you have a Mavic you must keep out of urban areas and far from people not involved in the drone ops and from buildings, and that distance is not clear even to me after 2 years of information gathering: some say it's 150 meters some say 100. IOW, with a Mavic Pro in Italy the only legal areas are country areas.

Thank you, Vilco. I flew successfully, safely, and (I believe) legally in Italy in rural Tuscany and Umbria, from a safe cliffside from the beautiful hilltop town of Orvieto, and over the ocean on the island of Ischia by Naples. I did not fly within any Italian cities, as I did in central Zurich (per above).

 

[Sburke91]

This week, I've carried my MPP with spare batteries, remote, and accessories onto Celebrity Reflection seven times with no issue, put through x-ray machine. Celebrity's stated drone policy on their webpage is drones allowed in staterooms but not to be flown on the ship or at ports.

I wish all the cruise lines were that accommodating!

 

[KeithLa]

Post-trip report: I flew my Mavic Pro Platinum in nearly every region I visited on this cruise vacation, namely Switzerland (Zurich), Tuscany, Umbria (Orvieto), Naples (Ischia), Sardinia (Cagliari), Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Malta and the Netherlands (North Holland).

In addition to the still photos posted earlier on this thread, here are links to my edited videos, with more ahead. All were created in the DJI Go 4 Editor on Android, using either 720p mobile video cache files, or imported 1080p or 2k SD source footage.

There are irritating audio dropouts/glitches in the Zurich and Santorini videos, which I believe are rendering bugs in the DJI Go 4. Strangely, the Zurich video plays flawlessly in DJI Go 4 itself, and from the DJI SkyPixel website.

I'd be happy to comment further on any of these locations and circumstances. Enjoy!

Umbria, Italy wine country drive, using ActiveTrack:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies