DJI Air 3S - different weight category

Looking at the possibility of purchasing an Air3S. Given its heavier takeoff weight, aside from the general rule of not flying closer to people than 150mtrs, what else should I be looking at getting to grips with for wanting to fly a heavier drone?

Heavier than what? Sorry, not sure what you’re comparing it to here :slight_smile:

What are you looking to get to grips with, do you mean in terms of other applicable rule changes?

Run a few of your typical flight scenarios through here with the Air 3S selected, and again with whichever other drone(s) you currently fly:

Or do you mean in terms of flight characteristics and how it might handle differently while in the air?

2 Likes

Sorry, I was a bit vague there when I wrote the post. Compared to my mini 3 pro at <250gms. Yes to what other applicable rule changes … but I will look at the Q&A resource to evaluate the scenarios that might come about. Edit … Article 16 Authorisation … this makes my head spin trying to fathom whether I have this or I need to do something to obtain it … :face_with_spiral_eyes:

Id consider doing your A2cofc to allow that extra bit of freedom :+1:

5 Likes

Agreed.

As a club member @R3SKT you can get the whole A2 CofC course for just ÂŁ49 quid too.

Details in the Members Only category :smiley:

4 Likes

By being a member of Grey Arrows are we able to fly under Article 16 authorisation, or do we have to also have membership of A.N.Other club?

You will need to join the likes of FPVUK for Article 16 - but have a good think about where you fly and see if it is applicable to you - I joined FPVUK for Article 16 as I have an Avata and thought it would be of use and I have never had the need - but I think that’s mainly down to where I fly the Avata. I am sure it would be different if I had a larger than a mini drone like the Air 3s etc so check if it would actually be of a benefit to you. I suspect if you have your A2 CofC then its unlikely to be of a benifit.

@LE60LAD I’d totally agree about article 16, if you’re flying a heavier drone, I have a Mini 2 & Mavic 2 Pro so use Article 16 for the heavier UAS

So … I’ve now purchased the A2 CofC course with UAV Academy, not really knowing what I was letting myself in for. Just found out I have to do the exam under closed book conditions and there’s to be a 360° sweep view of my study before starting the exam :flushed: :flushed: Not only have I got something akin to 200+ reference books on the shelves, there’s stacks of paper piled for business purposes EVERYWHERE!! Gawd knows how I am going to get around that “clean room” requirement :face_with_peeking_eye:

I couldn’t be bothered with the risk assessment for each flight under Article 16. So I cancelled my FPVUK because it was cheaper to just take out the GADC full membership. :slightly_smiling_face:

4 Likes

Do it in the kitchen or something like that ? thats what I would have to do if I was to do it as I have all my work stuff in my study along with a mountain of lego haha

1 Like

Do it in your car. That’s my plan.

1 Like

LOL, who’d a thought there’d be all this kerfuffle to sit a test … reminiscent of the Covid test online checks when you had to prove you’d just swabbed your nostrils properly … and of course, who was actually doing it properly :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

1 Like

I decided that my car was a bit more “presentable” than the downstairs loo. :rofl:

2 Likes

I thought to myself, OK, maybe a good excuse to tidy the whole study up and make it presentable. Then I read through the requirements again in more detail … there can only be one monitor on the desk during the exam … not sure I want to demount two 24" monitors and all the resultant faffing around that will follow just to take a fifteen-minute online test. Me thinks I might just be having to come up with an alternate strategy to sitting this little test :face_with_peeking_eye:

Phone/Laptop in the car seems the easiest to me.

:thinking: I might actually mug up and do it over Christmas in the apartment I’ll be in for a few days.

1 Like

I opened up the course this morning and went through it in a couple of hours of reading and watching the videos. Took the mock in 11 minutes, scored 96.7%. Just need to sort out where to best sit to cope with the clean room requirements. Time to dust off the Chromebook I guess :slight_smile:

1 Like

Don’t worry! I have one wall of books and desks with drones, parts of drones, cameras, lenses, paperwork, 3D printers, tripods and a lot of other kit. The camera, after the 360 sweep, needs to be on you and your pc/tablet/phone or whatever you are doing the exam on.

The invigilator isn’t going to be worried by an untidy room. They just want to see that you are seated at your device for the duration of the exam. I forget how long you have to do the exam but most people finish well within the time so you tell the invigilator and they close the exam.

If you have done a number of mock tests with your course provider, the exam will hold no terrors, and almost all (if not all) the questions will be familiar.

People worry too much!

3 Likes

Just unplug the power from each screen that’s not used and place a clean sheet over them.

When you do the 360 video of the room, show that they are off and covered over.

1 Like

@R3SKT plenty good advice on the clean room, but one thing that junked my exam was a damn popup that appeared on the screen. I mistakingly clicked it off and the program kicked me out!

I messaged the invigilator guy, who immediately reset the test and I started the new exam straight away.

If a popup appears ignore it ( I had my notifications turned off but some still appear now and then)!

PS: I did a full sweep with a malware scan before the 2nd test just in case.

1 Like