In Germany Line of Sight, max altitude 100M is mandatory by law.  And mandatory Liability Insurance coverage to $2 Million!!  As of 1 Oct. 2017 all drones over 250 grams must have a fireproof name and address externally and over 2 KG you must have a Drone Flying License from a Government approved school.  Also vor drones over 5 KG each flight must be individually authorised by the Government (can take 4 weeks).

Bye Bye drones in Germany. I sure hope we don't follow

Yes indeed and I don't see anything negative about it. Too many things have happened in the past (irresponsible pilots) and these are the consequences. At the same time there is also a dramatic increase of drones flying around.

if i was in germany i would put the address of the police department on the drone and the name of one of the guys i dont like alot..

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2017-9-17 06:55
if i was in germany i would put the address of the police department on the drone and the name of one of the guys i dont like alot..

On a DJI drone, which is registered with DJI in your name?
Good luck with that. ;-)

Ouch! Fairly similar to Canadian laws with a touch of German harshness.

It's nothing really new and quite much international level. The insurance is not expensive by the way. Only new thing is the uninflamable plate with name and address. Very small and light aluminium plates are available on the market. For me it was anyway the first thing to do when I got my spark to put my name, address and mobile phone number on there in case of loss.

S-e-ven Posted at 2017-9-17 07:03
On a DJI drone, which is registered with DJI in your name?
Good luck with that. ;-)

it isn't registered to me xD  i didn't sign up for Dji using my real info, i used fake identity generators to sign up accounts so they pass validation checks if they are in place

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2017-9-17 08:04
it isn't registered to me xD  i didn't sign up for Dji using my real info, i used fake identity generators to sign up accounts so they pass validation checks if they are in place

Strange decision to make on such a large investment.

HomePoint Posted at 2017-9-17 08:09
Strange decision to make on such a large investment.

not bothering with dji's care, i have statefarm insurance covering it up to $1500

" And mandatory Liability Insurance coverage to $2 Million!! "

Are you sure about the 2 Million?
I got told it is 1 Million (Euros), "only".
(Here in Thailand it's 1 Mio, too. which is about 25.000 Euros ;-) I just cant find someone, to register my drone right now!)

$2 Million is not mandatory, but the cheapest insurance on the market includes it automatically. So why not take it?

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-17 08:42
$2 Million is not mandatory, but the cheapest insurance on the market includes it automatically. So why not take it?

What is the anual price of it?

ZukySpark Posted at 2017-9-17 11:40
What is the anual price of it?

It is 39.96 Euro for adults and 26.64 Euro for adolescents per year with world wide coverage except for the United States. Thus also valid during travel anywhere with that one exception.

Good price. Here in Portugal they are working on law about the drones. the rules seem to be similar here in Portugal. For this amount I think that compulsory insurance is a good policy. Let see when the law in Portugal get out...

I was afraid that no insurer would pretend to do the insurance or do it for astronomical values ​​... 39 eurs is a pleasant value to be able to fly annually with some protection if something goes wrong

ZukySpark Posted at 2017-9-17 12:31
I was afraid that no insurer would pretend to do the insurance or do it for astronomical values ​​... 39 eurs is a pleasant value to be able to fly annually with some protection if something goes wrong

Here in Germany it is the national association of rc controlled aircraft owners that has arranged for this insurance (and you don't need to be a member of the association to get the insurance). I sincerely wish you a good result in Portugal as well with new regulations. And yes, such an insurance gives me a better feeling, just in case something happens that I had not wished for.

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-17 06:44
Yes indeed and I don't see anything negative about it. Too many things have happened in the past (irresponsible pilots) and these are the consequences. At the same time there is also a dramatic increase of drones flying around.

That is true for sure.

i hope for every country something better happens..  i'm not a fan of defacing my aircraft and thus potentially killing any resale value i maybe able to earn..   i'm not a fan of the nanny state type of stuff..  i seriously wish was a better way but all this sort of stuff does is honestly ruins it for good people, not like a bad person will suddenly have the morals to change their ways.. what io said i would do is just one example how stupid that idea is how insanely unenforceable it is..

as for liability coverage, this is kind of interesting area, i do think everyone who is serious should consider it and take a policy to cover them.  but again forcing people doesn't change how idiots are.. it just kills the hobby as a whole..  yes the true enthusiasts remain and a few new will come but as a whole it will kill the hobby..

put it this way, what got me into drone hobby, is the easy in which i can fly, last year or thereabouts in the US when they basically rolling out a system to force everyone to register and do this sort of stuff, i never would have jumped on board  with all that regulation and took hobby seriously.. maybe i would have bought a drone.. and crashed into into something, said nothing and back charged my credit card and that would been that..  now without such oppressed system in place, that allowed me to fully experience it without worrying about so much on top of me.. i truly do enjoy it, but the moment i'm forced to register my drone for hobby use and forced to have separate policies for it and deface it.. i am getting my $1500 check cut from statefarm claiming entire bag was stolen or something file police report after i sell it to some idiot on the street who i know will crash it into a gathering of people, probably the media without marking it or anything....

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-17 12:04
It is 39.96 Euro for adults and 26.64 Euro for adolescents per year with world wide coverage except for the United States. Thus also valid during travel anywhere with that one exception.

Does insurance buyer has to live / to have adress in Germany?

Answer to both questions above: Just look for "Deutsche Modellsport Organisation". I doubt that they are selling it also abroad but you can always ask them.

It is not THAT BAD. In case you only fly drones as a hobby. You can get our so called "Proof of knowledge" for flying drones  over 2kg weight outside "Model flying fields" very easiely by doing a short online course in less than 15 minutes by 2 organizations  called "DMFV" or "Deutscher Aero Club" on their websites. It´s very easy to do and you can not fail! Just finish the course and pay around 27€ so you can print out your "Proof of knowledge" If you are doing drone flights in a more professional way you have to do an exam at an approved site by the "LBA" what is similar to the FAA. This exam i have to admit is not that easy to do as for the hobby flyers, but it can be done! But it is not that cheap as for hobbyists.  But for most hobbyists it is not neccessary becaus most of the popular drones are under the 2kg. If you want to do it professional i would say getting the "proof of knowledge" is good to have even with a lighter drone when you want to get a exception permit for your task more easy. This will be a requirement for some cases!

The 100 metre limit is restricting for those of us who like to do aerial landscape photography. Germany is quite a litigious country, so many people have 'persönliche Haftpflichtversicherung' (personal liability insurance). As for the 'limits defined in law' these will always be subject to judgement  through a court case as there can never be certainty ... unless DJI started to accept their data collection is that accurate. So far there have been no deaths of major accidents directly attributable to DJI drones in proper use. Many people are injured an killed in pedal bicycle accidents each year, yet (at least in my country) you are not mandated to have a license to ride nor 3rd party insurance (yet!).

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-17 07:52
It's nothing really new and quite much international level. The insurance is not expensive by the way. Only new thing is the uninflamable plate with name and address. Very small and light aluminium plates are available on the market. For me it was anyway the first thing to do when I got my spark to put my name, address and mobile phone number on there in case of loss.

Do you have some link on where to buy the labels? because I am looking for that and I cant find them..

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-17 06:44
Yes indeed and I don't see anything negative about it. Too many things have happened in the past (irresponsible pilots) and these are the consequences. At the same time there is also a dramatic increase of drones flying around.

It's more about the possibilities that drones offer. Terrorism.

Koppo Posted at 2017-9-18 06:14
It's more about the possibilities that drones offer. Terrorism.

That won't change by this law right?
A terrorist won't live by the rules in the first place.
So if he chooses to fly to a building 2 km away (don't use Spark) and detonate an explosive he won't care about that law.

Maybe companies (DJI) will start to limit their hardware to those new limits.

Rawsome Posted at 2017-9-17 07:40
Ouch! Fairly similar to Canadian laws with a touch of German harshness.

Canadian Regulation but with a sharp knife in the back ($2m liability)  I guess we can't complain if Canada imposes a $100k liability insurance.  

I think Canadian rules are pretty clear and reasonable minus the insurance part (but understand why).

JuanCitoCruz Posted at 2017-9-18 06:10
Do you have some link on where to buy the labels? because I am looking for that and I cant find them..

I have found out that the one that I had bought was rather expensive compared to what is available on the market. Therefore I rather recommend you to do a simple Google search for "Drohnen Plakette" and you will find a multitude of competitive offers. Just make sure to take a really small aluminium model with laser engraved writing in order to comply with the requirement "fireproof". Mine is 18.25mm x 7.75mm and weighs 0.38 gramme.

Sparky_17 Posted at 2017-9-18 06:52
Canadian Regulation but with a sharp knife in the back ($2m liability)  I guess we can't complain if Canada imposes a $100k liability insurance.  

I think Canadian rules are pretty clear and reasonable minus the insurance part (but understand why).

Agreed, our regulations are pretty relaxed. They started harsh at first but it seemed the voice of reason made TC reconsider.

I hope that full compliance with the legal conditions pertaining to the area you are flying in is not required for a 3rd party claim to be covered.
For example obtaining landowner's permision to operate is nigh on impossible to acquire.

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-18 08:08
I have found out that the one that I had bought was rather expensive compared to what is available on the market. Therefore I rather recommend you to do a simple Google search for "Drohnen Plakette" and you will find a multitude of competitive offers. Just make sure to take a really small aluminium model with laser engraved writing in order to comply with the requirement "fireproof". Mine is 18.25mm x 7.75mm and weighs 0.38 gramme.

I have a question where exactly did you put the Plakette  on the Drone ?

FahedC Posted at 2017-9-18 12:13
I have a question where exactly did you put the Plakette  on the Drone ?

Ok, I'll try to make a long story as short as possible. Until recently I used to be a member in a German forum for what we prefer to call quadro- or multicopters because the term "drone" is mostly associated to military use with far bigger devices. Although in this forum there are quite many smart and experienced members who I have really enjoyed to interact with, the intellectually rather limited and intolerant administrator of that forum very quickly triggered my decision to leave it. Anyway, in that forum there has been a big discussion on what would be the best place to stick that metal plate on the Spark without possibly impacting any of the antennas, the compass or other electronic devices negatively. In that debate which had high potential to become a never ending one, a smart forum member simply asked the question to DJI Germany support and got a clear advice with picture sent by them. I have followed their advice and this is how it looks on my Spark (P.S. I don't accept any liability for this example. For official confirmation write to DJI Germany!):

S-e-ven Posted at 2017-9-17 16:36
Does insurance buyer has to live / to have adress in Germany?

My German liability insurance covers all of Europe but specifically excludes the USA.

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-18 14:20
Ok, I'll try to make a long story as short as possible. Until recently I used to be a member in a German forum for what we prefer to call quadro- or multicopters because the term "drone" is mostly associated to military use with far bigger devices. Although in this forum there are quite many smart and experienced members who I have really enjoyed to interact with, the intellectually rather limited and intolerant administrator of that forum very quickly triggered my decision to leave it. Anyway, in that forum there has been a big discussion on what would be the best place to stick that metal plate on the Spark without possibly impacting any of the antennas, the compass or other electronic devices negatively. In that debate which had high potential to become a never ending one, a smart forum member simply asked the question to DJI Germany support and got a clear advice with picture sent by them. I have followed their advice and this is how it looks on my Spark (P.S. I don't accept any liability for this example. For official confirmation write to DJI Germany!):

I really appreciate your answer. i was also in a forum where they said so many options like behind the  gimbal or in the arm. I will write to Dji Germany, to take all my doubts.  Thanks a lot  

Koppo Posted at 2017-9-18 06:14
It's more about the possibilities that drones offer. Terrorism.

A 'popular' form of  terrorist attack in Europe has been to drive large vehicles, trucks and vans, at speed through pedestrians ..... but there has been no campaign to get rid of trucks and vans, or limit their speed to walking pace?

North America is convinced that personal gun ownership is absolutely vital, and both accidental and intentional death by firearm is a very serious  problem there ..... but control of gun ownership can hardly be said to have been tightened up.

So for Germany to perhaps use terrorism as an excuse for making the use of recreational drones difficult, doesn't seem to be a hugely valid one.

A 'proof of training' certificate or 'license' would be preferable, and also perhaps restricting purchase of UAVs to those with such credentials, would be a better starting point.  That would help keep many of the idiots away.  The same idiots, probably, that seem to think it is fun to shine powerful lasers in to the cockpit of commercial aircraft.  

Montfrooij Posted at 2017-9-18 06:30
That won't change by this law right?
A terrorist won't live by the rules in the first place.
So if he chooses to fly to a building 2 km away (don't use Spark) and detonate an explosive he won't care about that law.

He won't, but the government uses such excuses to tighten the rules.

Koppo Posted at 2017-9-19 02:58
He won't, but the government uses such excuses to tighten the rules.

Guess so. Unfortunately.

Koppo Posted at 2017-9-19 02:58
He won't, but the government uses such excuses to tighten the rules.

.. and also as a money collecting enterprise ... 'Tax It!' is their motto!