To keep it under 250g you might get away with one but not if you have a ND filter and any more than one and it almost certainly be over the 250g limit.
Before you even power up your drone look around the area you intend to fly and take note of prominent objects: buildings, trees, etc.
Then plan your flight using these objects as reference points.
After you take off youāll now have a relatively good idea where your drone is even if youāve been looking at the screen for most of the flight.
Folk who just power up and take off in an unfamiliar area are just courting disaster.
Another Pandoras box is opened!
I have a mini 2 with 2 flytron crees using the supplied hook and loop pads and a ND filter under 249g
I wear a hiviz vest/fleece/coat, then if I lose sight, I stop and yaw the drone until I can see a bright orange blob, itās normally me!
Weāre talking mini 3 though arenāt we? The mini 3
goes over 249g as soon as you add a strobe. So it becomes pilot descretion. Donāt forget the mini 3 does also have lights so it is easier to spot if you point it at yourself than the 2 was but the leg lights aināt great. Especially as bright as it is at the moment if youāre out in high sun.
ND filters shouldnāt really add anything as you replace the lens cover with the ND filter as both are screw on and off.
What do mean āpilotās discretionā ?
Doh! My badā¦ bad night with toothache.
Make your own mind up. Based on qualifications, the environment and the conditions. Is anyone actually going to weigh your drone?
Some pilots have A2CofC and can fly quite legit over >249g drones providing they are in the right environment and keep to the right distances (reduced if under A16).
Wait until you are with other pilots and spend about a minute or so working out why your drone is not responding to the sick movements.
Then realise that it isnāt your drone anyway!!
Always try and fly visually, however when I first started I would occasionally use the RTH to bring the drone back to my sight and then take control once more!
You can cancel the RTH once you can see the darn thing again!
Well, probably not until there is an incident and then it might be evidence and it would get weighed then.
Thinking of getting my A2CofC anyway.
Once Iāve checked the areaā¦ landmarks, people, leccy pilons visually, I launch it, sort out any settings while hovering, give a little buzz about in a 20m area, then Iāll take it up high about 60m or so. Iāll know weāre I want to get shots from, but a donāt go straight in for the killā:weary:. Iāll have a little play about up in the air, away from any stuff. Just to get me into the flying thing and used to the sticks. I used to just throw it up and start razzin round, tends not to work for me, not straight from the off anyway. Once Iāve got me mojo back Iām bang straight at itā:rofl:. Take your time for the first ten minutes or so, thatās what Iām saying
If there was an āincidentā chances are it would weigh a lot less than it did when it took off, and be in more pieces ;o)
Save your money unless you intend getting a bigger drone
Yes, a lot of good suggestions. I will use landmarks to take a reference before I look down. That way I will always look roughly in the right place when I look up again. The biggest one is not to fly too far away then it isnāt so much of an issue. I flew today with a spotter and he lost sight of the drone at 400m. I think I will stick to closer than that and only if I am observing the drone and not looking at the screen. I think the video feed makes it far too easy to just rely on the video feed and to forget that we are meant to be in VLOSā¦ that means actually able to see the drone.
I will get my A2CoC. That way, if I want to add any strobes or other bits to the drone that takes it over the 250g I will almost always still be legal when flying with buildings or people around - the requirement not to intentionally over-fly I already do with my M2P so that wonāt make much difference. It also shows a more in-depth knowledge of the regs if I am asked. Plus it is a fun thing to get
Before you fork out for something you might not need, run a few flight / weight scenarios through Good 2 Go but compare your results with Article 16 Operational Authorisation instead.
I think I read somewhere youād joined FPVUK or BMFA? So you may have the AO already
I have the AO. I would be doing the A2CoC because I want to do itā¦ not because I need it. I dont know why anyone would try to discourage me from doing it if I want to do it.
I was only trying to save you Ā£50 quid mate. Itās your money, go for yer life.
Thank you. It will be Ā£50 well spent IMO but thanks anyway