A J
Captain
Flight distance : 13978875 ft
United Kingdom
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From 31/12/2020 the new EASA regulations will come into force and the UK CAA has agreed to adopt them for controlling UK airspace. The Phantom 3 Standard will fall straight into the A3 subcategory of the Open category from that date as not CE classified and weighs 250g to less than 25kg. That means you will only be able to fly that drone in areas where there are no people present... Even to fly in the A3 you will still need to read the manual, obtain your flyer ID and register yourself as a drone operator with the CAA and place your operator ID on the drone (£1,000 fine if you fail to do so and get caught).
To fly that drone in the A2 subcategory as a legacy drone and thus enable you to fly in areas where there is nobody within 50m of the drone you need to pass the A2 CofC (in addition to registration and getting a flyer ID) - which will require you to take the course and pass the test. I believe there is also a practical element involved too and no short cuts. Once passed the qualification is valid for 5 years before renewal is required however, the Phantom's being legacy drones may only be flown in the A2 for a transitional period of two years. So even with the A2 CofC you will fall back to the A3 from 01/01/2023. With fines now being "unlimited" I would indeed strongly advise sticking to the rules.
Given the cost of the drone you are looking to get and the costs of the A2 CofC you will be better off getting a DJI Mini 2 - it weighs <250g and may be flown in the A1 subcategory (over people) without any tests needing to be taken (though you will still need to register yourself with the CAA as the drone is not a toy) and with no transitonal period so indefinite. It is also a superior drone to the Phantom 3 series in terms of transmission, flight times, camera performance, agility and tech. I wouldn't buy a Phantom 3 now if I were you.
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