Class marks delayed? - CAA consultation on extension to Legacy and Transitional UAS provisions in the Open Category

CAA made this statement back in April:

Long before the 3 Classic saw the light of day :person_shrugging:t2:

What are your viewers saying then @ianinlondon ? Will they keep their Classic or is there going to be an influx of them on eBay soon?

That statement was the premise for their consultation, which then resulted in their announcement in June for the extension of the Transition period. And whilst they stated the C markings would be reviewed, the existing legislation allowed for the A1 flights of drones marked C1, even if they were launched before 1 Jan 2023. At no point was there any mention that C marked models may be treated as legacy indefinitely. And yes, Iā€™ve had a few incredibly angry people that were waiting for the first >250 gram C1 model to be released, only to find itā€™s lost any advantageā€¦ Itā€™s a pretty poor show I think

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Ah cool, never realised that, most the overviews you see didnā€™t go into that level of clarification on self builds

Iā€™m surprised to hear people were dropping over a grand on a drone based on an assumption :confused:

But as theyā€™re only ten days old hopefully they can just be returned for a full refund :+1:t2:

Why do say it was an assumption? As @kvetner says above, the regs were live and ready, waiting for the C-marked drones to appear; as soon as one does, they change the rules.

Anyway, gets on soap box and the rant startsā€¦ :wink:

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@ianinlondon is there anything we can do to help you Ian with getting someone to look at this? I know its a long shot but its worth a go?

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What about a petition? Petition Parliament and the government - GOV.UK

Iā€™m not great at these things, but something like:

Please feel free to suggest any changes. I donā€™t mind setting it up though.

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Youā€™ve nailed it, Joe. Nothing more to add.

Iā€™ll sign it :+1: Perhaps, well known YouTubers with 60.1K subscribers could help spread the word :thinking::thought_balloon:

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300 character limit for the main petition text, 500 characters additional supporting info. Iā€™m only 1500 characters too long! :rofl:

Looking at all the uncertainty of any proper regs ,c markings I am now thinking it would be best to sell all my larger drones , i.e. mp2 ,autel evo and the likes ,and just stick with a mini 3 pro or autel lite. is this going to be the way forward for unrestricted (responsible ) flying ?

21 posts were merged into an existing topic: Petition for CAA to recognise EASA drone classifications

Thanks Joe!

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Hi everyone,

Please forgive the noob questions but my head is spinning a little. I currently own 3 Drones. Mavic 2 mini, Mavic 3 and Mavic 3E. I only have my A1 & A3 open sub category.

Am looking to progress in time to providing commercial drone photography for estate agents, resorts as well as roof inspections (domestic and factories / commercial). Thatā€™s why I got the M3.

Then learned that photogrammetry with the M3E is pretty much automated in the current firmware, with ability for 3D modelling as well. This is a premium service and intend to skill up on those courses to be able to practise a lot and be able to provide a service clients are willing to pay for!

So I got the M3E, thinking I could do the commercial drone videography stuff with it as well, but DJI have locked down the firmware and donā€™t include the fancy features of the M3 suited to videography vs mapping functions in the M3Eā€¦as well as the M3Eā€™s mechanical shutter, which is a shrunk down version (but much more advanced) than the Phantom 4, I believe.

Being new to drone flying - I realised that itā€™s going to be pretty difficult to easily ā€˜go out and practiseā€™ so I got a min 2, to learn with in my back garden. Camera is good on it but doesnā€™t match the M3 and its capabilities for more professional results, but could be handy for very quick, small domestic roof and gutter inspections.

SOā€¦I am still within the ā€˜return windowā€™ for the M3. Feels like overkill to have an M3 and the M3E but am reluctant to part with the M3 (I can afford to keep it but still have that nagging feeling and no itā€™s not the Mrs!!) as itā€™s a phenomenal photography drone and would be future proofing myself for the photography aspect of what I am looking to offer in the future, alongside the industrial survey mapping work.

Thank you for making it this far!

My question is will the A2CofC make any difference post Dec 22, if the restrictions then come into force about ā€˜legacy dronesā€™ which all of mine would become and thousands of other owners too of course. If I then do a GVC - what are the restrictions on ā€˜legacy dronesā€™ then?

Thanks in advance

Moved your post to this thread where the subject has been (and probably will be) discussed in great detail. :+1:

The extension now takes the transitional period up to the end of 2025, so the situation stays as it currently is* until then.

Click here if you're unsure what the current situation actually is

Your mini 2 is a legacy drone in the A1 Subcategory so thatā€™s:

Fly over uninvolved people, but not over crowds

Your Mavic 3 and Mavic 3E are A2 Transitional so thatā€™s:

  • With the A2 CofC = A2 Subcategory:

No closer than 50m horizontally from uninvolved persons

  • Without the A2 CofC = A3 Subcategory:

No uninvolved people present within the area of flight. Maintain 50m separation from any uninvolved people

No flight within 150m horizontally of residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas

If you get your GVC you can apply for Operational Authorisation to fly in the Specific Category. Under the standard risk assessment, that gives you almost exactly the same restrictions as having the A2 CofC with one notable exception.

Under the the Open A2 subcategory the 50m minimum distance is horizontal so itā€™s basically a column you canā€™t enter.

Under the Specific category that 50m minimum becomes a bubble, so you can (so long as youā€™re 50m up) fly over uninvolved people (still not crowds though).


(*unless the CAA/DfT see sense and recognise the C1 classification of the Mavic 3 - then just get yourself commercial insurance and youā€™re laughing!)

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Very good advice, thanks very much. So the extension of the transitional period continues until the end of '25, that is good news. Do you know when that was announced?

Thanks again :+1:

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It was announced three days ago @Allan_1970

Updates about drones | Civil Aviation Authority (caa.co.uk)

Lol, just very recently then! Just seen the CAA website. My Mavics have no C markings on them, so happy days.

Now I have to decide whether or not to hold onto my M3 or not, for future high end photography. I just donā€™t think the M3E has enough of a resolution and quality, max is only 4k 30fpsā€¦