Hi Guys, nothing to do this afternoon so I have been watching various YouTube videos regarding first drone flights. One that caught my attention was a couple of Essex guys flying a Mini 2 for the first time. Absolutely no idea of rules and regulations or what the Mini 2 could and couldn’t do. No operator ID on the drone so not registered. Certainly no flyer training or ID.
They wanted to see how far they could fly it so flew it across water to Canvey Island and thought it was great to fly out of England.
!!! They appeared to send it around a mile, totally out of sight and had no idea other than what they could see on their screen where it was. They attempted a RTH but due to strong wind and probably their unused settings they were panicking that their low battery would get them back. After a while manually getting the drone back one of the guys attempted a hand landing and just grabbed it and pulled the drone out of the air. Maybe this is why the CAA rules are in force.
Hi Richard Ive moved your post to General Drone Discussion rather than Non Drone Photos and Videos category. Have you got a link to the video youre talking about so people and see it and give you their views on the video?
I will see if I can find it.
Shame it didn’t end up in water… I’ve no time for unlicensed idiots.
I remember watching that video a good couple of years ago.
More to see the countryside around there.
From memory they took off around Hadleigh Castle.
Hopefully these days they have learned the rules a bit more.
This one?
There’s a later video on the same channel where he is basically flying around a rich neighbourhood, hovering over gardens, and counting how many tennis courts and swimming pools there are 
Struggling to think of a more dull use for a drone. Google Earth would be a much better tool for the job as well…
Yes that’s the one. Couple of plonkers. LOL
Never forget, we were all novices/ beginners at one time. Instead of negative comments, let’s have some positive ones ( and advice ) 
The danger is they drifted into southends FRZ and had no idea I think the CAA/ Police would love this
I remember seeing this a long time ago. The flyer did say in a later video that he became aware of the rules and requirements to fly. Shame he didn’t find out sooner!
We were but at least we all had our Operator ID’s on our drones.
Did anybody die?
I agree it was somewhat reckless, but it also demonstrates how safe drones are, even in the hands of a couple of morons.
I haven’t renewed my BMFA membership or my Drone registration yet. If I choose to fly any of my toys today will I be more of a risk to safety than I was on 31st December 2022 before my membership and authorisation expired? Was I more of a risk when I as flying my toys ten or twenty years ago? How has the current legislation made me any more of a safe and competent flyer than I was before it was introduced?
Our drones and models are not full size aircraft, we only share the same airspace in the same way a pedestrian and a motorist share the same highways and byways. Below 400ft is the pavement, 400ft to 500ft is the kerb, and above 500ft is the road. Add to that it’s a bloody big sky.
I would hazard a guess that there are far more unregistered flyers than registered, and yet there is still a zero body count. In contrast the body count in the General Aviation category increases daily without any assistance from us. So which sector is in need of increased training and regulation?
And let’s be honest with ourselves, how much of a trained aviator do you need to be to fly a DJI drone? They literally fly themselves, all we do is push them around the sky, much like pulling a balloon around with a length of string. Chuck Yeager we are not.
Have you been watching xjet’s latest video?
@Gham Not trying to defend them but they drifted into DJI’s version of Southends FRZ not the real one. Hadleigh castle to Canvey is well outside the actual FRZ. Still a bad idea though.
“…drifted into… FRZ”? As far as I’m aware, a DJI drone can’t “drift into” any locked geozone, let alone any area within a couple of miles of an airport or large airfield. Like Nidge said, we all started from scratch. I’ll add that every one of us broke at least one of the CURRENT regulations while we were learning. I try to keep in mind that this (for most people) starts off as a hobby that gets people excited.
I have seen this from Bruce and I do agree with him. However in my case it’s because I haven’t been well enough to leave the house since I test flew my Yuneec Hex last year. But I’ll happily take credit for being an non-conformist if it makes me more attractive to the ladies… giggidy.
“giggidy” brilliant.
If the newbie googles unlock FRZ it’s only 40 euros away