Hello from Kev

Introductions
1

Hi All,

I’m new to the drone world and thinking DJI Mini Pro 4, however DJI Air 3 with better wind resistance would be better for rural areas and seaside cliffes and lakes etc.

I have my Reg & Flyers ID.

I was wondering if anyone can answer these:

I see alot off videos pepole flying round castle’s in passed years, however the rules are changing all the time and so confusing.

  • But here and now in 2023 within the law can I fly around any castle’s in the UK?
  • Within the law can I fly over farms golf course’s etc.
  • Alot of places there are popping up NO DRONES signs?

Looking forward to meeting other drone uses.

Cheers Kev

2 Likes
2

Hi @Kevin3 and welcome to Grey Arrows :wave:t2:

Have you seen our members map? (Click the burger-menu in the top right) You may find some pilots living near you. Feel free to add yourself to the members map too :+1:t2:

We’re a well established club with many knowledgeable members so it’s very likely that any issues you come across will have been discussed here before. Our discussion forum has very powerful search features which should help you find what you need but if you get stuck you can post a new question in the Questions & Answers category.

Looking for Public Liability Insurance? Then look no further, we offer £5,000,000 worth of cover to our Insured Members ! Details of our PLI can be found at: FAQ - Grey Arrows Drone Club UK

Looking for recommendations of places to fly? Check out our interactive map on Drone Scene - be sure to log in to gain access to the full suite of features and map layers:

dronescene.co.uk

Where To Fly Your Drone in the UK

Find places to fly your Drone (UAV) in the UK and share your favourite flying locations with other hobbyists pilots.

And please feel free to add locations of your own too.

Our Associates are able to enjoy a lot of great services for free but our Members are eligible for a whole lot more! You can find all the details about our Membership Benefits on our FAQ :smiley:

And finally, if you are new to drones and wondering what it’s all about, have a look at Resources for a beginner.

Welcome once again!

2 Likes
3

Hi Kevin, in answer to your questions…

As with everything legal it comes down to interpretation of the Law. You need to Take off and Land (TOAL) either from Public Land or from land where you have been given permission to fly.
No Fly / No Drones signs are an indication that the landowner will not give permission for a flight, however IF there are no Flight Restriction Zones (FRZ) then although they can stop you from flying from their land, they cannot stop you from overflyinmg - although as always your flights need to be within the law and adhering to the Drone Code.
For a good idea of the area that you can fly, and those restricted areas, take a look at Drone Scene and Altitude Angel, which will give you the actual FRZ.

You can overfly aything that is not within an FRZ, providing you adhere to the drone code and that your drone is permitted to overfly - DJI MINI drones and other drones sub 250gm can overfly people as long as they are not in a crowd. Larger drones have limitations as to how close you can fly - I have a MINI3 Pro whuich was my starter drone and allows me to get into places larger drones are not allowed, but I have also got an AIR3 which is ideal in the wilderness and further from people…

NT and EH both have fairly prescriptive Drone policies, however as long as you are not flying from their land they cannot stop you overflying…

Lots of discussion about this on the forum,. do a search and get a brew and settle in for a long read :slight_smile:
Welcome again :slight_smile:

2 Likes
4

Hi Kev @Kevin3 and welcome to GADC :+1: :+1:

5

I think @AlbionDrones has got it covered, but another way to check where you can fly is to pop over to “Good to Go”

That should help you to understand what’s possible:)

3 Likes
6

Hello Suzanne,

Thank you for your reply,

So it’s the dji Mimi for flying around castle’s etc. and the Air 3 for in the wilderness and further from people.

I did read that the dji mini’s 3 & 4 settings will be capped to 120m height in January 2024 even if going up the side of a mountain at 10m high, No more 120m ATG (Above Ground Level) so if the mountain is 250m high the mini’s will stop at 120m height take off point.

I was on hoilday at Devon and someone had a mini 3 pro, I asked if they have flown around Burgh Island they said even the wind was around 10-15 was to windy for a mini and said tied flying off the cliffs but nealy had a fly-away.

With this in mind and the dji air 3 having 70 mm Medium-Tele Camera can I fly around castle’s etc. 30m-50m away?

Sorry to be a pain, but these are the 3 reason’s (castle’s, mountain & wilderness) I would like to get a drome, my wife says just buy both the dji mini pro 4 and the Air 3 / Mavic and I’m reading into it too much lol

Thanks again

Kev

7

Hi Kev, I’m relatively new here too and it can be confusing… take a look at the link above posted by @BudgieUK - I’ve used this lots, it’s really helpful and removes confusion :slightly_smiling_face:

8

Hi Kev - welcome to GADC :+1: :+1: :+1:

9

As @AlbionDrones and @BudgieUK suggested, you’ll find the answer to your question here @Kevin3

1 Like
10

As has been said, the best resouce is the one posted by @BudgieUK and @PingSpike

The proposed 120m Flight height restriction to the MINI3 and MINI4 is supposedly for Europe, to meet the C0 certification, but as we are no longer part of the EU and do not currently use the C classifications it should not apply to the UK, but no-one can say for sure what DJI will do.

With an AIR3 you will need to stay 150m away from structures and people unless you complete your A2 CofC certification and pass the knowledge test, at which point you can fly at 50m with an AIR3 and 30m with a drone weighing between 251 and 500grams. The 70mm tele lens on the AIR3 is an amazing bit of kit, take a look at our YT ‘The Candle Aflame’ video to see it working on a distant object - I filmed all of that form 150m as I hadnt got my A2 at that point - I did use the digital zoom on some shots though…

As to wind tolerance, the MINI’s have 10m/s (22mph) and the AIR3 and Mavic have 12m/s (27mph) according to DJI, but I have flown my MINI3 in much higher winds - the MINI3 can fly at 35mph and the AIR 3 at 47mph, so you can fly at higher windspeeds, but at your own risk…

There are plenty of video’s completed on YT of folks testing their drones in higher winds, @ianinlondon dd a great one comparing the MINI3 and AIR3, perhaps check out his channel?

It all comes down to your knowledge and understanding, and what risk - if any - you are willing to take. I have flown my MINI3 in 25mph winds gusting to 33, and it coped well, I think the AIR 3 would be fine in 35mph winds gusting to 38, but you have to make allowances in how you fly, dont fly away with the wind as you may strugggle to get back to your Take off point…

Perhaps come along to a Drone met and talk with folks who have the drones and see them in action… There are several in the pipeline, take a look at the Meet Ups page…

Good l;uck - if my hubby said I could have both then I would be waiting for delivery already :slight_smile:

1 Like
11

Thank you, “Good to Go” is great.

I’ll take a look at Youtube videos and have a look at Drone met and talk with folks who have the drones.

Thank you All, great to be able to chat with other drone users your tips are very helpful.

Kev