I may stir up a heated discussion but why is everyone so fearful of their drone exceeding 249g? Seriously, do you live in a country where drone police are pulling people over and weighing mini drones?

I keep reading peoples comments about stickers adding weight, batteries adding an extra few grams to their drones.

10grams more wont make it any deadlier or more dangerous.

In the EU and UK and other countries it is a legal requirement so we are not subjugated to the laws >250g, it means we can fly in urban areas and over people except for gatherings, something we are not allowed to do with day the air 2s for example. We would lose our drones to confiscation and a fine should we be caught

We live in Australia

No one is going round weighing drones. If people are being fearful then at least they're conscious of the law, it's the people who don't care that I worry about the most because they're more likely to want to fly above 400ft or somewhere they aren't supposed to be.

Personally I don't agree with the <250g drones having no separation restrictions, as those props can easily cause someone to lose an eye.

Bashy Posted at 6-12 01:28
In the EU and UK and other countries it is a legal requirement so we are not subjugated to the laws >250g, it means we can fly in urban areas and over people except for gatherings, something we are not allowed to do with day the air 2s for example. We would lose our drones to confiscation and a fine should we be caught

Not completely true or accurate

CloudVisual Posted at 6-12 01:49
No one is going round weighing drones. If people are being fearful then at least they're conscious of the law, it's the people who don't care that I worry about the most because they're more likely to want to fly above 400ft or somewhere they aren't supposed to be.

Personally I don't agree with the

Would that person loosing an eye be a small child. If you are going to play the Health and Safety card you need to add in all the usual suspects

I really think unless you are doing something hugely illegal, they couldn't care less about your mini being a few grams heavier. If you do live in an area where the drone police are prolific, then I sadly sympathise for you as I feel in this age of social disarray there are far more pressing crimes to be dealt with than some people having fun flying their toy drones.

I just find it trivial seeing all these posts around youtube and forums of people fearing the fact that their drone would be a few grams heavier and thus become illegal if they don't register it.

I am very close professionally with Police. One afternoon I asked one of the officers about people breaking road rules such as speeding. I said to him, why not just have the government pass a mandatory law that ALL cars from now on registered for the road in Australia are speed restricted to a max of 110km/h. Viola, then we would never ever have high speed fines anymore and accidents would probably be far less. His response was...." Who is going to pay my salary?"

All these drone rules and regulations. Why don't every country that sell dji drones pass a law that the drones are from now on firmware locked to never ever exceed a height of 120m and cannot even fly further than 150m from the controller. Aside from flying over people (which is always going to happen with friends and family), all the laws could easily be dealt with one simple firmware update to lock these little birds once and for all.

I am not saying to break the law, but don't just bend over either.

Quite correct I suspect no copper is travelling around with a scale as part of his equipment

Bigplumbs Posted at 6-12 02:02
Not completely true or accurate

It's close enough to give him an idea, I'm not hearing the correct answer from you, just dissing others, bring something decent to the discussion...

Several video clips from the UK of police checking a drone make/mode and checking it for addons available online to ensure a flight was legal.

Also if anything does happen, your insurance will be invalid.

Its also much easier than going after proper crime.

Bashy Posted at 6-12 01:28
In the EU and UK and other countries it is a legal requirement so we are not subjugated to the laws >250g, it means we can fly in urban areas and over people except for gatherings, something we are not allowed to do with day the air 2s for example. We would lose our drones to confiscation and a fine should we be caught

Thanks for your imput.

Here in Australia it is flat out 100% illegal to fly over people, either with a mini or air 2s.

You could get arrested over privacy concerns and then you best have your things in order.


A member of the drone police is required to be present hiding in every 600 square meters in Canada including the Northwest Territories.

Bigplumbs Posted at 6-12 02:03
Would that person loosing an eye be a small child. If you are going to play the Health and Safety card you need to add in all the usual suspects

I don't get what point you're trying to make. This drone is capable of blinding anyone, it's not as if an adult has a stronger eye than a child...

CloudVisual Posted at 6-12 01:49
No one is going round weighing drones. If people are being fearful then at least they're conscious of the law, it's the people who don't care that I worry about the most because they're more likely to want to fly above 400ft or somewhere they aren't supposed to be.

Personally I don't agree with the

I appreciate your reply. I would be very confident in that 99% of users on this forum have flown their drones outside the scope of what is considered drone law. Eg: near or over people, higher, further, night time and beyond visual range. If you haven't done any of these (which I doubt) then I am very much surprised.

Let's note that I am not saying to break the rules, I am merely puzzled why people are so fearful of this magic 249g number being exceeded and the potential outcome should they be a few grams heavier.

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 02:04
I really think unless you are doing something hugely illegal, they couldn't care less about your mini being a few grams heavier. If you do live in an area where the drone police are prolific, then I sadly sympathise for you as I feel in this age of social disarray there are far more pressing crimes to be dealt with than some people having fun flying their toy drones.

I just find it trivial seeing all these posts around youtube and forums of people fearing the fact that their drone would be a few grams heavier and thus become illegal if they don't register it.

Thing is, if you fly in urban areas with a 249g drone, that means you've mitigated as much danger to others as you can. If you fly with a 270g drone in the same place then you have flow recklessly breaking article 241*,then you crash in to someone's window or it drops on to someone  and they report it, you try telling the court that it's OK it was only X over the limit, I'm afraid that will not wash,

*Under ANO 2016 article 241, ‘no person may recklessly or negligently cause or permit an
aircraft to endanger any person or property’. This article does, of course, also apply to
the endangerment of manned aircraft with an unmanned aircraft (because manned
aircraft are ‘property’) and the occupants of manned aircraft (because they are still
‘persons’).

Flying over weight is flying recklessly. We should be mitigating any and all dangers as much as possible especially when flying in an urban environment. It's not if something will happen, it's when....

Bashy Posted at 6-12 02:29
Thing is, if you fly in urban areas with a 249g drone, that means you've mitigated as much danger to others as you can. If you fly with a 270g drone in the same place then you have flow recklessly breaking article 241*,then you crash in to someone's window or it drops on to someone  and they report it, you try telling the court that it's OK it was only X over the limit, I'm afraid that will not wash,

*Under ANO 2016 article 241, ‘no person may recklessly or negligently cause or permit an

So you are saying approximately 20grams is potentially an issue. Here are everyday objects that weigh 20grams

https://measuringstuff.com/list- ... hat-weigh-20-grams/

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 02:25
I appreciate your reply. I would be very confident in that 99% of users on this forum have flown their drones outside the scope of what is considered drone law. Eg: near or over people, higher, further, night time and beyond visual range. If you haven't done any of these (which I doubt) then I am very much surprised.

Let's note that I am not saying to break the rules, I am merely puzzled why people are so fearful of this magic 249g number being exceeded and the potential outcome should they be a few grams heavier.

No different to driving on the road; we've all gone over the speed limit or gambled an amber light. But there's a limit to what you're willing to risk/do and then there's drivers who don't care at all and happy to do 140mph on a motorway or drink driving five times over the limit.

In the drone world, there's us who will flex the rules a little and then there's people who think it'll be a great idea to film an aircraft landing at an airport hovering 10ft off the wing as it flies by...!

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 02:25
I appreciate your reply. I would be very confident in that 99% of users on this forum have flown their drones outside the scope of what is considered drone law. Eg: near or over people, higher, further, night time and beyond visual range. If you haven't done any of these (which I doubt) then I am very much surprised.

Let's note that I am not saying to break the rules, I am merely puzzled why people are so fearful of this magic 249g number being exceeded and the potential outcome should they be a few grams heavier.

I agree, many have flown outside the scope, especially oriot to all the new laws etc. But now we can legally fly over people in an urban setting if we are sub 250g, to me that's blooming Brill, why spoil that. All these new laws have come about because of folks flying recklessly, this sub 250g lark is relatively new and again, Brill, it given us back some of that free will so to speak, if we continually break that 250g then we could lose it. Its a safety aspect, and like I've said already, it's mitigating the danger to the public as much as we can.

One other thing, whilst we can fly over people, we are not allowed to do it intentionally if the people are not under our control.

Firbthe uk, it would be good for all uav pilots to take the A2 CofC course, it teaches us a little more on the subject amongst other things, it's a worthwhile course and easy to pass..

Bashy Posted at 6-12 02:29
Thing is, if you fly in urban areas with a 249g drone, that means you've mitigated as much danger to others as you can. If you fly with a 270g drone in the same place then you have flow recklessly breaking article 241*,then you crash in to someone's window or it drops on to someone  and they report it, you try telling the court that it's OK it was only X over the limit, I'm afraid that will not wash,

*Under ANO 2016 article 241, ‘no person may recklessly or negligently cause or permit an

The ANO is stupid because (like I said above) the 249g drones are still dangerous, but they are happy to approve them to have zero separation limits from the public.

Quick maths says that the Mini 3 prop tip speed is roughly 100mph at hover. Easily capable of blinding someone and therefore endangering someone if you fly close.

CloudVisual Posted at 6-12 02:33
No different to driving on the road; we've all gone over the speed limit or gambled an amber light. But there's a limit to what you're willing to risk/do and then there's drivers who don't care at all and happy to do 140mph on a motorway or drink driving five times over the limit.

In the drone world, there's us who will flex the rules a little and then there's people who think it'll be a great idea to film an aircraft landing at an airport hovering 10ft off the wing as it flies by...!

Agreed. There are idiots that do fly in areas that irrespective of what they are flying are being very unsafe and dis-respectful. If we're talking about Inspire drones than hands down we have safety concerns but like i say, being concerned about a few grams on your mini from adding a new sticker skin is in my opinion ridiculous and not even worth worrying about.

It will be interesting to see in the next 10 years how drone laws will progress. I do believe there will come a time where we won't be flying them as we do today. The future will have us locked down more and much harder. So, get out now even if you mini is 251grams with a flash new fluro skin and enjoy it. They are a great little toy to have for capturing holiday memories or exploring regions that are new.

Cheers and a happy weekend to all. We have a long weekend here in Australia so heading out tomorrow to fly the mini and take some snaps.

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 02:32
So you are saying approximately 20grams is potentially an issue. Here are everyday objects that weigh 20grams

https://measuringstuff.com/list-of-household-items-that-weigh-20-grams/

Yes, in the eyes of the courts that extra 20g strobes you added would be an issue, you would lose all your drones, not just the one you was caught with. Is it worth it? I am talking UK here, I've not got a clue about other countries.

To be fair, if the police pulled us up and did check and it was over a small amount, I doubt it would Abe a problem, I also doubt they would even check. But it would  become a problem if we were to have an incident or of flying even more recklessly,  such as over flying  an emergency situation.

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 02:40
Agreed. There are idiots that do fly in areas that irrespective of what they are flying are being very unsafe and dis-respectful. If we're talking about Inspire drones than hands down we have safety concerns but like i say, being concerned about a few grams on your mini from adding a new sticker skin is in my opinion ridiculous and not even worth worrying about.

It will be interesting to see in the next 10 years how drone laws will progress. I do believe there will come a time where we won't be flying them as we do today. The future will have us locked down more and much harder. So, get out now even if you mini is 251grams with a flash new fluro skin and enjoy it. They are a great little toy to have for capturing holiday memories or exploring regions that are new.

Over time I think it would make sense for obstacle avoidance systems to be certified and approved for flying in more risky conditions. For example, if you have a 250g+ drone with an obstacle avoidance system that is approved by the government you can have air traffic tunnels entered into the software for certain altitudes and streets through cities for delivery, human personal transport, and maybe photography.

Bashy Posted at 6-12 02:42
Yes, in the eyes of the courts that extra 20g strobes you added would be an issue, you would lose all your drones, not just the one you was caught with. Is it worth it? I am talking UK here, I've not got a clue about other countries.

To be fair, if the police pulled us up and did check and it was over a small amount, I doubt it would Abe a problem, I also doubt they would even check. But it would  become a problem if we were to have an incident or of flying even more recklessly,  such as over flying  an emergency situation.

Thats a fair reply Bashy. Thanks for your input Sir, enjoy your weekend.

Cheers from the land of Koala's and Kangaroos.

Bashy Posted at 6-12 02:42
Yes, in the eyes of the courts that extra 20g strobes you added would be an issue, you would lose all your drones, not just the one you was caught with. Is it worth it? I am talking UK here, I've not got a clue about other countries.

To be fair, if the police pulled us up and did check and it was over a small amount, I doubt it would Abe a problem, I also doubt they would even check. But it would  become a problem if we were to have an incident or of flying even more recklessly,  such as over flying  an emergency situation.

Now that I think about it here in British Columbia, most drugs are decriminalized as long as you have less than 2.5 grams on you. The chances of police having a high precision scale on hand is high.

Bashy Posted at 6-12 02:10
It's close enough to give him an idea, I'm not hearing the correct answer from you, just dissing others, bring something decent to the discussion...

I thought it was a public forum where people can express their own views rather than be told what to say.

Would you agree.... Or does this forum belong to you

Bigplumbs Posted at 6-12 02:04
Quite correct I suspect no copper is travelling around with a scale as part of his equipment

I thought the same, but then maybe they have scales for weighing drugs ? I don't think any copper is going to weigh the mini3pro,  they would just see its marked 249 grams.

Personally I sold my M2P purely because of the restrictions as it was 905 grams.

Just my opinion.

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 02:40
Agreed. There are idiots that do fly in areas that irrespective of what they are flying are being very unsafe and dis-respectful. If we're talking about Inspire drones than hands down we have safety concerns but like i say, being concerned about a few grams on your mini from adding a new sticker skin is in my opinion ridiculous and not even worth worrying about.

It will be interesting to see in the next 10 years how drone laws will progress. I do believe there will come a time where we won't be flying them as we do today. The future will have us locked down more and much harder. So, get out now even if you mini is 251grams with a flash new fluro skin and enjoy it. They are a great little toy to have for capturing holiday memories or exploring regions that are new.

I personally don't think the extra grammes will make any difference, but there is a weight at which it will begin to get dangerous.

I've pumped the Mini 3 numbers into my kinetic energy calculator. The Air 2s being only 200g more does have a marked increase in impact energy, but that's a bit extreme when you're talking about an extra 1 or 2 grammes, which I personally don't think anyone should worry about.

Bigplumbs Posted at 6-12 02:54
I thought it was a public forum where people can express their own views rather than be told what to say.

Would you agree.... Or does this forum belong to you

Bashy and Bigplumbs need to kiss and make up, I don't agree with everyone's comments, there not my problem.

The forum is about like minded people sharing info to help them enjoy their drones.

Mavic57pro2 Posted at 6-12 02:59
Bashy and Bigplumbs need to kiss and make up, I don't agree with everyone's comments, there not my problem.

The forum is about like minded people sharing info to help them enjoy their drones.

Agree. Lets get on with flying our drones.

Mavic57pro2 Posted at 6-12 02:59
Bashy and Bigplumbs need to kiss and make up, I don't agree with everyone's comments, there not my problem.

The forum is about like minded people sharing info to help them enjoy their drones.

Would like minded people be those that each have that particular drone and posting in that drones section of the forum. Just a wild thought as to why the forum is divided into sections.

I think it is important that people hear from those with experience of the particular product rather than those that don't. Actually having the drone and just reading about it are hugely different.
People have seen all the DJI influencers posts and you Tube videos now it is useful to hear from normal people who have it I feel.

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 03:09
Agree. Lets get on with flying our drones.

Ok if you have paid out your money and have one to fly of course

Bigplumbs Posted at 6-12 03:12
Ok if you have paid out your money and have one to fly of course

Yes, I feel sorry for those dealing with the world shortage of mini 3. i am still waiting for another battery.

Canadian Pirate Posted at 6-12 02:50
Now that I think about it here in British Columbia, most drugs are decriminalized as long as you have less than 2.5 grams on you. The chances of police having a high precision scale on hand is high.

Cool, i should emigrate lol

CloudVisual Posted at 6-12 02:39
The ANO is stupid because (like I said above) the 249g drones are still dangerous, but they are happy to approve them to have zero separation limits from the public.

Quick maths says that the Mini 3 prop tip speed is roughly 100mph at hover. Easily capable of blinding someone and therefore endangering someone if you fly close.

Its worked on not so much the props but the mass of the drone hitting someone but yeah, it seems like the props having been taken in to consideration, that's a good thing for us as pilots, not so much the public..

Remember the criteria were initially set with joules of impact force (so including deformation etc) and the likelihood of head damage.
So its not entirely unscientific.

It went from that to a 250g as that kind of fitted those results.

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 6-12 02:04
I really think unless you are doing something hugely illegal, they couldn't care less about your mini being a few grams heavier. If you do live in an area where the drone police are prolific, then I sadly sympathise for you as I feel in this age of social disarray there are far more pressing crimes to be dealt with than some people having fun flying their toy drones.

I just find it trivial seeing all these posts around youtube and forums of people fearing the fact that their drone would be a few grams heavier and thus become illegal if they don't register it.

Why don't every country that sell dji drones pass a law that the drones are from now on firmware locked to never ever exceed a height of 120m
There's the minor practical issue of no drone made having a sensor that can tell how high you are above the ground below you.

I may stir up a heated discussion

Indeed you did, but it stimulated quite the interesting exchange.  

You've certainly stirred up the anticipated heated debate   Our over-stretched Police here in the UK (bless 'em) have far more important things to deal with than a few grams of flying plastic.  The self-appointed Drone Police amongst the ill-informed general public, stirred up by a hysterical press, are the ones to be wary of.

Blériot53 Posted at 6-12 04:33
You've certainly stirred up the anticipated heated debate   Our over-stretched Police here in the UK (bless 'em) have far more important things to deal with than a few grams of flying plastic.  The self-appointed Drone Police amongst the ill-informed general public, stirred up by a hysterical press, are the ones to be wary of.

Actually its the complete opposite.
They go for the easy hanging fruit.
Much much easier to stop someone flying a drone in a city and check all is in order than it is to go out proactively policing elsewhere.

Certainly here more and more they're going after the easy jobs and completely ignoring the rest.

There are numerous examples of police checking the drone type and accessories when they see or are called to someone flying in a major built up area and so on.

If you're flying out of the way nobody will do anything but if its somewhere like a built up area they will check.

Labroides Posted at 6-12 04:18
Why don't every country that sell dji drones pass a law that the drones are from now on firmware locked to never ever exceed a height of 120m
There's the minor practical issue of no drone made having a sensor that can tell how high you are above the ground below you.

And even if you did its worthless for most areas.  The ground is bumpy.  You have a 20m tree to change that altitude readout constantly, a brick wall, a car.
It just wouldnt be a sensible readout.

Unless everyone bolts 10kg radio altimeters to the things.