Drone footage, rules and regs, purchasing, guidance etc..

[weeksy]

Was thinking about footage for MTB stuff and whether a Drone would be a good idea.

I have no idea where you can or cannot use one for example. Could you use it at places like Forest of Dean ? BikeParkWales ? What about local woods ?

Obviously having never done this i'm aware there's a skills thing needed... but i assume it's a bit like playing a video game and something you kinda just get used to with practice etc.

Recommendations on kit ?
https://store.dji.com/uk/product/dji-mi ... vid=128091

This DJI above seems to tick many of the boxes for a starter package i think?

[MrLongbeard]

I used to know, hell I used to hold an operators license at one point, but the fancy passed so I only kept it for a couple of years, everything you need to know about drone weights, licenses, where to fly and what not is on the CAA website

https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/drone-code

[Mr. Dazzle]

Isn't this like eScooters, in that it's technically illegal to use them in many places but the level of give-a-fuckery is really low?

BTW, I once saw a guy trying to use his drone to film HMS Queen Elizabeth departing Portsmouth harbour. The police told him off twice, on the third warning they just took his remote off him and crashed his drone into the sea

[weeksy]

Isn't this like eScooters, in that it's technically illegal to use them in many places but the level of give-a-fuckery is really low?

BTW, I once saw a guy trying to use his drone to film HMS Queen Elizabeth departing Portsmouth harbour. The police told him off twice, on the third warning they just took his remote off him and crashed his drone into the sea

The odds are the places i'd like to use it are as you'd expect, very under policed in terms of your local copper walking the beat (do they even do that now?) we're talking random forests, hills, trails etc... I wouldn't rock up to places like BPW/Dyfi without checking first, but my local woods for a run or two i'd expect is fair game.

[Sadlonelygit]

if it weighs more than iirc 249g then you need to take an online test and get appropriate cover.
if you take the test, it will tell you all about flying over people, min heights etc
a good drone with a follow me function and obstacle avoidance would be a fun>good thing to own, until you either crash it or get bored of it

[Taipan]

if it weighs more than iirc 249g then you need to take an online test and get appropriate cover.
if you take the test, it will tell you all about flying over people, min heights etc
a good drone with a follow me function and obstacle avoidance would be a fun>good thing to own, until you either crash it or get bored of it

WHat SLG said! Deefo get one with the follow me function and obstacle avoidance. I've watched soem great off road footage off bikers where they add overhead clips using that technology. Dunno whether its fast enough for your lad and his sport though?

[Yorick]

if it weighs more than iirc 249g then you need to take an online test and get appropriate cover.
if you take the test, it will tell you all about flying over people, min heights etc
a good drone with a follow me function and obstacle avoidance would be a fun>good thing to own, until you either crash it or get bored of it

WHat SLG said! Deefo get one with the follow me function and obstacle avoidance. I've watched soem great off road footage off bikers where they add overhead clips using that technology. Dunno whether its fast enough for your lad and his sport though?

I saw a video of a really fast one following an F1 car round Silverstone.

[weeksy]

if it weighs more than iirc 249g then you need to take an online test and get appropriate cover.
if you take the test, it will tell you all about flying over people, min heights etc
a good drone with a follow me function and obstacle avoidance would be a fun>good thing to own, until you either crash it or get bored of it

WHat SLG said! Deefo get one with the follow me function and obstacle avoidance. I've watched soem great off road footage off bikers where they add overhead clips using that technology. Dunno whether its fast enough for your lad and his sport though?

I saw a video of a really fast one following an F1 car round Silverstone.

That's probably in excess of £20,000 to buy though

The DJI above has a max of 16m/s speed, in tests it seems to do about 57kph. That would be enough for the majority of his racing, possibly only Fort William would he hit more than that in a race.

[Taipan]

if it weighs more than iirc 249g then you need to take an online test and get appropriate cover.
if you take the test, it will tell you all about flying over people, min heights etc
a good drone with a follow me function and obstacle avoidance would be a fun>good thing to own, until you either crash it or get bored of it

WHat SLG said! Deefo get one with the follow me function and obstacle avoidance. I've watched soem great off road footage off bikers where they add overhead clips using that technology. Dunno whether its fast enough for your lad and his sport though?

I saw a video of a really fast one following an F1 car round Silverstone.

Those ones will be out of reach of us mere mortals!

[Mr. Dazzle]

The DJI above has a max of 16m/s speed, in tests it seems to do about 57kph.

Funny that.

16m/s is.............57.6kph.

The drone can fly like a crow too so it should keep up.

[Taipan]

The DJI above has a max of 16m/s speed, in tests it seems to do about 57kph.

Funny that.

16m/s is.............57.6kph.

The drone can fly like a crow too so it should keep up.

What if its too orangey...

[McNab]

As people have said, get one that's under 250g you'll have a lot more freedom with that. Any more than that you'll not be able to fly it in places where there are people or buildings, basically you'll be limited to the middle of nowhere. Under 250g and you can basically fly anywhere except where there are big crowds.

There are other limits that all drones have to abide by though, no matter the weight. Places like sensitive government/military areas (obviously) and airport and take off zones. Also a some places like parks ban their use, check before you go if possible (I always check on-site when I get there too).

You'll need an operator's ID and a flyers's ID which can be obtained from the CAA website. I forget which, but one will need you to pass a fairly simple multiple choice test. It's based on the drone rules available on the website and you can always check back if there's a question you don't know the answer to. It costs in the region of £10 for the ID.

Again, as already said, you are going to need a drone that does 'follow me' if you are wanting to film yourself. Obstacle avoidance is also another one to have as you won't be able to keep an eye on it as you ride, but bear in mind it's not going to be zipping around the trees at max speed. I would guess that it'll probably be able to reliably keep up if you are doing about 20-25mph.

You do want the flymore set as the extra batteries are good to have. It say's 38 minutes flight time, but you won't get that. You'll be lucky to get 30 minutes in my experience.

[Taff]

It might be worth getting in touch with Paul, FODMTB.

He does a fair bit of drone flying

https://www.fodmtb.com/

[McNab]

A quick google says you'll need to apply for a permit to fly in the Forest of Dean. Which probably means a 'No' for normal people like us.

I can't see anything for Bikepark Wales online, but looking at it, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

That said, places like Dartmoor have a blanket ban, but if you are miles from anyone but a few sheep, who is going to care?

[Mussels]

I wanted to fly one in the Ashdown forest but they are banned in case they scare the wildlife, dogs can run everywhere off the lead so I don't quite understand it.

[littleredrooster]

In early June, with the help of a bottle of wine and a certain auction site, I bought a lightly-used drone - a sort-of 'proper' one with a decent camera but under the 249g limit. DJI Mini-2 SE if it's important.

After it arrived I registered it (as you have to do) and downloaded the flying app to make the thing work and did the flying-test stuff to get my licence/registration. I also joined the Grey Arrows forum to get the free flight insurance stuff that they offer.

My first shock was to find that I live in a no-fly zone and am surrounded by no-fly zones (military airfields, defence radar etc., etc.). They are (apparently) quite heavily monitored & the fine is up to £2000 for being a naughty boy. In addition, the drone will actually refuse to take off in any of these zones.

I intended to take it abroad and get some shots around Germany, Austria and the Dolomites. No chance - Germany has an absolute ban on such photo activities (not even Google streetview is allowed), Austria, France and Italy require an EU flying licence which I didn't have time to do, and France has other restrictions I believe.

So, I took it on holiday to the Scottish borders and found the same no-fly MOD zones and National Parks so still couldn't use it.

Net result is that, having had it for 4 months, I still have not even made the maiden voyage.

Potential pilots could do worse than look at the restricted areas before buying, here is the site I use: https://dronemap.uk/map

Anyone want to buy a drone?

[MrLongbeard]

no chance - Germany has an absolute ban on such photo activities (not even Google streetview is allowed)

Yes it is
https://petapixel.com/2024/03/08/german ... e-country/

[weeksy]

Good link, thanks.

Clear by us, apart from Benson airbase

[Eclipse]

In early June, with the help of a bottle of wine and a certain auction site, I bought a lightly-used drone - a sort-of 'proper' one with a decent camera but under the 249g limit. DJI Mini-2 SE if it's important.

After it arrived I registered it (as you have to do) and downloaded the flying app to make the thing work and did the flying-test stuff to get my licence/registration. I also joined the Grey Arrows forum to get the free flight insurance stuff that they offer.

My first shock was to find that I live in a no-fly zone and am surrounded by no-fly zones (military airfields, defence radar etc., etc.). They are (apparently) quite heavily monitored & the fine is up to £2000 for being a naughty boy. In addition, the drone will actually refuse to take off in any of these zones.

I intended to take it abroad and get some shots around Germany, Austria and the Dolomites. No chance - Germany has an absolute ban on such photo activities (not even Google streetview is allowed), Austria, France and Italy require an EU flying licence which I didn't have time to do, and France has other restrictions I believe.

So, I took it on holiday to the Scottish borders and found the same no-fly MOD zones and National Parks so still couldn't use it.

Net result is that, having had it for 4 months, I still have not even made the maiden voyage.

Potential pilots could do worse than look at the restricted areas before buying, here is the site I use: https://dronemap.uk/map

Anyone want to buy a drone?

I do a fair bit of drone flying and the above is one of the reasons I wont have a DJI drone, I was talking to a friend last week that does have one and he said the geofencing can be "disabled" , I guess you have to hack the software in some way which would mean no further updates.

One of the main places I fly is at a friends farm which is near to a disused helipad, nothing has flown in or out of their for 10+ years but it's still on the registry so blocked by DJI.

A point to note is just because the area you want to fly on the drone map looks ok it could well have drones banned by the local council,
unfortunately more and more councils are doing this.

I went with a Potensic Atom which is under 250g and has similar features as the dji mini's but with no built in flying restrictions, although the camera and gimbal not as good but still very usable.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B ... =UTF8&th=1

[Cousin Jack]

Drone flying in some places is a bit of a mess. The National Trust 'banned' drone flying, but have recently had to back down. The can and still do ban you from taking off and landing, but landowners DO NOT own the airspace above their land. That is regulated by the CAA.

As I understand it, less than 250gm, stay away from airports and military stuff, stick to a few simple rules and don't be an arse and you will be fine