Hey people having recently purchased a Mini 5 pro with the plus batteries (5) I got off the phone with DJI today to see if it can be re classed to C1 from its current C0 so I can fly in the A1 category I was swiftly told a big fat NO it makes me laugh that I can fly my Air 3 under A1 restrictions but not the mini 5 pro which is a 1/3 of the weight of the Air 3.
Unfortunately I feel I am going to have to buy some standard batteries to get those perks of A1 but even then it’s still over the <250g C0 label.
Seems that DJI do not understand classification of conformity as that is basically what these C/UK class marks are - they are to state that the drone conforms to xyz rules and at one point they did seem to agree with the EASA and I guess the CAA that if a drone met xyz criteria and was over 250g it was a C1 drone and by giving us the option to have a larger battery then it hits that C1.
Though maybe its because that the plus battery was never officially offered here in the UK that they have taken the hard NO stance ?
Do think they have missed a trick here
This whole EU class thing is such a mess and more so now that drones like the Air 3s can be bought now with the UK1 mark on them but a few months ago it only had the C1
Makes ones head hurt.
Big question is - how will anyone know ? Till you have a major incident and an investigation takes place to really know for sure
Have to agree I would be happy to upgrade it to a C1 class use the plus batteries and be done with it and I can still fly as per A1 rules now am faced with getting 3 standard batteries.
DJI Weren’t overly helpful kept quoting the European rules I did say the UK aren’t in Europe any more haven’t been for a few years.
Said that for the C1 sticker they have to follow eu rules not uk, I personally think they should re class the mini 4/5 to C1 now the rules have changed and they would get a lot of battery business in selling the plus batteries.
Definitely a fair point, it’s something that should be brought up with the CAA. As there is zero common sense applied that I can fly a C1 from (up to 900g) within A1 rules but not a C0 drone that weighs 300g as it’s got the plus battery so I have to apply A3 rules
Well on a plus note they have given me a 30% discount on a future purchase as a sign of good will to keep my custom. So every cloud and all that that new Avata 360 is definitely a good idea and will have a uk class certificate.
As you can fly an Air 3S in the same airspace as the Mini 5 Pro at the moment it kind of makes the Mini 5 Pro redundant. I know which I would be choose if I was buying now and it wouldn’t be a Mini drone!
The point is if time in the air is your thing, then the Air 3S is way better all round. You’ll be lucky to get 10 minutes out of the Avata 360 and you’ll need to find a victim volunteer to be your spotter.
From what I’ve seen on the reviews I think more 16-20 but I get your point. Not fussed about the flight time overly just would need to plan the flight as to capture what’s needed, won’t need a spotter with the Avata 360 as won’t be using goggles while flying it. for longer flights I will fly the Air 3 and Mini 4/5.
I rarely use my standard batteries, I have 3 plus 5 as I like to have a wander when taking images and when doing waypoint flights it takes one to plan and another to run it, I also have 2 mini 3 plus too which work with the mini 5. It all depends your flying interest. I would never send the drone out to sea with a standard battery.
My opinion is if labeled C0 and I put a plus battery in and fly as long as it dosent go over 900g I don’t see what the issue is. The battery is designed to work with the drone it’s not an aftermarket battery it’s an official DJI battery.
its not really how the rules work though the classification is about conformity - things like weight - the Db sound levels - how strong the drone is ( basically how little damage it will make when it crashes etc ) adding weight to a drone does not change it’s class other than make it a non compliant / legacy drone - so when you add a strobe or landing gear you basically strip the C0 or what ever class away from the drone as it no longer conforms to the manufactures requirements
See loads of people on Facebook thinking that if they add a strobe to a C0 drone for night flights it will just become a C1 drone and they still have the same rules as if it was a sub 250g drone - not the case it becomes a legacy drone that is above the 250g and should then not fly close to people / buildings etc unless they have an A2 CofC
The real reality of all this is that its not been challenged as of yet in court and just like FPV operators without spotters, no one will know any difference till something catastrophic takes place and an investigation takes place and the law and CAA get involved
Fly safe - gauge the risk - keep the risk low and everyone is happy.
I have to agree but they show no common sense, so they make a standard battery to fit the C0 model but then also market an extended range battery which pushes it into C1 weight zones <900g I can happily fly my air 3 at 720g but not the mini 5 with a plus battery, the bit that annoys me there is no mechanism to regrade the drone to C1 even with manufacturer supplied battery.
yeah it’s such a mess - really they should have just made it be that if the drone is x weight its a C0 and if its x+y then its C1 etc and regardless of when the drone was made should have no bearing as the original Mavic Mini as it was called is no more dangerous than a Mini 5pro with a strobe on it at the end of the day - such a mess - but this is what happens when you have a committee that don’t embrace the field that they govern properly. ( they say they do speak to drone operators but they don’t listen )
