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The best travel drones in 2024

What’s the best and most portable drone to pack on your adventures? Here's our pick of the best travel drones

If you want vacation photography that really stands out, why not take it from the sky with one of the best travel drones? Easy enough in theory but holidays often mean cramming a lot into a small space. That doesn’t stop you from taking a drone though; many quadcopters are designed to fold and pack into a small space and in this list, we’ve highlighted some of the best travel drones available today.

Other crucial criteria for travel-friendly drones we’ve looked at include ease of use – there’s no way your friends and family won’t demand a go. Similarly crucial is battery life, and of course how easy it is to charge on the go. A thoughtful travel case – even if it is an option – is something to think about. Manufacturers often do a good job accommodating their gear, and their bag can safely be placed in your suitcase.

Finally, the means of sharing content is a crucial factor. Even if you can carry a drone, that doesn’t mean you’ll have access to all your computing gear. Many drones record to MicroSD, but are there easier solutions to get to Instagram without card readers?

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

1. DJI Mini 3 Pro

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

A light drone that folds up small, yet has camera and safety specs that can compete with the big boys? Absolutely. It does, of course, also come with a similar price tag so choosing the Mini 3 Pro is all about maximizing the camera at a minimum size and, significantly, sub-250g weight. The camera is excellent and even features the unique ability to switch to portrait mode – ideal for social-media-focused content creators on the go. 

With GPS return-to-home as well as the ability to automatically circumnavigate obstacles there are very high safety marks. The long battery life and 10km radio range further increase confidence. These features combine to make it an ideal drone to learn on. We were also impressed with how this ultralight handles wind, though obviously there are limits.

If you stump up for the Fly More Kit you get a case with room for the controller, three batteries, and the device as well as spares. Choose the RC Pro remote with a built-in screen and the system is a ‘closed loop’ – no need for a phone to fly. Whichever remote you opt for you can still transfer images & video to a device using QuickTransfer.

Read our full DJI Mini 3 Pro review

2. Autel EVO Nano / Nano Plus

The Autel EVO Nano is another ultralight drone which can circumvent registration regulations, at least in some territories. It’s available with a half-inch or a 0.8-inch image sensor (as the Nano or Nano+). Both can shoot 4K. 

Drawing on the firm’s other drones, there is a wealth of software functionality including the option to record sounds from your phone to link to your flight, narrating it. There is also smart subject tracking, so you can get some nice action shots.

We also like the choice of colors as well as the forward/backward/downward collision sensing system. Together with the GPS the drone does a good job of being safe and easy to fly, and the controller’s shape make it easier to hold than many. The drone can charge the battery (a hub comes with the Premium bundle) when connected to a USB-C cable. Only the premium bundle has a US power brick, but when traveling it’s nice to stick to a single USB-C charger if your gear supports it. 

Read our full Autel EVO Nano Plus review

3. Holy Stone HS720E

 The Holy Stone HS720E lacks the elegance of drones from the firms, like DJI, which its design has clear echoes of. It doesn’t have the same range, or smooth user experience, but it does produce 4K video for a budget price. Not only that, but it comes in a good quality travel-ready hard case.

The main battery is rechargeable, and supplied in the box are two batteries and a charging hub that can handle both in sequence. That means the total flight time, even accounting for a land-and-swap is more than most drone’s standard bundles. We also like the controller’s display screen, which makes feedback easier to see, and while the GPS is prone to a slight drift, the hover and return-to-home works.  

Video might not be slick, especially at speed, as the camera must lean with the drone as it combats the wind, but after landing it is possible to download the clips. On the plus side there is a version of subject tracking which can follow the GPS position of the remote – no AI cleverness but it has uses, and there is a waypoint mode unlike nearly any other consumer drone. 

Read our full Holy Stone HS720E review

4. DJI Air 2S

The Air 2S is an incredibly capable drone which is only a tiny bit bigger than the DJI’s ultralight Mini 3 Pro, but offers more capability at the cost of moving up a weight category. That extra few grams mean the drone can carry a 1-inch CMOS sensor which can capture video at up to 5.4K. That might seem excessive, but it allows for digital cropping /digital zoom at spectacular quality too, and the 12.6-stop dynamic range RAW stills are striking. From this list, only the Mavic 3 competes in low light.

Extra weight also makes the drone even more sure-footed against the wind (if ‘foot’ can be the appropriate analogy!) In terms of smart features, it is comparable to the Mini 3 or Mavic 3, though its object circumvention is a generation older. Like the bigger Mavic 3 this drone comes with chunky brick to charge the 3750 mAh batteries from the wall, which will add to your carrying weight.

Read our full DJI Air 2S review

5. DJI Mini SE

If you’re looking for something to give you good-looking pictures from the near sky, the Mini SE is ideal. It isn’t the best camera but it’s broadly similar to many cellphones and – crucially for a drone  – it is supported on a gimbal. This gives real image stabilization which makes for better video at 2.7K than you’d get at 4K with no, or only electronic stabilization.

What you don’t get is the latest when it comes to DJI’s remote controllers. Even this, could be seen as a bonus (the older design is smaller and still grips a big phone as monitor). Inside, however, the lower power means the live video is 720P and in real-world conditions struggles to reach 500m (DJI say 2500m in perfect conditions). In practice, though, you’re unlikely to want to go that far. It’s more fun to create cinematic videos effects (the ‘Dronie’ or ‘Helix’). They’re not technically subject tracking, but the drone can keep the camera on a spot and orbit it or shoot upward while panning the lens down, which all looks good on social media.

You can copy content from the MiniSE card using the app – not as fast as ‘QuickTransfer’ but perhaps something to do as you sip a drink at the end of a day on the beach and, if you want more time in the air and a nice hard case, the Fly More kit will oblige.

Read our full DJI Mini SE review

6: Insta360 ONE X2

Okay, not actually a drone, but – in certain circumstances – the 360˚ camera can give a similar perspective. Not only that, but its smaller than an ultralight drone and won’t challenge any aviation regulations, nor mind going underwater.

It records from two opposing fisheye lenses (and a gyroscope), so the ONE X2 can see in every direction at once and captures good color and detail. It can use this to crop and stabilize the video. This affords a good amount of creativity and when paired with Insta360 ’s simple invisible selfie stick . Better still, the software eliminates the stick itself from the view, giving the impression from flying.

This Insta360˚ can also capture normal widescreen video if needed, potentially saving your phone from risky days out. The real fun, though, is using the fairly memory-hungry app to explore the results, selecting subjects to track, and extract cropped video into something you can share.

Read our full Insta360 ONE X2 review

7. DJI Mavic 3

At 221mm (8.7 inches) long, this isn’t a tiny drone when folded, but the clip-on cover DJI supply protects its delicate parts without occupying much more space. Weight-wise, too, it certainly isn’t light, but that is buying staggering flight times and a Hasselblad-branded dual lens camera system. The large 4/3rds sensor captures gorgeous detail in typical wide view (84˚FOV / 24mm efl), while a 12-megapixel offers 7x optical zoom (162mm efl) and 28x digital).

As this sits at the top of DJI’s consumer/pro range (as opposed to enterprise), it’s no surprise that it features all-round collision sensors, smart collision avoidance and a theoretical 15km (8 mile) range. In other words, there are safety features you’d trust with the kids, were it not for the price tag!

If you’re vacationing in beautiful, scenic and slightly remote locations away from crowds (where weight regulations matter more) you could ask for little more. We wanted the zoom camera to be as good as the main one, but it is still better than most.

Read our full DJI Mavic 3 review

How we test drones

Our drone tests are carried our in the field , allowing us to assess the quadcopter for its flight performance, easy of use, and its image quality. All our drone reviews are overseen by Adam Juniper who is one of the UK's leading experts in drone, and who has written several books on flying drones, including The Drone Pilot's Handbook.

Read more: Best accessories for your drone   The best drones for beginners Best drones for kids The best DJI drones The best indoor drones The best underwater drone Best drones for fishing 12 things you need to make money from a drone The best camera insurance for photographers The best camera backpacks Best travel adaptor

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With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones. 

Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones. 

He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones , The Smart Smart Home Handbook , 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook . 

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Home » Gear » best travel drones

10 BEST Drones for Travel & Adventure (2024)

Are you ready to elevate your travel experiences to new heights? Imagine capturing the sprawling beauty of a mountain range or the intricate dance of city lights from a bird’s-eye view. In today’s tech-savvy world, a travel drone is your ticket to stunning visuals and unforgettable memories.

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a photography enthusiast, our latest blog post unveils the best travel drones that combine portability, durability, and top-notch camera quality. Get ready to explore the skies and discover which drone can transform your next adventure into a masterpiece of aerial artistry

Drone technology has a come a long way since the early years, and high-quality drones have never been easier to travel with. This guide will review the best travel drones on the market. Modern drones are so affordable and portable that just about anyone can use them, including backpackers and travelers!

SO, if you’re looking to up your game and buy a drone, this guide has you covered! We assembled this list of the 10 Best Drones for Travel in 2024 for you to refer to.

Quick Answers: 10 Best Drones for Travel in 2024

Best drones for travel in 2024.

• DJI Mavic Air: Overall Best Drone for Travel
• DJI Spark: Best Budget Travel Drone
• DJI Mavic 2 Pro: Best Professional Drone for Travel
• DJI Phantom 3: Best Travel Drone for Beginners
• Parrot Anafi: Best Travel Drone that isn’t a DJI
• FAKJANK Drone: Best Selfie Drone for Travel
• Holy Stone HS440: Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention
• SANROCK U52: Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention
• TOMZON P5G Drone: Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention
• Hover Camera Passport: Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention

What to Consider When Looking at the Best Travel Drones

Faq about the best travel drones.

Overall Best Drone for Travel – DJI Mavic Air

Best Budget Drone for Travel – DJI Spark

Best Travel Drone for Professionals- DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Best Travel Drone for Beginners – DJI Phantom 3

Best Travel Drone that isn’t a DJI – Parrot Anafi

Best Selfie Drone for Travel – FAKJANK Drone

Jump to -> The List of 10 Best Drones for Travel

DJI Mavic Air

• > Effective sensors
• > Good photo and video quality

• > Very small
• > Lots of features
• > Easy to fly

DJI Mavic 2 Pro

• > Superlative optics
• > Great range and battery
• > Very advanced

DJI Phantom 3

• > Easy to use
• > Great optics
• > Reliable battery and range

Parrot Anafi

• > Excellent images and videos

FAKJANK Drone

• > Miniscule
• > Performs well enough for selfies

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DJI Mavic Air : Overall Best Drone for Travel

The DJI Mavic Air offers the best combination of size, optical quality, and flight features among all of the drones listed in this guide and for a very reasonable price. For these reasons, we are confident when we say that the DJI Mavic Air is the best overall travel drone, hands-down.

The most redeeming quality of the DJI Mavic Air is its portable size. When folded for packing, the Mavic Air is probably about the size of a tablet albeit a little thicker.

Weighing only 430 grams, this drone can easily fit in an everyday bag —it doesn’t need its own special backpack — or maybe even a large jacket pocket, making for quicker deployment and ease of travel.

The controller for the DJI Mavic Air can be collapsed to a smaller size as well by removing certain components.

The controller pairs well with your phone, thanks to a physical plug, and the DJI app is fairly responsive if it’s not busy with metrics. That said, switching between shooting modes in the smartphone app can be a bit of pain because of overcrowding.

It is very easy to fly the DJI Mavic Air. The controller is responsive and the drone itself has lots of intelligent obstacle avoidance systems that are quite effective. Flight time is rated at 22 minutes and the range is 2.5 miles/4kms, which is pretty good for a consumer drone.

It’s worth noting that Mavic Air has a series of QuickShot modes that allow for some pretty cool photos/videos.

The DJI Mavic Air has a 1/2.3” CMOS sensor and a 24mm (35mm equivalent) lens. Images are crisp though dynamic range and resolution are still not as impressive as some of the more expensive drones. Video quality is much more impressive in the Mavic Air with 4k possible up to 30fps and 1080p at 120 fps.

Pros and Cons of the DJI Mavic Air

• Effective flight modes and avoidance features.
• Very small and portable.
• Good image and video quality.
• Good but not great flight time and range.
• Switching between modes can be tedious.
• Still not a full 1” sensor.

DJI Spark : Best Budget Travel Drone

DJI has spent a lot of time and money on R&D and has, consequently, become the most advanced developer of consumer-grade drones. Having access to this kind of tech should require a massive investment from you though, right?

Wrong! I submit to you the DJI Spark. This model comes with much of the technology that has made DJI drones so successful and is, at the same time, amazingly small. Best of all it costs less than $500, thus making it the best budget travel drone on the market, at least in our eyes.

The DJI comes equipped with many of the features that it’s more expensive brethren have. Various in-flight features like object avoidance, creative QuickShots, physical image stabilization, and even gestures, though that last bit is still a little rough.

The other noteworthy aspect of the DJI Spark is that it’s freakin’ small. Measuring only 143×143×55 mm and weighing about 300 grams, the Spark is about the size of a soda can. You could easily fit in a small backpack. The DJI Spark could also take the crown for “best selfie drone” or “best small drone,” but it’s so much more than that.

Despite its diminutive profile, the DJI Spark is pretty steady when it comes to flying, and sturdy when stopping. The drone does suffer a bit in the wind but this is to be expected from such a small package.

Flight range and time are not the best with the DJI Spark. Battery life will only last about 10 minutes and the drone cannot travel far since it’s only using WiFi to connect to your phone. The WiFi connection likes to drop as well.

Image quality is good but limited. There is no 4k shooting. 1080p at 30 fps and 12 Mp stills are possible.

Ultimately, this drone isn’t as good as its big brother Mavic Air, but it’s still an incredible drone for the price, and one of the best travel drones because of its size and affordability.

Pros and Cons of DJI Spark

• Extremely small.
• Lots of features.
• Easy to fly (so long as it isn’t windy).
• Shorter flight times.
• App is unresponsive at times.

DJI Mavic 2 Pro : Best Professional Drone for Travel

For professionals who are looking for the best travel drone possible and available at the moment, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the clear winner.

Because it’s DJI’s latest drone has the most up-to-date technology, the Mavic 2 Pro is the most competent in the series. If you’re willing to pay for a drone that can do anything and remain compact, then the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the drone for you.

If you’ve been reading about other DJI drones up to this point, then you know that the company is one of the world leaders in R&D. The Mavic 2 Pro has all of DJI’s most advanced technology including obstacle avoidance, QuickShots, and all of the other bells and whistles.

The tech is arguably more fully-realized than previous DJI models, which makes the Mavic 2 Pro even better at flying.

One thing that we haven’t talked about yet is the DJI smartphone app, which is used by all models. It’s a bit cluttered and can frustrate users.

We haven’t held this against DJI up to this point because what do you expect from such a complicated tool? But if you’re forking out this much money it would be nice to have an app that is a little more efficient.

In terms of overall design, the Mavic Pro 2 is still small and is easy to pack up. The controller is responsive and reportedly effective up to 5 miles, though I doubt anyone will want to fly a drone that far. You do get up to a whopping half hour of flight time though and combined with the Sports Mode, which allows the Mavic to fly at 45 mph, you can sure go a lot of places.

Thanks to the 20 Mp 1” CMOS sensor, image and video quality are the best out of any drone on this list. 4k is possible up 30 fps and dynamic range is much improved over other drones.

The lens is sharp and has 28mm equivalent FOV though it would’ve been nice to be able to change the lens given the amount of money you’re paying.

Pros and Cons of the  DJI Mavic 2 Pro

• Superlative image quality.
• Great flight range and time.
• The most up-to-date DJI features.
• App still suffers from overcrowding.
• No changeable lenses (yet).

DJI Phantom 3 : Best Travel Drone for Beginners

If you’re just looking to dip your feet in the proverbial drone pond, then the DJI Phantom 3 may be the drone for you.

This DJI drone has been one of the most tried and trued models in the lineup and has performed very well over the years.

Recent price cuts have made it even more affordable, so much so that it’s now within reason for novices to commit. For this reason, we think that the DJI Phantom 3 is the best travel drone for beginners.

The DJI Phantom series has proven to be one of the most reliable and loved out of all of the DJI’s drone models. Image and video quality are excellent, thanks to a combination of a 12 Mp sensor and 3-axis gimbal stabilization.

This particular model does not come with the ability to shoot 4k unfortunately, but for beginners, 4k might be a bit much anyways. If you wanted 4k, then look into the more expensive Pro version .

The DJI Phantom 3 has much of the company’s patented and effective in-flight technology, but not all of it. There is no obstacle avoidance nor certain positioning sensors that make it easier to track. If you wanted this tech, you’d either have to upgrade to a Pro version or the Mavic line.

The DJI Phantom is effective up to 3.5 miles away and is rated to last between 22 and 24 minutes, which are both respectable numbers.

Like most DJI drones, the Phantom is very sturdy, much more in fact because of its rigid build. This does make packing the drone very difficult.

Pros and Cons of the  DJI Phantom 3

• Easy to set up and use.
• Reliable flight time and range.
• Bulky and can’t be folded.
• Not as many features as some other DJIs.

Parrot Anafi : Best Travel Drone that isn’t a DJI

DJI isn’t the only company that makes capable drones. One of its biggest competitors is Parrot and their flagship model is Anafi .

This drone takes very impressive photos/videos and, like the Mavic Air, is built for travel. Thanks to these two main features, the Parrot Anafi is one of the best drones for travel and a worthy alternative to a DJI.

The most impressive aspect of the Parrot Anafi is its optical performance. The Parrot Anafi can take stills with a staggering 21 Mp resolution and record video up to 4k at 30fps or Cinematic 4k at 24 fps.

Most notably, the Anafi’s can also zoom in and rotate a full 180 degrees up and down and to the sides, making it more adaptable than many DJI drones.

The Parrot Anafi is very thin and lightweight, even more so than the Mavic Air – the former is actually 100 grams lighter. Amazingly, very little is sacrificed in the way of battery life, which is usually the first to go in smaller models. The Parrot Anafi is rated to fly for up to 24 minutes straight.

Due to its smaller frame and lack of in-flight correction software, the Parrot Anafi is pretty hard to fly. The drone tends to drift even during optimal conditions and responsiveness drops after it travels close to a half mile.

There is no obstacle avoidance software either, which will lead most novices and even many experienced users to inevitable crashes.

The Parrot Anafi is otherwise fairly quick to pair with your phone and is an agile machine.

Novices will become frustrated by its learning curve, but if you have experience flying drones then consider the Parrot Anafi a great drone for its optics and portability.

Pros and Cons of the  Parrot Anafi

• Excellent image and video quality.
• Great flight time and range.
• Difficult to fly.
• Likes to drift.
• Lacks protective software like obstacle avoidance.

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FAKJANK Drone : Best Selfie Drone for Travel

If you just want something cheap and easy that is only meant for selfies, then the FAKJANK Drone is our recommendation. With enough in-flight controls to get a steady shot and the ability to adjust the camera angle, you’ll be sure to nail that awesome selfie.

Best of all, it won’t cost much or take up a lot of space. Ditch the pole and invest in one of the best travel drones for the best selfies!

The FAKJANK is a pretty straightforward drone that has a singular purpose – capture selfies and the occasional vista. This drone is nowhere near capable of long-distance flights or capturing professional grade videos.

The camera only has HD 720p resolution, the effective distance is 100 meters, and flight time is between 10 and 18 minutes per battery. If you are aware of these truths and just want a portable travel drone for selfies, then you’ll really enjoy the FAKJANK Drone.

The FAKJANK Drone is very small and could easily fit in a purse. Since the drone is controlled via a smartphone app, you won’t have to carry around a controller. Some users complain about the drone app’s quality, but it’s not like you’re demanding a lot from the drone. Most likely, you’ll just be flying it 5 meters away for a quick photo.

The FAKJANK Drone does have enough sensors and features to stabilize itself in flight. Thanks to a simple barometer, you can make it hover in the air at a certain elevation, which is all you really need for basic photos.

Pros and Cons of the  FAKJANK Drone

• Performs well enough for selfies.
• Very limited in what it can do.
• Subpar image quality.
• Not very durable.

Holy Stone HS440 : Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention

The HS440 is Holy Stone’s entry-level drone that caters to new drones pilots and anyone who doesn’t want to spend much cash. Like the DJI Phantom 3, the Holy Stone HS440 lacks many features that would otherwise make it a great drone, but it’s still fun to use.

If you’re looking for something simple that won’t break the bank, the Holy Stone HS440 is the best travel drone for you.

The Holy Stone HS440 has a comparable design to the Parrot Anafi – it’s slender, lightweight, and ultimately very portable. It’s a fast drone and actually surprisingly durable given its price point.

The motors of the Holy Stone HS440 are quite strong and will enable the drone to travel fast and remain stable when necessary. You’d think that all of this tech would be a major energy hog but the Holy Stone HS440 still gets an awesome 20 minutes of flight time.

The Holy Stone HS440’s controller is a bit on the cumbersome side but offers some decent performance. It can communicate with the Holy Stone HS440 for up to 1.5 miles.

The Holy Stone HS440 takes pretty good images if the conditions are right but video can be a mixed bag. Contrary to other drones, this one uses a fisheye lens and takes images from a specific part of the sensor. This means that videos are usually smooth and shake free but can suffer from issues like flare and glitchiness. 4k is predictably missing, which is understandable given the drone’s price.

Pros and Cons of the Holy Stone HS440

• Portable body.
• Great battery life.
• Easy to maneuver.
• Mediocre video quality.
• A little bit fragile

SANROCK U52 : Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention

If we could, we’d name the SANROCK U52 as one of the best luxury selfie drones that one could buy. Alas, this kind of drone is a bit of a middle child – not advanced enough to be an effective drone, but not cheap enough to be a good deal.

Regardless, SANROCK owners will be happy to know that the SANROCK U52 is very portable and offers solid image capabilities and stability. Those who are honestly looking for a more expensive selfie drone should check out the Dobby.

The SANROCK U52 is a very small drone that is comparable in size to a small smartphone. The body is made from high-grade plastics and is, contrary to its diminutiveness, not that fragile.

The SANROCK U52 is pretty stable in flight. The addition of several internal electronic image stabilizers means that videos will be nice and smooth.

The SANROCK U52 cannot fly very far though because the battery life is decent at 10-13 minutes – and has a maximum range of 100m, so good for it’s size.

Using your phone as the sole controller means you won’t have to carry a separate controller around, but it also means that you’ll have to deal with the interface, which is hit and miss. Using the automatic tracking features of the Dobby is often easier than manual control.

The camera of the SANROCK U52 shoots 4k images and records up 1080p at 30fps. The aforementioned image stabilization is great for getting crisp, clean images/videos but we still wish that video was a bit better.

Pros and Cons of the SANROCK U52

• Very small package.
• Nice features.
• Not the easiest to use
• Video not as good as stills.
• Kind of a tweener marketing-wise.

TOMZON P5G Drone : Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention

The TOMZON P5G is a great alternative to the DJI series, not to mention one of the best drones overall. Travel with this bad boy may be difficult, however, because of its bulkier design, so in good faith, we could not rank it among the other best drones for travel.

Regardless, it still offers excellent recording, a superior flight experience, and one of the most intuitive controllers on the market.

The TOMZON P5G has one of the most intimidating looking frames out of any of the drones on this list. With 2 legs, 4 arms, and a hanging gimbal, this drone looks military-grade.

This drone is also lighter than it seems weighing in at 3 lbs, though it’s still heavy enough that you’ll probably need to register it with the local authorities.

The TOMZON P5G is bulky and a bit of a headache to pack/unpack. You’ll need a special bag to carry this drone and then need to spend some time getting it ready before a flight.

Performance-wise, there’s not a whole lot to complain about. Video and still quality are excellent and the inclusion of 360-degree rotating gimbal is very convenient. The TOMZON P5G can shoot 4k video of 30 fps and produce 12 Mp stills.

The controller for the TOMZON P5G is awesome but really big at the same time. The controller can stay connected with the drone for about a mile and a half before failing, which is also admirable. Several automated flying modes are available as well and these all function as they should.

Pros and Cons of the TOMZON P5G

• 360 degree 4k camera.
• Very stable and fast.
• Awesome controller.
• Very bulky.
• Can sometimes we prone to unresponsiveness

Hover Camera Passport : Best Travel Drone Honorable Mention

The Hover Camera Passport gets a lot of attention because of its unorthodox design. It is, at the end of the day, a very capable drone, one that can deliver excellent images and is very easy to use.

Though it may be a bit pricey for what it does, the Hover Camera Passport still deserves a nod as one of the best drones for travel.

The Hover Camera Passport has a unique physical form that a) makes it portable and b) makes it fairly sturdy. Near perfectly level and able to fold up for storage, the Hover Camera Passport turns out to be a winner in the design department. When laid flat, it’s about the size of an open book and weighs only 242 grams.

The Hover Camera Passport is made of carbon fiber and is quite durable. The rotors are protected by a cage, which in turn also protects the user’s hands. This is great as we get the impression this drone is meant for up close and personal use and not for sweeping cinematography.

The Hover Camera Passport cannot fly very far and will not last very long in the air. Flight time is only 10 minutes and effective range is a microscopic 65 feet. Again, given the nature of this drone as a glorified selfie stick, it’s not so bad.

Image and video quality are solid in the Hover Camera Passport. 4k is possible, as are 13 Mp photos. A nice touch is the inclusion of a flash, which will come in handy during those indoor shots.

Combined with the Hover’s excellent facial recognition software, which does a superb job of tracking, selfies have never been easier.

Pros and Cons of the Hover Camera Passport

• Very easy to use.
• Great facial recognition software.
• Limited stabilization.
• Limited battery life and range.
• Another expensive selfie drone.

Now, you  could spend a fat chunk of $$$ on the WRONG present for someone. Wrong size hiking boots, wrong fit backpack, wrong shape sleeping bag… As any adventurer will tell you, gear is a personal choice.

So give the adventurer in your life the gift of convenience: buy them an REI Co-op gift card!  REI is The Broke Backpacker’s retailer of choice for ALL things outdoors, and an REI gift card is the perfect present you can buy from them. And then you won’t have to keep the receipt. 😉

Below is a list of considerations that one must take into account before deciding on the best travel drone for themselves. Take note of these aspects and you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking for.

Drones vary in weight somewhat, but thankfully they are rarely cumbersome. Depending on the quality of the drone, and excluding the ultralight selfie ones, you can expect a drone to be between a half pound and 3 pounds.

The greatest factors that determine a drone’s weight are its construction and tech. Generally speaking, the more advanced a drone’s features and build are, the heavier it will be. There are sometimes exceptions but, for the most part, this is a unanimous rule.

A heavier drone has its merits. Aside from being technologically more powerful, heavier drones are more resistant to environmental factors. Wind, which is the bane of every drone’s existence, will have less of an effect on larger drones.

While lighter drones can be driven off-course by as little as a 10 mph gust, larger ones can handle closer to 20 mph. Though given this generalization, even the largest drones will struggle in adverse weather and can fall to the ground.

Given that heavier camera kits can weigh more than 30 lbs when packed, carrying a drone that is less than 5 lbs doesn’t seem so bad. Even the customizable drones – the ones that allow for different lenses – won’t get much heavier at the risk of failing to fly.

Size and Shape

Although drones are usually light enough to avoid scorn from photographers, the size and shape of them can be very frustrating. Bulky, rigid, and sometimes fragile, drones can be very inconveniently shaped.

Considering how many drones are unable to fold, you can see why this is number one reason many photographers shun drones altogether.

There are two types of drone shapes: fixed bodies and foldable bodies . Each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

Fixed bodied drones are the most conventional and common type of drone. Some manage to be packable but in the process often sacrifice a lot in the way of technological features. Most are shaped in such a way that requires special attention. Models like the DJI Phantom and the Yuneec Typhoon will almost always require a special camera backpack to be carried.

Foldable drones are becoming more common these days, thanks to improved R&D, and are generally preferable for travel. Foldable drones are easier to pack and often don’t even need a special compartment. On the other hand, foldable drones can be more prone to breaking due to the extra moving parts involved.

Be aware of what drones are constructed from as well. Plastics are used to cut weight and costs but are more prone to breaking, obviously. Higher quality materials, like carbon fiber, are more resistant but cost a lot more. Consider how much you are willing to pay for durability.

Image Quality

I’m going to preface this section by saying that no drone within a reasonable consumer budget can match the image quality of a DSLR. Without sacrificing an arm and leg or maybe your firstborn child, you’re going to have to temper your expectations when it comes to drone’s image quality.

But you’re buying a drone for the ridiculously cool compositions that you can capture anyway, not necessarily the ability to shoot into the sun.

Most drones have smaller sensors that are less than 1”, the likes of which are commonly found in bridge and point and shoot cameras. As such, drone sensors will generally be less adept at handling harsh lighting or dimly-lit situations; that last condition is a bit of moot point since you shouldn’t be flying your drone in the dark anyway!

Drones with larger sensors, like the DJI Phantom 4 Pro or Mavic 2 Pro will have greater dynamic and image sharpness thanks to their larger, full 1” sensors.

Some drones only offer a fixed FOV and some have the ability to zoom. Most drone lenses are wide to capture those sweeping landscapes, but some drones do have lenses with a narrower angle, which may be good or bad, so take notes.

Drones with zoom lenses are almost always more expensive and offer only a little bit of extra focal flexibility.

Future consumer-level drones will most likely have the ability to change lenses . Rumors are already spreading about the DJI Phantom 5 and its potential ability to use different glass. This bodes well for professional drone pilots.

Fight Time and Distance

This is a biggie – how far and how long you can fly your drone plays a huge part in the nature of your photography or videography. Longer distances and times mean that you can capture more and get some pretty wild compositions in the process.

Having less flight time generally means that your pretty limited what you can capture, so much so that you may only be able to get a selfie.

Most drones get between 10-25 minutes of flight time. Drones that can only fly for 10 minutes are pretty shit and will probably be useless to a lot of people. An ideal drone can fly for at least 20 minutes or more.

The effective range of drones can get pretty wild. The best drones can travel as much as 5 miles before failing. Let it be known that you shouldn’t go near this number for risk of losing the drone altogether.

Being able to travel such distances brings new considerations. Will your battery be enough to get your drone to its maximum effective range and then back again? Do you feel comfortable letting your drone go out of sight? Think about these things.

How fast a drone can travel will obviously play a part in its range and lifespan but I wouldn’t worry too much about this. Most fly at about 35 mph and the best drones will travel at 40+.

Only in special circumstances will a drone travel less than 30 mph and we’ll be sure to tell you about those.

Ease of Use

Not every drone is easy to fly; hell, some of them are so difficult that you’d think they had a deathwish! There are a lot of variables that come into play when trying to fly a drone, from environmental conditions to onboard sensors to your own competence. If one of these things are out of whack, your drone could be in danger of failing or crashing.

That’s why many of our top picks for the best travel drones have instruments to help novice and consumer flyers.

Drones have sensitive sensors to help them navigate and avoid crashing. Instruments like GPS, compasses, and radio receivers are vital to a drone’s success in the field, and any of these can fail.

I’m sure every drone owner first laughed and then cried at the sight of their drone “going down the toilet bowl” because the compass was screwed up.

Moral of the story? You should be aware of how well a drone’s sensors work. Each manufacturer makes more or less better parts for their drones and each drone is more or less better at flying. Even a good drone pilot can be unnerved or undone if all they have to work with is a shitty machine.

Does a drone tend to drift in flight, which is an indicator of poor sensors? Does connectivity drop suddenly mid-fight and cause your heart to suddenly stop? Keep questions like these in mind when looking for the best drone for travel.

Ready to Fly

A drone is not necessarily ready to fly straight out of the box. Some require extra assembly or firmware updates in order to function. Completing these extra steps does require a bit of skill as well, and screwing up an assembly can compromise your drone.

When deciding between the best travel drones, look out for the following acronyms on the box, which indicate if your drone is ready to fly immediately or requires extra work:

RTF – Ready to Fly. Pretty self-explanatory though a little setup may be required. Examples of minor setups include installing propellers, updating the firmware, and connecting the drone to the controller.

BNF – Bind and Fly. This type of drone comes without a controller so you’ll either have to use one that you already have, your smartphone with the proper app, or go out and buy another one. It is very important to make sure that a drone and controller are compatible. Even if they have the same frequency, they may fail to connect because of different manufacturer protocols. Make sure to do your research.

ARF – Almost Ready to Fly. These are DIY kits that require extra assembly and parts. Transmitters and/or receivers are common items that you’ll have to purchase if you buy one of these kits, but all sorts of parts may be missing. Since each AFR package comes with different parts, you’ll have to read about their contents very carefully and decide if the extra effort is worth it.

Replacement Parts and Accessories

Shit happens; drones break, so you need to be able to fix your drone when things go downhill. Buying a drone that has parts readily available on the market is super convenient because this can mean the difference between a brief flight suspension and throwing out a drone completely.

Luckily, most of the major brands, like DJI, have parts available for purchase. If a situation should arise where you can’t fix your drone, it’s probably because the drone is of a cheaper quality and not meant to be fixed, or the company is not large enough to offer replacements.

There are a couple of extra accessories that drone pilots would be smart to carry. An extra set of props would be handy in the case of a mechanical failure. Extra batteries and a portable charger would also be smart. Most importantly though, it’s is vital to have a cover for the gimble as it can break very easily.

Some drones can accommodate filters, like polarizers and NDs, for creative use. Many drone manufacturers produce their own sets of filters for their respective drones, but there are some third-party sellers as well. Do some extra research before buying a set for your new travel drone.

Flight Regulations

Flight regulations are applicable to everyone. Due to safety regulations, legal issues, and the rights to certain airspaces, the use of drones is not guaranteed everywhere. In fact, you’ll probably find that you’ll be unable to actually use your drone more often than ought.

There is a whole code of conduct that one needs to consider when looking for their first travel drone. Study the ethics of flying a civilian drone before buying one and decide if the restrictions are worth your time or not.

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Still have some questions? No problem! We’ve listed and answered the most commonly asked questions below. Here’s what people usually want to know:

How far can the best drone travel?

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro can cover up to 5 miles and the battery life lasts up to an hour which makes it one of the most professional and reliable drones on the market.

Which drone is best for travelling?

We think that the DJI Mavic Air is the best drone for travelling. The camera quality is insane and the value you’re getting perfectly matches the price. It’s also foldable which makes it easy to pack and store.

What is the best travel drone for beginners?

The DJI Phantom 3 is a great drone for beginners thanks to a pretty easy manual and a rigid build.

Are travel drones expensive?

Dronesare definitely not cheap, especially if you want to snap quality videos and pictures. However, there are some budget options. We’d recommend the affordable DJI Spark .

Share or save this post

Thanks for the suggestions! We have the DJI Spark but looking to upgrade.

Have you ever been denied entry to a country because you have a drone, or had one taken away because of a drone ban in the country? If so, which countries

No, this has never happened to me personally. If you want to see which countries ban drones, you should check out this article: https://uavcoach.com/drone-bans/

I like DJI Mavic Air, It is the best drone ever for travel.

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• Travel Tips

Everything You Need to Know Before Traveling With a Drone

It's possible, but there are a few rules you need to follow.

As of August 2021, there were more than 850,000 drones registered in the United States by the FAA. According to Philly By Air , more than 500,000 of those are registered for recreational purposes, meaning a whole lot of people are now having fun flying their new toys all over the place.

Ready to take your drone on the road? Here's everything you need to know about traveling with a drone.

Yes, you can take a drone on a plane — but there are a few rules.

As DJI explains, yes you can take a drone on a plane as either a piece of carry-on luggage, or as a piece of checked luggage , depending on its size. But, no matter what, you must take out the drone's batteries and put those in your carry-on bag .

"This is because bags aren't stored in a pressurized environment, and temperatures won't fluctuate as strongly in the passenger cabin," DJI notes. "Also, with your bag in an overhead compartment, airline staff can respond quickly in an emergency."

Be aware of your battery size.

While you can bring both your drone and batteries on a flight, the batteries need to be under a certain size. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, if your drone's batteries come in below 100 Wh, you can carry as many as you want on the flight, however, if your batteries are between 101 and 160 Wh, you can only bring up to two per flight.

"These limits allow for nearly all types of lithium batteries used by the average person in their electronic devices," the FAA's website explains. "With airline approval, passengers may also carry up to two spare larger lithium-ion batteries (101–160 Wh) or Lithium metal batteries (2-8 grams). This size covers the larger after-market extended-life laptop computer batteries and some larger batteries used in professional audio/visual equipment."

Check out all the local flying laws before you depart.

There's nothing worse than diligently packing up all your gear, getting it on a plane, and arriving only to be told: "no flying allowed." Before you depart on your trip with your drone in hand, make sure to research local flying and photography laws, and apply for any necessary permits before it's too late.

For example, the Pilot Institute notes that the National Park Service does indeed allow people to fly drones in the park, but (and it's a big but), only if "it is done in the aid of scientific studies or research." Sorry, but you can't legally fly one in a national park just to get a sick Instagram shot.

As the policy states , "Launching, landing, or operating an unmanned aircraft from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service within the boundaries of [any park] is prohibited except as approved in writing by the superintendent." So please, just don't even try it.

And outside the U.S., things can get even more strict. For example, if you attempt to fly to the country of Morocco with a drone, it will be seized at the airport.

"Anyone caught in Morocco with a drone must expect the drone to be confiscated," Drone Traveller explains. "In addition, a fine of 1,165 Dirhams (about 110 Euros) must be paid. If you declare your drone upon entering the country, you can hope that you will get it back when leaving it."

Moral of the story: research, research, and research some more on your intended destination's laws. The same goes for attractions and theme parks like Disney World, which absolutely does not allow the use of drones.

In the United States, FAA rules apply, too.

The Pilot Institute importantly adds, no matter where you fly in the U.S., there is still a set of rules put forth by the FAA that you must follow. This includes rules for both recreational flyers and commercial flyers.

"This means that drone flight over crowded areas is still prohibited, as well as over moving vehicles," the Pilot Institute adds. "If you're flying under Part 107 rules and don't have the appropriate waiver, make sure to ground your drone once night-time comes around."

And, regardless of if you're a commercial or recreational flyer, make sure to carry any necessary credentials or permits at all times in case you're asked for them by officials.

See all the FAA rules and regulations for flying a drone here .

Can you still have fun with a drone on your travels?

Though the above seems daunting, the answer is yes! You absolutely can still have fun and take fantastic images with a drone all over the globe. TL;DR: Look at your airline's drone policy, pack your batteries correctly, and get a local permit if you need. Then, read up on a few drone photography tips and see a few photos for inspiration, then go forth and take the best images of your life.

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Taking your drone on vacation? Here's what you need to know in 2022

Apr 28, 2022 • 6 min read

Drones help you see the world from a new angle © Luka Svetic / EyeEm / Getty

No longer just a tool for licensed professionals or a hobby for the wealthy, high-quality drones are now sold at most electronics stores and can be more affordable than a camera without the wings. 

Though, as drone photography reaches new heights (pun intended), so do reports of incidents from amateur drone pilots wreaking havoc .

Beyond the slick appeal of game-changing photography, don't take off on your next trip with a drone until you have a masterful understanding of the red tape, compliance concerns and aviation guidelines in place to ensure safety is the priority.

So before you throw your drone (not your caution) to the wind, use this guide to get you cleared for take-off. 

How to travel with your drone: What is TSA's drone policy? 

TSA's drone policy mostly defers to individual airlines' guidelines when it comes to traveling with drones in-cabin or storing them in checked luggage. TSA's primary concern is with your drone's battery: lithium batteries, fuel cells and components of certain parachute systems may be prohibited in baggage. 

Given that most commercial drones are now relatively small in size, once you've checked your airline's policies, you're likely able to pack it in your carry-on or your checked luggage when flying. Larger specialist drones or higher-end ones may be outside the dimensions for carry-on, especially when in their protective cases.

Keeping expensive equipment in a carry-on case is good practice, as you have more control of how it's handled. Likewise, always pack batteries in a carry-on bag, so they can be stored in a pressurized environment where the temperature is less likely to fluctuate. Most commercial drone batteries have less than 100 Wh (watt-hours), but it’s good to check against the airline’s rules just in case.

Look at the airport security practices for any country you're transiting through. When traveling with your drone through customs be aware that laws vary from country to country, and some places outright ban drones (more on that below). If you’re traveling through security to a country with strict drone laws, it goes without saying you should leave it at home for that particular trip. You could be risking fines or confiscation.

Can you carry a drone on an international flight? Drone regulations around the world

As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) become more commonly used, policymakers are struggling to keep up. While many countries have established laws when it comes to drones, others do not. Regulations can vary, including the maximum height to which aircraft are able to fly to, the areas they are permitted, the distance they can go to buildings and whether or not identity tags are necessary. In the vast majority of cases, UAVs should only be flown while they are still visible to the pilot. 

Where to keep up to date on drone laws and regulations

Leading drone manufacturer DJI has a handy link on their website to local drone laws listed by country which they keep updated regularly. The Global Drone Regulations Database also has a search function that shows recent updates. In the United States, authorities allow tourists to fly drones under the Federal Aviation Administration .

The most important guideline to remember: never fly a drone within a 5-mile radius of any airport.

Always research flight clearance at your intended flight destination before you arrive as rules and ordinances can vary by city and state, and change often. 

The 3 best apps for drones: a map, a forecast and a photo wizard

B4UFly : An FAA-sponsored app for recreational drone pilots that documents where you can and cannot fly in the US. This resource is also the most comprehensive compilation of all airports in the US. The app also provides air clearance options via a text message system depending on your location. 

UAV Forecast : A real-time log of local weather conditions that aid in gauging the wind, visibility and precipitation.

PhotoPills:  Once you're in the clear and ready to fly, PhotoPills is an incredible resource for lining up the perfect shot.

Take a virtual drone tour of the fascinating new excavations in Pompeii

Why your drone's weight matters

Drones over 0.55 lbs (0.25 kg) should be registered on the FAA website , which also has further information available on policy and use. A flying limit of 400 feet high is in place, while pilots should avoid dangerous areas and refrain from flying over crowds. Beginners should consider a compact drone under 0.55 lbs (0.25 kg) to streamline the process of getting into the air. 

Canada has a strict height limit of 295 feet (90 meters), while those operating drones should stay at least five kilometers away from airports, airfields and aircrafts. Further information on the specifics is available through Transport Canada . Italian authorities allow drones compliant with Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) regulations, as long as they are not flown at night, over populated areas or over a height of 229 feet (70 meters), while in Japan drones must keep a minimum distance of 100 feet (30 meters) from people, buildings and vehicles and only fly at a maximum height of 492 feet (150 meters).

Underwater photography contest captures astonishing scenes of animal behavior

Can you fly drones in US national parks? 

Drones are not allowed for recreational or commercial use in US national parks or US national forests. In general, US state parks allow drones unless prohibited through a posted order.

How to photograph Yosemite like Ansel Adams  

Be aware of no-drone zones

While countries have varying rules on things like height and location, some places have outright banned the use of drones. These include:

Algeria Cuba Morocco Nicaragua North Korea

Other countries have very strict or unclear drone regulations and thus, flying is definitely not recommended until policies become clearer. They include:

Barbados Côte d'Ivoire Eygpt Iran Iraq Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Madagascar Saudi Arabia Senegal Syria

Best practices for using your drone on vacation

Many official rules and regulations for the piloting of drones cross over with practical tips that will keep you and your equipment safe. As a general rule it’s always good to have your aircraft in sight, as it can become damaged or even crash. Wildlife and nature should always be taken into account, and it’s good to research if there are any endangered or protected species in the area.

Privacy is another big factor that should be considered, as drones can grant access to hard-to-reach areas that may have been designed to be free from prying eyes. As a courtesy, other people’s personal space in apartments and buildings and in public areas such as beaches should be taken into account. You also should never fly your drone near any military base, any government property or private property. Just because there's a wide-open, remote patch of land does not automatically mean you are free to fly. You are responsible for ensuring proper flight licenses and clearances at all times. 

Recreational drone use is just that: recreational. Once you begin to use your drone skills for profit, you are a professional and need to obtain the proper clearances, licenses and approvals necessary. As previously mentioned, always maintain at least 5 miles distance from airports must be observed, as drones can cause many issues with air traffic.

After all that, there’s nothing left to do except get creative and have fun with your drone!

Step up your Instagram game with these 10 travel photography tips

You might also like:   Best national parks in the US for outdoor photography this summer Step up your Instagram game with these 10 travel photography tips Lonely Planet’s guide to the art of photography  

This article was first published Oct 9, 2019 and updated Apr 28, 2022.

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The best travel drones for 2023

Bring a drone with you on your next trip to capture truly unique angles.

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

Travel drones aren’t just for professional creatives anymore. In the last few years, these pint-sized crafts have become widely accessible thanks to compact and budget-friendly options hitting the market. A travel drone is a great way to capture photos and footage with unique perspectives while you are on the road. It’s a great tool for travel vloggers, filmmakers, or families looking for a way to keep kids entertained on vacation. While you can go seriously Hollywood with your purchase, we think the best drone options are either so compact that they don’t even need to be registered with the FAA or feature a foldable design that makes them easy to slide into a camera backpack. Price can vary widely depending on what types of advanced features that drone might include and the manufacturer. A higher-end consumer drone will typically cost about $2K, while budget options can be as low as $100. In this buying guide, you will find the best travel drones that fit various budgets and use cases.

• Best overall: DJI Mini 3 Pro
• Best budget: Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone
• Best budget mini: Potensic Atom SE
• Best for professionals: DJI Mavic 3
• Best for beginners: Ryze Tech Tello Mini Drone
• Best for photos: Parrot Anafi

How we chose the best travel drones 

When selecting the products in this buying guide, it was important to select a combination of compact travel drones (that don’t need to be registered with the FAA ) and a few full-sized drones aimed at a professional user. We selected products that would fit a range of budgets and skill levels and represented different brands currently on the market. When selecting the drones in this buying guide, we also considered flight time, video capture capability, and advanced features that make specific models stand out in the field. Camera quality and functionality play a key role in our selections. The products that appear in this guide were selected through a combination of hands-on experience, editorial reviews, and user feedback.

The best travel drones: Reviews & Recommendations 

While we offer specific recommendations depending on your usage, many of the drones on this list will work for several kinds of pilots. Be sure to check out the entire list before making a purchase to make sure you’re getting what you need out of your new flying machine.

Mason Marsh

• Weight: Under 249 grams
• Flight Time: 38 minutes 
• Video: 4K 
• No need to register with FAA
• Small and compact 
• Vertical shooting capabilities
• Dedicated controller
• Wind resistant up to 38kph winds
• Expensive for size 
• Visibility in air could be improved 

The DJI Mini Pro 3 claims our spot as best overall travel drone due to its compact size, substantial flight time, and advanced features like 3-way obstacle avoidance. And because this particular drone is under 249 grams, there’s no need to register it with the FAA before you take to the skies. The impressive 38-minute battery life can be extended to 51 minutes when used with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus—a flight time unheard of for most compact drones on the market. It can shoot 4K/60fps video and capture 48-megapixel RAW images; it also features vertical shooting—ideal for capturing social videos for TikTok or Instagram stories. A variety of QuickShot modes make it easy to capture panoramas and pre-programmed dynamic flight patterns. It has a fast F/1.7 lens, which means it will perform well at sunset or on overcast days, plus it features wind resistance up to 38kph so that it can withstand a bit of turbulence. The DJI Mini Pro 3’s all-in-one RC-N1 controller has a nicely sized 5-inch screen, eliminating the need to use your smartphone while flying. The DJI Mini Pro packs pro-level features into a super compact package that can easily fit into a camera backpack. Although it’s on the pricey side for its size, we think the advanced features make it a worthy investment for taking on your next adventure. 

Read our full review : DJI Mini Pro 3

• Weight: 149 grams
• Flight Time: 20 minutes
• Video: 1080p 
• Affordable price point
• Easy-to-use controller
• Compact size 
• In air flip mode 
• No wind resistance 
• Limited flight time 

The Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone is a great option if you are looking for a travel drone that won’t break the bank. At under $100, this is one of the most affordable compact drones on the market. Its compact size also means it doesn’t require registration with the FAA—making it a nice choice for care-free flying.  The Holy Stone has a 120-degree “first-person view” camera and can shoot 1080p video. Flight time is shorter than other compact drones, and this drone lacks wind resistance, but this is to be expected, given the super low price point. The Holy Stone does include fun pre-programmed flight patterns like in-air flips, and features like altitude hold and landing assists. Intuitive in-app features allow users to control the drone through gestures or draw a flight path for the drone to follow. This is a great travel drone if you aren’t looking to spend a fortune to capture your out-of-town adventures. 

• Camera: 12 MP
• Video quality: 4K at 30 fps
• Max flight time: 31 minutes
• Onboard storage: None
• Super light foldable design
• No FAA registration required
• GPS connectivity at an affordable price
• Image quality could be better; only 30 FPS
• User control interface has a bit of a learning curve

The Potensic Atom SE folds down to just 3.5 x 5.6 x 2.3 inches and weighs less than the FAA’s registration limit of 250 grams. Those numbers make it one of the lightest and most compact drones we’ve ever tested. Like the DJI Mini 3 Pro, the Atom SE features built-in wind resistance that can keep the craft steady in gusts up to 38 kph. In more ideal wind conditions, it can stay airborn for up to 30 minutes on a single charge.

While the Atom SE’s camera shoots 4K video and offers decent still image quality for the money, it’s not the sharpest imagery we’ve seen from and the footage doesn’t tops out at 30 FPS. But, the positives still far outweigh the negatives. This drone’s built-in image stabilization performs very well, and we found the GPS connectivity and return-to-home features extremely reliable. Commanding the drone with the included controller is simple once it’s up in the air. The software and user interface, however, require a bit of studying and calibration before taking to the skies. The setup could be more straightforward. All in all, the Potensic Atom SE is a very solid choice for beginner drone users looking to learn the ropes and have fun while saving money and minimizing risk.

Dan Bracaglia

• Weight: 895 grams
• Flight Time: 46 minutes
• Video: 5.1K
• 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera 
• Advanced Omnidirectional Object sensing 
• 15-kilometer transmission range 
• Smart return to home feature 
• Folding design 
• Expensive, over 2K 
• Requires registration with FAA 

If you are looking for a travel drone with all the pro-level features, look no further. The DJI Mavic 3 is the priciest option on our list, and because of its larger size must be registered with the FAA, but its foldable design still makes it an excellent option for travel. The DJI Mavic 3 is equipped with a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and a sensor that provides 12.8 stops of dynamic range—making for footage that has a lot more detail in both the highlights and the shadows. It can shoot 5.1K video up to 50fps, 4K video up to 120fps, and capture 20-megapixel 12-bit RAW stills. It has an impressive flight time of 46 minutes, a 15-kilometer transmission range, and advanced features like omnidirectional object sensing, with improved range—giving users way more time to react and prevent crashing into a tree while flying. Other pro-level features include Advanced Return To Home, which will automatically bring your drone back to you using the most energy-efficient route. Although the DJI Mavic 3 is expensive, the top-level features and impressive camera make it well worth the price point. 

Read our full review : DJI Mavic 3

• Weight: 79.9 grams 
• Flight Time: 13 minutes
• Video: 720p 
• Lightweight build 
• DJI-powered flight controller 
• Good for kids 
• Very short flight time 
• Only capable of shooting 720p video

Ryze Tech Tello Mini Drone Quadcopter is a great choice for the novice drone pilot. Although its flight time is much shorter than some of the other drones in this buying guide and video is limited to 720p, it’s extremely easy to operate. It also happens to have a DJI-powered flight controller for performing in-air tricks. The drone’s mobile programming app supports Scratch, which allows users to program corresponding movements using coding blocks. It can shoot 5-megapixel photos, and pre-programmed modes like Circle-360 and Up & Away make it easy to capture short clips even if you don’t know how to fly. Overall, this is a great starter drone for kids and adults who want to capture an aerial perspective while traveling. 

• Weight: 707 grams
• Flight Time: 25 minutes 
• Capable of capturing 21-megapixel images 
• Features timer and burst mode shooting options
• Built around a Sony CMOS sensor
• Not great in low light 

If you primarily want to capture photos with your drone, the Parrot Anafi is a great choice. It can shoot 4K video at 60fps, but it really shines as a tool for photographers. The Parrot Anafi is built around a Sony CMOS sensor with a unique camera that offers a vertical 180-degree field of view. It has a vertical folding design that makes it easy to slide into a backpack with other gear—making it an ideal choice for travel. The navigation app is intuitive and easy to use. The price point falls right in the middle of the pack, making this an appealing option for a wide variety of budgets. 

What to consider when choosing a travel drone

When shopping for a travel drone, you should consider your budget and how you will be using the drone first and foremost.

We live in a 4K world at the moment, but camera tech doesn’t necessarily stop there. Some higher-end drones can capture 5K and beyond, allowing oversampled 4K footage with more detail or simply a bigger frame so you can crop in later while maintaining a full-res picture. Ideally, you’ll get 4K footage at 60fps with a reasonable megapixel count for photos. Of course, you’ll want to think about how you will use that footage later on. You may not need 4K at a high framerate if you’re trying to make a simple travel blog. In fact, it may hinder your editing process. Find a balance between easy edibility and high quality, then stick with it.

You’re traveling with these machines, so you want them to be as light as possible. Most only weigh a few pounds at most. But be sure to note the 250g threshold. A drone weighing 250 grams or more requires registration with the FAA before you can fly. Conveniently, our top pick on this list weighs 249 grams for this exact reason.

Obstacle avoidance

While drones have gotten easier to fly in recent years, you still have to navigate the learning curve. Unfortunately, tons of trees, houses, and power lines are littering that learning curve. Higher-end drones offer dedicated object avoidance systems that automatically stop a craft from smacking into something it shouldn’t. Top-tier models offer object avoidance in almost every direction, but more consumer models typically only see in front of them and sometimes to the side. It’s a nice touch if you’re learning and want to minimize possible damage.

Some high-end drones can go nearly 20 miles away from their pilots, but local regulations and practical considerations make that unlikely for most users. If you’re considering two drones and opting toward one because it has a longer range, just be sure you will need that range. If all you plan is to fly it up into your neighborhood or over the lake, you don’t need a massive flight area.

Flight time

Drone batteries are small, and the juice inside can fade fast if conditions are less than perfect. Every gust of wind or fancy maneuver requires more power to execute. Our top pick, the DJI Mini 3 Pro, promises “up to 34 minutes” of flight time, but that “up to” is doing a lot of work. Add wind or complex movements, and that will drop quickly. You also couldn’t stay fully airborne for 34 minutes unless you’re cool with the craft falling out of the sky once the battery is exhausted.

Should you buy the Fly More combo?

DJI typically offers its drones on their own or as part of a Fly More combo, which includes a carrying case, extra rotors, and (most importantly) extra batteries. The Fly More combos typically offer a better deal than buying all the products together. And since you’re definitely going to want extra batteries (and a dedicated charger that can handle more than one cell at once), we recommend you invest upfront.

Q: What type of drone is best for long-distance flying?

Generally speaking, the more expensive a drone is, the longer it will be able to stay in the air and have a longer transmission signal. Consumer drones that are best for long-distance flying include the DJI Mavic 3, which has a 15-kilometer transmission range and an impressive flight time of 46 minutes. While toy drones have a much more limited transmission range and flight time. Regardless of how far you are flying a drone, it’s important to keep it within sight.

Q: What to avoid when flying a travel drone?

Even if you are flying a compact drone that doesn’t need to be registered with the FAA, there are a number of things that you should avoid. You should keep your drone at or below 400 feet and have it within sight while flying. Don’t fly drones near airports, in restricted airspace, near emergency response efforts, or over stadiums or sporting events. Although many drones feature wind resistance, it’s also best to avoid flying your drone in inclement weather. 

Q: Are travel drones worth it?

If you are looking for a fun way to capture images and video footage away from home, a compact travel drone is a great way to do it. Whether you are bringing along an ultra-compact drone that doesn’t need to be registered with the FAA, or a more advanced foldable drone—these flying machines offer a unique perspective. Yes, we absolutely think that travel drones are worth the investment. 

Final thoughts on the best travel drones 

A travel drone is a great way to capture unique aerial perspectives with ease and is a worthy investment for travel vloggers, filmmakers, or families looking for a fun way to document their vacation. The DJI Mini 3 Pro takes the cake for being the best overall travel drone thanks to its impressive flight time, compact size, and video and photo capabilities. Although it’s small enough that you don’t need to register it with the FAA before you fly, it still manages to pack many pro-level features into its tiny body. If you are interested in a travel drone to capture your adventures, we recommend checking out any of these top options.  

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.

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How to capture your travels with a drone

From breathtaking bird’s-eye views to sweeping scenic shots, photographer and drone specialist Rebecca Douglas shares her top tips for taking travel photos from up high.

It goes without saying that most travellers love taking photos and videos of the destinations they visit. Over the years, technology has made capturing the beauty of these locations more effortless and now modern drone technology is offering travellers the opportunity to appreciate these places from a completely different perspective — from above.

UK-based photographer and drone specialist Rebecca Douglas is passionate about telling the aerial-visual story of her visits to various destinations. Throughout her photography career, using drones has allowed her to capture an array of remarkable shots. Once expensive, heavy pieces of equipment that required a licence to fly, drones are now more compact, portable and affordable. Here, Rebecca shares some inspiration and her advice for first-time drone users on how to make the most of capturing the world from another angle.

How has drone technology changed?

I started working with drones in 2016 and got my licence as a drone pilot. The large drones that you need a licence to fly are a significant piece of kit, often weighing in at more than three pounds. The drone I use now, which I don't need a licence for, fits in the palm of my hand and is much easier to be mobile with. It’s quite mind blowing how much the drone technology has evolved in such a short space of time — they're getting smaller and smaller, but what you get from them is more and more impressive. The video and picture quality is better, you get better flying time from them, and they’re easy to pop into a bag — even when you’re out hiking or exploring, they’re just a really versatile piece of kit to use.

Do you have any favourite locations to shoot with a drone?

I love shooting by the sea. I’m very lucky to live on the coast and it’s so easy to take my drone out because it's so lightweight. My husband is Scottish, so I shoot a lot in Scotland. I love Iceland, too — I’ve been in all seasons, but winter is my favourite time to visit. When you get above anywhere with water, you really understand how water shapes the landscape. You can see nature repeating patterns within itself, like how river estuaries can look like veins through a leaf. It’s so cool when you get to see that from a different perspective.

What are the main challenges you face as a drone photographer?

With particularly small drones, wind speed can sometimes be an issue. Weather can be another — it’s vital to check the weather conditions online before you fly. Most drones have manufacturing limits on temperatures, so make sure you’re not flying if it’s too hot (over 40C) or too cold (less than 0C), as you might run into issues.

What are your top tips for using a drone?

Many people tell me about how they’ve crashed and ruined their drones on the first flight. So make sure you practice first — don’t buy a drone and get on a plane and go on holiday, then try to start learning with it. If you’re thinking of going for a trip, get it beforehand and take it somewhere with a nice open space and just fly it. Practice landing, practice taking off, and start getting used to manoeuvring it around and seeing what it can do. You want to feel like flying a drone is as comfortable as something you do almost automatically.

When you’re flying, it’s helpful to have someone with you to provide support. You must always maintain a visual line of sight with your drone and know exactly where it is in the sky, so a second pair of eyes to watch out for birds or manned aviation is especially useful. Even just to keep an eye on other people around you. They can remind you to monitor the controller and look at the battery life to make sure that you’re not miles away over water as you’re about to lose battery.

Are there certain rules you need to follow when flying your drone?

Yes, and it’s important to always check local regulations online wherever you’re planning to fly because everywhere is different. In Iceland, for example, you are not allowed to fly your drone over a lot of the iconic waterfalls. There are also ‘textbook’ things such as a maximum height and distance that you’re allowed to fly. In some countries, the maximum distance is from where you stand to as far as you can see the drone, but others have a cut-off at a certain number of metres. Know the ‘no fly’ zones, too, such as airports and military places.

How do you capture a great drone shot?

Think about the best times of day to shoot, such as the golden hour, and think about how you’re going to compose your shot. Once you get the drone in the air, you can start to play with what you’re looking at and the angles that you’re shooting. You can shoot in auto mode, or if you’re slightly more advanced, try the manual mode, where you can control the ISO, shutter speed and exposure.

For Hungry Minds

Related topics.

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• ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
• DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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Best Affordable Drones for Travel

By: Author Dan Bayne

Posted on August 1, 2023

The past few years have been significant for the drone community as multiple drone models from multiple manufacturers have been released regularly.

This trend continues to accelerate with no sign of slowing in the immediate future.

Likewise, with worldwide pandemic restrictions easing up quite a bit, personal and recreational travel has also been on the rise over the past few years.

It has been inevitable for the paths of drones and travel to eventually cross and we are glad they have.

While new drones appear to be released every quarter now, some of these with seemingly steep price tags, affordability is relative.

The best affordable drones for travel include DJI Mini 3 Pro, Autel Evo Nano Plus, DJI Mini 3, and Autel Evo Nano.

So, with this in mind, we’ll be looking at the best travel drones under USD 1,000 from DJI and Autel.

To help, we’ve identified and reviewed the best drone courses for beginners and professionals.

Considerations

The most popular type of drone now is clearly foldable drones, with most, if not almost all drone manufacturers making some sort of folding drone.

Foldable drones are ideal for travel and adventure purposes alike.

When looking for a travel drone, the following considerations are important:

• Size/Footprint
• Photo and/or video quality

RC Signal Strength

As drones get more advanced, in many cases, they have also begun to shrink in size, with more technology being packed into a smaller footprint.

Long gone are the days of needing a Phantom 4 Pro to shoot 20mp photos when there are so many options of foldable drones offering camera specs that are either equal to, if not higher than, DJIs workhorse Pro-level drones.

When on vacation or at a travel destination, oftentimes, space in a purse, sling bag, photography bag, or backpack is at a premium.

Because of this, the size and weight of a drone and its accompanying peripherals are very important.

Considering if your drone will be able to fit into whatever you choose to carry it in is a must.

Thankfully there are affordable foldable drones that range in size (when folded) from being able to fit on the palm of your hand to just under the dimensions of an average-sized woman’s shoe.

As people travel all over the world, and not just within the United States, the weight of a travel drone is also very important.

This is because, in some countries, hobbyists are not permitted to fly drones over a certain weight, oftentimes 250g.

In other countries, if the drone is over a certain weight (generally 250g), the drone must be registered with that country’s flight or airspace authority.

If planning on going to a country where unsure of the limitations placed on the type or weight of drones, it is best to do a bit of research on that country’s drone laws and then pack a sub-250g drone if flying there is permitted.

Thankfully, both Autel and DJI offer excellent drones that fit in the sub-250g category.

In addition to local government weight restrictions, having a lightweight drone is actually ideal for travel, as the minimal weight of the drone in a travel bag or backpack minimizes the likelihood of it becoming a weight burden when carried from location to location.

Photo & Video Quality

One of the reasons to bring a drone on travel is to take memorable pictures and videos of the surrounding areas.

To get the best images, you’ll want a drone that can shoot, at a minimum, 12mp photos. 12mp is equal to what many cell phones currently shoot, including the iPhone 13.

There are also foldable drones that can shoot native 20mp photos with 1″ and micro 4/3 camera sensors as well, at a higher price point.

In the video department, 4k is the current standard for video resolution.

Thankfully there are quite a few drones in this article that are capable of shooting in 4k resolutions at varying FPS (frames per second).

The strength of the signal between the drone and remote controller is very important, although oftentimes overlooked.

While we don’t condone flying drones for miles beyond visual line of sight, we are fans of systems with strong signal strengths.

A strong connection between the drone and RC helps protect against disconnects due to interference or tall obstructions (like trees and hills/mountains).

When traveling and flying in unfamiliar surroundings, having strong signal strength can mean the difference between the drone returning to you or being lost in the woods, forest, jungle, or even out to sea.

Bonus: Propeller Sound

While this isn’t a necessity, it is also good to consider the sound of the drone’s propellers when out and about.

Various drones have different pitches, based on the size and angle of the props. As drones get better technology, they also get better in the pitch/sound department.

To date, the Mini 3 Pro is one of the quietest drones on the market. Why is this important?

With national and worldwide attention being placed on drones, many people have negative views or misconceptions about drones in general.

Seeing, or, better yet, hearing one can oftentimes cause undo issues or confrontations.

Having a very quiet, non-attention-grabbing drone is a benefit when traveling abroad, especially when getting the perfect shots where it is legal to do so.

• DJI Air 2S – A Complete Real-World Review
• Autel Evo Lite+ Review

After taking into consideration size, weight, and photo & video quality, here are our current four picks for the best affordable drones for travel, under $1000.00 .

Although there are other excellent foldable drones by DJI and Autel that come close to the $1000 mark, they are larger and at least twice the weight of the drones in this list.

1. DJI Mini 3 Pro

Lightweight and Foldable Camera Drone

• 4K/60fps Video
• 34-min Flight Time
• Tri-Directional Obstacle Sensing, Integrated RC and screen

✅ Pros

• Price – various combos to choose from, for every budget
• 12mp/48mp photos
• Tri-directional vision sensors
• Subject Tracking
• Plus-sized battery options (up to 47 minutes of flight time)
• Ability to use RC-N1, DJI RC, and DJI RC Pro remote controllers
• Lower propeller pitch
• Operation range of 7 miles (12 kilometers)

❌ Cons

• No 1″ image sensor
• No cooling fan – can overheat when stationary

It goes without saying that the Mini 3 Pro has been a drone favorite for the past year or so. The Mini 3 Pro has something for the drone enthusiast and beginner alike.

The Mini 3 Pro makes the perfect drone for travel because it thoroughly ticks off the four considerations mentioned earlier:

• Photo & video quality
• Signal strength

Because of its small size, the Mini 3 Pro can be packed in most types of bags easily.

In addition to its small size, the Mini 3 Pro has less annoyingly pitched propellers than most foldable drones.

This is a great feature as it attracts less attention than larger drones, perfect when trying to get pictures and videos of nearby travel hotspots.

With the release of the Mini 3 Pro was the DJI RC. As a lower-priced alternative to the DJI RC Pro, the DJI RC is the perfect companion.

Using the lightweight DJI RC, it is possible to get the Mini 3 Pro up in the air quicker, as only the DJI RC and Mini 3 Pro need to be turned on, as opposed to turning on the drone, and controller and then connecting a cell phone.

Using the DJI RC instead of the RC-N1 connected to a cellphone frees up the cellphone to receive or make calls while flying, something that may, in certain situations, be important when traveling abroad.

The Mini 3 Pro weighing less than 250g, makes it ideal for flying in countries where 250g is the weight limit hobbyists can fly.

Additionally, if traveling and flying in the United States, the Mini 3 Pro will not need to be registered, as long as it stays below the 250g mark.

Adding prop guards and the Plus-sized battery push it past the 250g threshold, meaning it will then need to be registered.

Regarding the Mini 3 Pros camera, it has a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with a very  large fixed aperture at f1.7,  which allows it to take in more light than the f2.8 aperture many drones have.

The Mini 3 Pro is capable of shooting 12mp and 48mp photos in JPG and RAW image formats.

Not only that, the Mini 3 Pro can shoot vertical pictures and videos, perfect for showing off great-looking pictures and videos on social media sites.

For video, the Mini 3 Pro can shoot in resolutions up to 4k at 60 FPS (frames per second), meaning it is able to shoot slower motion video in true 4k resolution .

» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Pro: One-Year Review (with Video)

2. Autel Evo Nano Plus

Lightweight and Foldable Camera Drone with 4K/30FPS HDR Video, 50MP Photo1/1.28"(0.8") CMOS RYYB Sensor, Tri-Directional Obstacle Sensing,3-Axis Gimbal, 3-Way Obstacle Avoidance.

• 12mp/50mp Photos
• Excellent low-light capabilities
• Current sale pricing
• No Geofencing (US)
• Limited geofencing (in certain countries)
• Operation range of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers)
• Slightly finicky flight software (Autel Sky App)
• Mediocre subject tracking
• 1 battery option
• Only 28 minutes of flight time
• 1 bulky remote controller option
• No onboard storage

For those wanting a non-DJI option for travel, Autel has given DJI stiff competition.

Because Autel added so many advanced features to the Evo Nano Plus, it has sold an impressive amount of units, in a way forcing DJI to match or exceed the Nano Plus technical options with its release of the Mini 3 Pro four months later.

Like the Mini 3 Pro, the Evo Nano Plus is a sub 250g drone, which is ideal for travel, especially in countries where flying sub 250g drones is required for hobbyists.

Unlike the Mini 3 Pro, the Evo Nano Plus has a few different color options, enabling owners to choose the perfect cosmetic fit for themselves.

Of course, this has no bearing on the flight characteristics, but it is nice to have options to choose from.

The Evo Nano Plus has a 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor and takes excellent photos and videos.

With this sensor, the Nano Plus takes not only 12mp photos but also takes 50mp photos, which is impressive for such a small drone.

One of the highlights of the Evo Nano Plus camera is that it takes excellent low-light photos, something perfect for capturing beautiful sunsets while traveling abroad.

The Nano Plus has a vibrant look when recording video, something many can appreciate as less color grading is needed in post-production.

One can easily film and post videos straight out of the Nano Plus, confident in the out-of-camera color.

For video, the Evo Nano Plus can shoot in resolutions up to 4k at 30 FPS (frames per second).

This is 30 frames per second less than the Mini 3 Pro, but not bad if you are not wanting to get slower motion 4k 60fps shots while traveling.

While we like the feel of the Nano Plus and standard Nano remote controller (which is shaped like an XBOX-style controller), the included remote controller is bulky and slightly cumbersome when packing it into bags, unlike the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 3 line of drones.

Something the Nano line of drones benefits from, including the standard non-Plus version, is no geofencing in the United States and limited geofencing or warning zones in various countries.

This means that you’ll be able to fly unrestricted in various locales. Of course, we do suggest getting the proper airspace authorizations prior to flying, regardless of the country you are flying in.

» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Pro vs. Autel Evo Nano+ (Here’s our Choice)

3. DJI Mini 3

Lightweight and Foldable Mini Camera Drone with 4K HDR Video, 38-min Flight Time, True Vertical Shooting, and Intelligent Features.

• Same 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor as the Mini 3 Pro
• Vertical shooting
• 38 & 51 Minute battery life options (Standard & Plus)
• Ability to use RC-N1 and DJI RC remote controllers
• Multiple combo options
• Operation range of 6.2 miles (12 kilometers)
• No internal storage
• No obstacle avoidance
• No subject tracking (Active Track)

If opting to go with the DJI Mini 3 without the DJI RC, we have an extremely capable, entry-level drone for under USD 500 , when purchasing the standard RC-N1 remote controller.

With its small footprint, the Mini 3 flies and handles similarly to the Mini 3 Pro, which is a very good thing, as it is nimble and responds to stick input immediately.

The Mini 3 is easy enough for a person new to drones to pick up and fly, and also fun for seasoned pros to fly.

Similar to the Mini 3 Pro, the Mini 3 likewise has a 48mp photo option. Additionally, the 12mp photo option looks great and both can be taken in portrait orientation due to the physical vertical mode.

As there is a fixed f1.7 aperture, the Mini 3 lets a lot of light into the camera, lending to very good low-light imagery.

One of the stand-out features the Mini 3 shares with its sibling the Mini 3 Pro is the two different battery options.

The Mini 3 gets an impressive 38 minutes of flight time with the standard battery and an incredible 51 minutes with the Plus battery option.

When using the Plus battery option, however, the weight of the Mini 3 exceeds 250g and will then need to be registered, in the US.

The Mini 3 also uses the DJI RC remote controller, although a combo with the Standard RC-N1 can be purchased at a substantially less price.

The DJI RC works with the Mini 3 exactly as it does with the Mini 3 Pro.

4. Autel Evo Nano

249g Ultralight Foldable Drone, 3-Axis Gimbal with 4K Camera, 48MP Photos, 3 Way Obstacle Avoidance, 28 Mins Flight, SkyPortrait, 10km HD Transmission, Orange.

• Sonar Sound
• 12/48mp Photos
• Multiple colors to choose from
• 1/2″ Camera Sensor

Continuing with the theme of sub-250g drones, the Autel Evo Nano has fewer features than its sibling, the Nano Plus, but all at USD 100+ less , which many might appreciate.

Although having slightly fewer features, such as a smaller camera, the Evo Nano is still a capable Mini Drone.

The Evo Nano can take 12mp and also denser 48mp photos, like the more expensive Evo Nano Plus, as well as shoot in 4k 30fps (frames per second) HDR video.

Something some might appreciate, especially those traveling abroad, is the ability to record dialogue and sounds through the Autel Sky app while flying the drone.

This leaves open the option to narrate while flying the drone in unique locations.

Like the Evo Nano Plus option, the Nano has tri-directional obstacle avoidance which not only keeps it a little safer when flying but adds the ability to track moving subjects.

These features are fairly rare in an entry-level sub-259g drone.

Whereas the two DJI Mini 3 drones have two types of batteries (the standard and Plus options), the Nano, as well as Nano Plus, only have the one-sized option, which will get around 28 minutes of flight time.

While this is a decent amount of time, having something closer to 40 or even 50 minutes would be even better.

Evo Nano owners will be happy to know that, like the Nano Plus, the Nano has no geofencing restrictions when flying in the United States, and limited warning zones in various other countries.

13 Manned Passenger Drones and Drone Taxis That Carry Humans (Updated July 2021)

One of the reasons we launched DroneTrader was to not only provide a listing service for used UAVs but to also one day have a platform ready where people can go to list their used manned passenger drones.

We feel that the future of drones is not just for taking great aerial photos and gathering data.  It’s also finally giving us the “flying cars” that humankind has been talking about for so many years.

If you ask us, personal transportation by your own personal unmanned aircraft can’t come soon enough! Imagine your daily commute with no more traffic jams, no traffic lights, no construction delays…

It wasn’t that long ago that this was the stuff of dreams.

Not anymore .

Over the past decade there have been multiple companies designing and building personal unmanned aircraft. Drones for humans are starting to show great potential, and many are targeting prices of only around $200,000!

Many are also well into testing with real humans on board. Exciting stuff!

Here is our list of 13 passenger drones and drone taxis (updated July 2021).

1. dcl big drone.

The Drone Champions League is the world’s largest live drone racing league.

They’ve recently developed the world’s first manned stunt drone . Flight testing shows the machine performing rolls, loops and more!

Their long term vision is to race manned drones (Star Wars pod racers anyone?)

2. Workhorse SureFly

The Workhorse Surefly first made its debut back in 2017 and since then has garnered significant international attention. Almost all of the passenger drones on this list use electric power to generate lift. The Workhorse Surefly is unique in that it uses both a gasoline generator  and  electric battery packs as backups should the generator fail.

With a strong focus on safety, the Surefly uses 8 propellers for flight, all independently powered. Built-in algorithms allow it to fly with as few as four propellers. Deploying a ballistic parachute is also a possibility in case of an emergency.

3. Ehang 184

Early on the scene, the eHang 184 was one of the first drones built for human transportation. It is one of the few companies that has already tested extensively with human passengers (over 1000 test flights!). It is also one of the most compact passenger drones we’ve covered here.

Similar to the Surefly, it uses 8 propellers and it can travel about 10 miles in a single flight. Unlike some of the others on this list, the flight can be completely hands off with no pilot input .

Ehang has extensive experience in building consumer UAV flight programs and uses similar algorithms to control their autonomous passenger aircraft.

Ehang is also looking to provide a drone taxi service to alleviate traffic congestion and speed up morning commutes.

4. Boeing/AFS Passenger Air Vehicle

Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, is developing 2 and 4 seat variants of their PAV and have completed early flight testing. The vehicle is fully electric and designed for a range of up to 50 miles.

The system has unique “falcon wing” style doors that allows for easy entry and exits for passengers. The system flies completely autonomously.

5. Kittyhawk Flyer

Founded by Google co-founder Larry Page, the Kittyhawk Flyer is more of a personal flying car than a fully autonomous passenger drone.

It is fully electric and has about a 20 minute flight time. No less than 10 large fans  power this drone. Specialty software helps to smooth control inputs and stabilize the flight.

Due to fitting inside the FAA ultralight regulations, the Flyer will be much more accessible to the public than other drones once they’re available.

6. Kittyhawk Cora

An offshoot of the Kittyhawk Flyer above, the Cora was designed strictly as an air taxi . It uses 12 propellers for the VTOL portion of its flight. For forward flight, it uses a pair of high lift wings and a rearward facing thruster.

It recently received backing from the New Zealand government which is looking to rapidly decrease emissions over the next years via electric transportation.

New Zealand was also one of the only places in the world that was willing to work with Kittyhawk in terms of the regulatory hurdles that were keeping it grounded in the USA.

The UAV is completely self-piloting.

7. Volocopter 2X

The German engineered and built Volocopter probably looks the most like a traditional helicopter. It has all of its propellers mounted at the top of the airframe. The Volocopter uses no less than  18  propellers to power its flight. Also, it is one of the few to use fiber optic cables for its communication networks.

The Volocopter 2X is one of the few passenger drones that holds a parachute in case of an emergency.

It uses a single joystick for flight control and is ready for complete autonomous human flight once the regulations do finally catch up to allow it.

The Volocopter recently completed the first flights over Dubai, which is pushing to have the first fully functioning drone taxi system in the world.

8. Uber Elevate

Having already disrupted the taxi industry in a big way, Uber shows no signs of stopping with their recent initiative, Uber Elevate. They call Uber Elevate an “on-demand aviation” service, similar to what they currently offer in the world of automobiles, but for the air.

The company envisions a world where a VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) autonomous taxis will show up at the nearest VTOL landing pad after travellers request one via an app.

They feel that with enough volume, VTOL will become just as affordable as regular transport via automobile and will greatly increase quality of life for those with long daily commutes.

Uber has lofty goals but also has the capital to back them up. They are aware of any potential regulatory, engineering, and safety concerns and are working hard to address them. We are excited for the time when their aerial taxis go mainstream (great whitepaper writeup here )!

9. City Airbus   Passenger Drone

Airbus has many decades of experience in the aviation industry. With their vast reserves of capital and engineering prowess, we expect that their passenger drone will be nothing short of a success.

The maiden flight of the aircraft lasted 53 seconds and hovered just 16 feet from the ground. Zero human input required!

10. Lilium Jet

The Lilium Jet is arguably one of the best looking passenger drones on the list. It is completely electric and boasts a 300km range and a 300km/hr top speed. Like Uber, this company is looking to provide on-demand air taxi service that you would simply request from an app.

The company claims the Lilium Jet will travel 70km in 15 minutes. This would be a fantastic option for commuters looking to speed up a tedious commute! They expect the general public to be able to book a Lilium Jet by the early 2020s.

11. Astro Aerospace   Passenger Drone

When launched, this drone was simply titled “Passenger Drone”; it was recently purchased by Astro Aerospace and the project has since been called “Elroy”. This manned drone is constructed completely of carbon fiber and has a strong focus on passenger comfort.

Their TouchFlight system allows for passengers to fly the drone autonomously or manually. The 16 rotors allow for redundancy should a motor fail mid-flight.

They recently hired Paul Beard, CEO of  www.uavionix.com  to head their development team. Recently they were approved for flights in Canada by Transport Canada , an exciting step for manned passenger drone flights!

12. Tactical Robotics Cormorant   Drone

The Cormorant is unique in that it targets the emergency and first responder market. They have built a passenger drone that will allow for rapid access to disaster areas and the extrication of casualties.

The drone can deliver up to 500 kg of cargo or equipment. Remotely operated control arms for specialty missions make this manned drone one-of-a-kind. Ducted fan-style motors allow for increased safety when flying in hazardous or crowded conditions.

Like some of the other drones listed here, the Cormorant has an integrated parachute system that safely lowers the drone & payload in case of powertrain failure.

13. Omni Hoverboard Drone

The Omni Hoverboard drone recently made news when it was spotted flying through traffic! This drone is built to carry a single human and looks like a cross between a hoverboard and a skateboard. According to the manufacturer the drone has fully redundant power systems and can lose power to two motors and still be able to land.

The CEO of Omni Hoverboards Alexandru Duru states that the craft, although completely custom, uses very simple electronics to keep this human carrying drone reliable and safe as possible.

In Conclusion

I’ll be first in line to try out a human passenger drone when they are available to the general public! What about you?

A Drone is an unpiloted vehicle or spacecraft .

• Most drone spacecraft are considered U-class Utility Craft .
• They are known by a variety of names.
• They come in every size, mission, and type imaginable from nanocytes to munition-sized microdrones to mesodrone small-craft to macrodrone big craft.

• 1 Library Data Referral Tree
• 2.1 Image Repository
• 2.2 Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)
• 2.3.1 Size-Class Roles for Drones
• 2.4 Supraclass Archetypal Roles
• 3.1 Selected Variant Types & Classes
• 3.2 Ship Summary List
• 4 References & Contributors (Sources)

Library Data Referral Tree [ edit ]

Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information: Starship :

• Civilian Ship
• Military Ship
• Non-Commercial Vessel
• Paramilitary Ship
• Ship Mission Code / Supraclass
• Ship Type Code / Superclass
• Ship Class Code / Class
• Model ( TL )
• Adventure Class Ship
• Battle Class Ship
• Capital Ship
• Fleet Class Ship
• Size-Role Classification
• Subcapital Ship
• World Class Ship
• Non-starship
• System Craft
• Astronomical Unit ( AU )
• Light Speed ( c )
• Light-week ( lw )
• Light-year ( ly )
• NAFAL ( STL )
• Parsec ( pc )

Description ( Specifications ) [ edit ]

Drones: These are vehicles that are controlled by an operator from another point, usually a starship. Unlike missiles, drones are not built to be used up with each mission but are intended to be reused. However, since they have no crew, they can be abandoned or placed at great risk if necessary. [1]

Image Repository [ edit ]

No information yet available.

Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine) [ edit ]

Supraclass roles [ edit ].

Drone s typically serve the following roles:

• Combat Drone (UDQ)
• Construction Drone (UDG)
• Countermeasure Drone (UDQ)
• Courier Drone (UDX)
• Deception Drone (UDL)
• Defense Drone (UDQ)
• Drone (ZD) (Namesake)
• Fire Support Drone (UDQ)
• Fuel Drone (UDF)
• Suicide Drone (UDQ)
• Mine Drone (UDQ) (Explosive Weapon)
• Mining Drone (UDG) (Ore Processing Device)
• Probe Drone (UDL)
• Recon Drone (UDL)
• Reconnoissance Drone (UDL)
• Repair Drone (UDG)
• Rescue Drone (UDX) (as their purpose is to move people)
• Science Drone (UDL)
• Sensor Drone (UDL)
• Survey Drone (UDL)
• Target Drone (UD)

Size-Class Roles for Drones [ edit ]

• Nanocyte (X < 0.001 ton) (UD) (when not classed as munition )
• Microdrone (X < 1.0 ton) (UD)
• Mesodrone ( Smallcraft ) (UD)
• Macrodrone ( Bigcraft ) (ZD)

Supraclass Archetypal Roles [ edit ]

These vessels and munitions typically serve the following archetypal roles:

History & Background ( Dossier ) [ edit ]

Selected variant types & classes [ edit ].

Munition - Drone :

• Mk 42 class Recon Drone .

Ship Summary List [ edit ]

Some of the most commonly used drones in this role or these roles include:

References & Contributors ( Sources ) [ edit ]

• Frank Chadwick . Mercenary ( Game Designers Workshop , 1978), TBD. ( Recon Drone )
• Jim Cunningham . High Passage 1 ( FASA , 1981), TBD. ( Deception Drone )
• Frank Chadwick . Battle Rider ( Game Designers Workshop , 1993), TBD.
• Bryan Steele . Traders and Gunboats ( Mongoose Publishing , 2008), TBD.
• Colin Dunn . Vehicle Upgrade Manual ( Mongoose Publishing , 2013), TBD.
• Matthew Sprange . Compendium 3 ( Mongoose Publishing , 2013), TBD.
• Marc Miller . T5 Core Rules ( Far Future Enterprises , 2013), TBD.
• Jacob DC Ross . Rescue Ops ( Mongoose Publishing , 2014), TBD.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science
• ↑ Frank Chadwick . Battle Rider ( Game Designers Workshop , 1993), 4.
• Articles at intermediate completion state

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Air Force's ULTRA Long-Endurance Glider-Like Drone Is Now Operating In The Middle East

T he U.S. Air Force is now operating its Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, or ULTRA, from Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. The drone was developed as a low-cost, ultra-long-endurance, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, one of a number of efforts that seek to plug critical gaps in the Air Force’s reconnaissance capabilities.

U.S. Air Force

The Air Force has published a series of photos showing crew chiefs preparing an ULTRA drone for an early-morning mission on May 7 at what it describes as “an undisclosed location within Central Command area of responsibility.” That location can be identified as Al Dhafra — a key Air Force hub in the region, and home of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing — thanks to the hangar in the background of some of the photos. This building was previously used to house RQ-4 Global Hawk ISR drones.

The sailplane-like ULTRA drone has notably long wings with winglets, a T-tail, and a retractable undercarriage. An electro-optical/infrared sensor turret is fitted below the fuselage, just ahead of the wing.

Few other details are provided by the Air Force in relation to these photos, although several are described as showing crew chiefs use a transponder interrogator to confirm the proper transponder function on the ULTRA drone.

An ULTRA crew chief, assigned within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, uses a transponder interrogator to confirm proper transponder function on an ULTRA before an early morning flight at Al Dhafra on May 7, 2024. U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force

Another photo shows an MQ-9 Reaper on the flight line in front of the ULTRA, with another two Reapers in an adjacent hangar.

A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper, assigned within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, sits on the flightline before a morning flight at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 7, 2024. The ULTRA drone can be seen in the background on the right. U.S. Air Force

Of the ULTRA, the Air Force says the drone provides “intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to combatant commanders, with a smaller operational footprint than other UAS in its class.”

The origins of ULTRA lie in a program run by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI), with the aircraft itself developed in conjunction with DZYNE Technologies Incorporated.

Specifications of the drone include an endurance of up to 80 hours while carrying a payload of more than 400 pounds. This compares to an operational endurance of around 27 hours for the MQ-9, according to figures from the manufacturer, although the latest Reaper derivatives can fly substantially longer when lightly loaded.

A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone. U.S. Air Force

According to AFRL, ULTRA “provides combatant commanders with full global operational access in an inexpensive, GPS hardened, ultra-long endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform.” AFRL further claims the drone is “truly unique in its ability to conquer the tyranny of distance that inhibit operational use of current unmanned platforms at excessive ranges required in areas of operations such as the Pacific.”

As an “ISR truck,” ULTRA is designed to carry various intelligence-collection payloads, with sensors chosen depending on the particular mission.

It is also worth considering that ULTRA could fill an important niche as an airborne datalink relay node, extending the range of communications on behalf of other assets, as well as providing a active data exchange network over a certain geographical area, all the way down to sea level.

Central to ULTRA’s utility is its long endurance, which means that a smaller number of drones are required to maintain overwatch of areas of interest. The fact that the drone’s payloads can be reconfigured further helps to drive down costs since the same aircraft can conduct different missions.

With the Pentagon increasingly focused on potential future conflicts in the Asia Pacific region, the requirement for persistent ISR has grown. Not only are the areas of interest that require surveillance coverage spread over a very wide area, but basing options are limited by geography and China’s ability to hold many traditional basing options at risk. Using traditional crewed and uncrewed ISR platforms in such scenarios may mean they only have a limited time on station — if they are able to reach the operational area in the first instance.

ULTRA has sought to meet these challenges by combining long endurance with low cost. In the past, AFRL has said that this will “enable the USAF to … economically procure aircraft systems in large quantities.”

Key to driving down the costs of the ULTRA program is the use of an unspecified "previously manned commercial sport glider," according to AFRL . The drone also makes use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology in its avionics, as well as its electro-optical/infrared and radio-frequency sensor payloads.

Since ULTRA is designed to operate at lower levels than high-altitude ISR drones, it doesn’t need the same kind of large optics and high-power radio-frequency sensors, which are also more expensive. Having said that, the exact altitudes that the drone operates at — and its other performance margins — are unclear.

Similarly, few, if any, details have been published about ULTRA’s payloads and avionics, but it’s known to use satellite-based command and control links that also transmit gathered intelligence in real-time.

How long ULTRA has been at Al Dhafra and what kinds of operations it is conducting from that base are also unknown. The Pentagon had dropped a potential hint about this deployment last year in a quarterly report on ongoing U.S. government activities related to Afghanistan released in March 2023.

"The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (OUSD(P)) said that the DoD intends to eventually field a platform with longer loiter time to complement the MQ-9 Reapers currently in use, which can remain in the air for only a limited time after the lengthy transit into Afghanistan and conserving enough fuel for the return flight," according to that Report. "OUSD(P) noted that Air Force Research Lab is planning to conduct such an assessment using an experimental platform in support of USCENTCOM requirements, possibly in the third quarter of FY 2023."

When asked at the time for more information about this experimental platform and whether or not the assessment in question was related to potential ISR operations over Afghanistan, AFRL told TWZ that "we cannot elaborate due to operational security."

The long-endurance capabilities that ULTRA offers could be valuable for ISR missions elsewhere across the region, including just in and around the Persian Gulf, as well. There is also the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip , which the U.S. military has sent drones to monitor at times , as well as the need for persistent surveillance to watch for Houthi missile and drone launches in Yemen . These are just some of the hotspots that could be with ULTRA's range from Al Dhafra.

TWZ has reached out to CENTCOM for additional comment on the current ULTRA activities at Al Dhafra.

ULTRA also looks to have evolved, at least in part, from a highly secretive U.S. special operations drone program called the Long Endurance Aircraft Program (LEAP), which Dzyne has also been involved with . At least one of those drones was forward deployed in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, until it crashed, in 2020. That accident helped reveal previously unknown details about LEAP, as TWZ was the first to report on the following year.

In May 2021, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that the secretive  Joint Special Operations Command , or perhaps other U.S. government entities  operating in cooperation with it , was flying a new type of drone in the Middle East. The Pentagon said this drone, developed under the Long Endurance Aircraft Program (LEAP), was designed to have a very low noise signature and an innocuous outward appearance.

This confirmation came in the form of an official accident report that The War Zone obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, detailing the loss of one of the LEAP drones at Erbil International Airport in Iraq, on July 24, 2020. Although heavily redacted, the report stated that the drone was derived from the Pipistrel Sinus, making it distinct from the sport glider-based ULTRA.

A portion of the accident report regarding the crash of a LEAP aircraft in Iraq in July 2020. U.S. Air Force via FOIA

The Air Force said that the drone in question, valued at $3.4 million, was a complete write-off.

Soon after, a U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) spokesperson told TWZ that the command was using a Sinus aircraft converted into a drone by the AFRL. “SOCOM has been assessing this platform as an option as we work with our military services and industry partners to identify low-cost, high-endurance airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions,” said U.S. Navy Commander Tim Hawkins. “This unmanned aerial system is contractor-operated and has a payload that includes a combination of full-motion video and signals intelligence sensors.”

An uncrewed Pipistrel aircraft similar to the one U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) acquired as part of the Long Endurance Aircraft Program. Pipistrel-USA

Back in December 2019, the AFRL had announced that its Center for Rapid Innovation had completed  a series of flight tests  at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah in support of what was then referred to as the Ultra Long Endurance Aircraft Platform (Ultra LEAP) program. That testing ended with “a two-and-a-half-day continuous flight demonstration” of a “high-performance, cost-effective, sport-class commercial airframe converted to a fully automated system with autonomous takeoff and landing capabilities.”

At the time of the Dugway trials, AFRL said that “the system could be ready for operational fielding as soon as 2020." It also released a rendering of the Ultra LEAP drone, seen below, that did not appear directly related to the LEAP aircraft and had a design much more in line with that of ULTRA.

Artwork that the Air Force Research Laboratory released of what it described as the Ultra Long Endurance Aircraft Platform (Ultra LEAP) in 2019. U.S. Air Force

In 2020, meanwhile, Pipistrel-USA, the Pipistrel subsidiary in the United States, disclosed more details of the AFRL’s work with its Sinus design on behalf of SOCOM.

“The Air Force Research Laboratory has demonstrated the suitability of Pipistrel light aircraft for SOCOM, installing sensors to collect full motion video, lidar [ light detection and ranging ], and signals intelligence with many units already deployed and operating around the globe,” the company said.

A promotional image showing an uncrewed Pipistrel aircraft with an electro-optical/infrared sensor turret. An additional fairing that could carry other sensors, datalinks, or other systems, is seen under the tail. Additional domed antennas, typically associated with satellite communications systems or datalinks, are located on top of the fuselage. Pipistrel-USA

Pipistrel has also  been marketing  an uncrewed derivative of its Surveyor aircraft, which is also related to the Sinus design, for military use. The company claims that this drone can fly at altitudes up to 30,000 feet, remain aloft for up to 30 hours, and cover a total distance of up to nearly 2,800 miles, depending on payload, altitude, mission profile, and other factors.

The company confirmed in May 2020 that contractors had  been operating Surveyor drones  in support of SOCOM since 2013, suggesting a much longer U.S. military relationship with this and related platforms than had previously been understood.

A rendering of an uncrewed derivative of the Pipistrel Surveyor configured for military use. A podded sensor turret is carried under the left wing. Pipistrel

Whatever ULTRA is currently being used for in the Middle East, it appears the U.S. military has gotten closer to its long-held ambition of fielding a lower-cost alternative to the MQ-9 for some long-endurance surveillance missions. The lower cost should also make these drones at least somewhat attritable —  meaning they are inexpensive enough for combat commanders to be willing to lose them on high-risk missions.

The growing push toward developing long-endurance, lower-cost ISR assets is also evidenced by drones from Vanilla Unmanned , which can stay up for days at a time , as well as the high-altitude balloons from Raven Aerostar , configured as sensor platforms, but also eyed for a wide variety of other missions .

More broadly, the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence community have for decades been interested in the potential of highly efficient aircraft — whether crewed or uncrewed — that can loiter over a particular area for an extended period, while also offering a low acoustic signature and a platform that is less likely to arouse suspicion if spotted.

The ULTRA would certainly seem to meet these descriptions and we will continue to monitor this low-profile program that could be of great significance within the CENTCOM area of responsibility and many other theaters of operation beyond that.

Contact the author: [email protected]

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DJI Mavic 3, Drone with 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera, 5.1K Video, Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, 46 Mins Flight, Advanced Auto Return, 15km Video Transmission, FAA Remote ID Compliant, Gray

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DJI Mavic 3

DJI Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo

DJI Mavic 3 Fly More Combo

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About this item.

• Imaging Above Everything - With a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera, the sensor provides a 12.8-stop dynamic range that retains more details in highlights and shadows, upgrading your work to a professional level..Max Flight Distance : 30 km, Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level : 6000 m. Operating Temperature : -10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F).
• 46 Minutes of Flight Time - Stay in the air longer and capture more with a breathtaking max flight time of 46 minutes. This lets you get all the shots you want on just a single battery.
• Fly Safer - DJI Mavic 3 drone with camera is equipped with advanced Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing. This lets you fly confidently and safely wherever you are.
• Explore and Capture more - the DJI Mavic 3 drone offers a 15-kilometer max transmission range, which means you can fly farther to explore and capture more. And with the O3 Plus Transmission system, live feeds are smooth and stable.
• Smart Return to Home - With a new Advanced RTH system, Mavic 3 camera drone can return to its home point on a fast, safe, and optimized route. Whether activated by low battery or the pilot, getting the quadcopter drone back to you during flight is easier than ever.

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Overview Capture stunning imagery with the legendary Hasselblad drone camera and enjoy a smooth flight with omnidirectional obstacle sensing. Every improvement on Mavic 3 sets a higher standard for aerial photography. Fly with Mavic 3 and discover imaging above everything. Features Tele Camera Pro Mode With Pro mode, the tele camera of Mavic 3 supports manual parameter adjustments and RAW photos. The tele camera offers unique camera language to make your footage more expressive and dynamic. Smart Return to Home Mavic 3 can fly to a designated altitude and then find a safe and efficient route back to its home point, combining the advantages of Advanced RTH and traditional RTH, allowing users to choose the best option according to their environment. Adjustable Aperture for Every Scene Aperture is adjustable according to the needs of different scenes. In low-light environments, the f/2.8 aperture lets more light in; when the lighting is sufficient, aperture can be adjusted to lower the shutter speed for recording smoother, more natural footage. Wider FOV to See the Bigger Picture Weighing less than 13 g, the 24mm equivalent lens not only supports autofocus, it also has an 84° FOV to capture more in every frame. Focusing is Faster with VDAF Technology The Hasselblad camera on Mavic 3 drone features Vision Detection Auto Focus (VDAF) technology, which works with multiple vision sensors to utilize distance data and optimize focusing speed. FHD High-Frame-Rate Transmission with Visible Smoothness Mavic 3 is DJI’s first-ever camera drone able to transmit a 1080p/60fps live feed. This means the camera view is displayed at specifications close to what the camera actually records. It also makes Mavic 3 more responsive to your control. Note 1. Unobstructed, free of interference, and when FCC-compliant. Maximum flight range specification is a proxy for radio link strength and resilience. Always follow local rules and regulations and fly your drone within your visual line of sight unless otherwise permitted. 2. DJI Mavic 3 Cine supports Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes 422 LT, and H.264/H.265 encoding, while Mavic 3 only supports H.264/H.265 encoding. FAQ 1. Compared to DJI Mavic 2, what major upgrades does Mavic 3 have? DJI Mavic 3 is DJI's next-generation flagship consumer camera drone. Compared to Mavic 2, major upgrades include: -Mavic 3 offers significantly improved imaging performance thanks to its 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and 24mm-equivalent lightweight lens. It can record up to 5.1K/50fps or 4K/120fps videos. -Mavic 3 Cine even supports Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, and Apple ProRes 422 LT encoding, offering higher image quality and greater flexibility during post-processing. -The flight experience has also been comprehensively improved with the flight time extended to 46 minutes. And thanks to incredibly stable O3+ technology, video transmission can reach up to 15 km. -DJI Mavic 3 is equipped with an omnidirectional obstacle sensing system and supports the upgraded APAS 5.0 and Advanced RTH, letting creators enjoy safe flight with peace of mind. 2. What's the difference between the combos? Compared with the standard Mavic 3 combo, DJI Mavic 3 Fly More Combo includes two additional Intelligent Flight Batteries, one Battery Charging Hub, one Convertible Carrying Bag, and one ND Filters Set (ND4/8/16/32) to help you explore and shoot in more scenarios. Compared with the DJI Mavic 3 Fly More Combo, the DJI Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo includes a Mavic 3 Cine aircraft that supports Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, and Apple ProRes 422 LT encoding and has a built-in 1TB SSD, an upgraded DJI RC Pro with a high-bright display, one ND Filters Set (ND64/128/256/512), a 10Gbps Lightspeed cable, and other accessories that help facilitate professional-level imaging.

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• DJI Mavic 3 ×1 DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller ×1 DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller Control Sticks (pair) ×1 DJI RC-N1 RC Cable (USB Type-C Connector) ×1 DJI RC-N1 RC Cable (Standard Micro-USB Connector) ×1 DJI RC-N1 RC Cable (Lightning Connector) ×1 DJI Mavic 3 Intelligent Flight Battery ×1 DJI Mavic 3 Low-Noise Propellers (pair) ×3 DJI 65W Portable Charger ×1 DJI Mavic 3 Storage Cover ×1 Type-C Cable ×1

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Customers like the performance, quality and ease of use of the unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, they mention it's a high-performance drone that's well worth the price. They appreciate the image quality, saying it takes amazing video and pictures. They also appreciate the speed and control. That said, opinions are mixed on battery life and zoom.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers are satisfied with the performance of the drone. They say it's a really good drone when it' s functional, amazing, and high-performance. They appreciate the camera capabilities, flight performance, and safety features. Some mention that the drone is very pricey, but definitely a nice flying drone.

"...The DJI Mavic 3 excels in its flight capabilities . With remarkable stability and precision, it handles wonderfully, even in windy conditions...." Read more

"What can I say? This bird is sensational . Only two minor gripes. First, they have to put the mini SD card slot somewhere else...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the image quality of the unmanned aerial vehicle. They mention that it takes amazing video and pictures, with an extraordinary zoom and video camera. The pictures are breathtakingly detailed, making their aerial photography and videography incredibly professional.

"...The images are crisp, vivid , and detailed, making my aerial photography and videography incredibly professional...." Read more

"...So far I have only used it in auto mode but it has done a great job. Clear , crisp photos and videos that are professional quality...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the quality of the unmanned aerial vehicle. They mention that the build quality is robust, the design sleek and modern, and the camera quality is amazing. They also appreciate the clear, crisp photos and videos that are professional quality. Customers also appreciate its reliability, stability, and performance in a drone. They say that it holds its own in high winds.

"...The DJI Mavic 3 excels in its flight capabilities. With remarkable stability and precision, it handles wonderfully, even in windy conditions...." Read more

"...- Awesome camera quality . So far I have only used it in auto mode but it has done a great job...." Read more

Customers find the unmanned aerial vehicle easy to use. They say the sheer quality of footage and ease of use make every penny worth it for both hobbyists and professionals. They also say the app has a better user interface and the controller is better. Customers also mention that the pre installed software is alright for basic shots.

"...'s a bit of a learning curve with the DJI Fly app, I found it to be intuitive and feature-packed once I familiarized myself with it...." Read more

"...I was nervous to fly it for the first time but it is so easy to initiate take-off and control.-Awesome camera quality...." Read more

Customers like the speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle. They mention that it's fast, has an impressive flight time, and is a significant improvement over other models.

"...The flight time is impressive as well - a significant improvement over other models I've used in the past...." Read more

"...Took me a bit to realize that in Sport mode, the drone can travel much faster (up to 47 mph!)...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the control of the unmanned aerial vehicle. They mention that the ActiveTrack and Spotlight features offer incredible control and flexibility in capturing. They also appreciate the full control over custom settings for the 3 modes, cine, sport, and the interface with the app. Overall, most are happy with the level of control and stability this drone offers.

"...and options available, including ActiveTrack and Spotlight, offer incredible control and flexibility in capturing dynamic shots...." Read more

"...The level of control and stability this drone offers is unparalleled, making it a dream to fly even in challenging conditions...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the battery life of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Some mention it has good battery life, while others say it wouldn't take a charge.

"...- Good battery life . I love how it shows down to the minute how much battery is left.-Different modes...." Read more

"...Fly More (or buy the battery dock separately), there is no way to charge your battery outside of the drone..." Read more

Customers are mixed about the zoom of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Some mention that it zooms from 0-14x very smoothly, while others say that it stopped working.

"...Second gripe, the zoom feature. It zooms from 0-14x very smoothly , but when you go past 14x (to 28x) jerks directly from 14x -28x and nothing smooth..." Read more

"...It is also near impossible to zoom with your finger on the app and do other things smoothly (especially if you have a hood on your tablet), which is..." Read more

Reviews with images

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E-gates back online after chaos at Heathrow and other UK airports

Home Office rules out cyber-attack as a cause of technical outage that delayed thousands of passengers at passport control

The e-gates failure that left thousands of passengers queueing at UK airports has been resolved, the Home Office has said while ruling out a cyber-attack as a cause.

Airports said passengers could expect to travel smoothly again on Wednesday after widespread delays on Tuesday evening owing to a nationwide technical outage affecting UK Border Force e-gates.

Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol airports all confirmed problems with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday.

Border officials were left to manually process all travellers instead. Pictures shared on social media showed long queues forming at passport control at several airports.

A Home Office spokesperson said on Wednesday: “E-gates at UK airports came back online shortly after midnight.

“As soon as engineers detected a wider system network issue at 7.44pm last night, a large-scale contingency response was activated within six minutes.

“At no point was border security compromised, and there is no indication of malicious cyber-activity.” Heathrow airport’s X account also confirmed soon after midnight that systems were running as usual.

Manchester airport said a dedicated team and customer services staff were supporting passengers while UK Border Force fixed the problem.

Among delayed passengers were Sam Morter, 32, who arrived at Heathrow from Sri Lanka, said it was “pandemonium” when he got to passport control in Terminal 3, where all of the E-gates had blank screens.

He told the PA news agency: “There was a lot of Border Force officials running and scrambling around. Four or five went to man the posts and start processing the UK passports manually.

“But at the same time, hundreds of passengers started to flood into passport control, so it all of a sudden became chaotic and they couldn’t cope with the number of the people coming in.

“We weren’t given any information. There was no information on the Tannoys or from staff.”

Another affected traveller wrote on X: “Long queues at Heathrow airport where passengers are being held at arrivals for a system failure. Been here already 1 hour and the queue is only getting bigger. No communication given to anyone on what is the timeframe to sort this out.”

Another person posted video footage of the chaos and wrote: “No e-gates working. This is the current queue in Gatwick airport with lots of children and no water.”

One X user at Heathrow wrote: “Been stood here over an hour! My taxi has cancelled and at this rate I’ll be too late for a train.” Another wrote: “My daughter has been waiting in a queue for over 2 hours now after a 12-hour flight.”

There are 270 automated gates in total at 15 air and rail ports in the UK, using facial recognition to allow people to enter the country.

Passengers were already facing disrupted journeys to and from airports owing to industrial action affecting train services across the UK throughout this week until Saturday.

Border Force workers also staged a four-day strike at Heathrow in a dispute over working conditions last week.

• Air transport
• Heathrow airport
• Gatwick airport
• Business travel
• Stansted airport

More on this story

UK airports’ scanner delays mean 100ml liquid limit will remain

Ignoring call to halt new airports would be ‘electoral carnage’, Sunak warned

Delays and jams expected as UK’s great summer getaway reaches its peak

Luton Dart: ‘the most expensive train in Britain’ opens for business

Airport security rules on liquids and laptops could be lifted in uk in 2024 – reports.

Doncaster Sheffield airport to close after no ‘tangible proposals’ put forward

Two in five airport workers thinking of quitting, says UK jobs site

Flights diverted at East Midlands airport after drone sightings

Most viewed.

Drone Laws in Germany

Last update on 01.10.2021 | 20 Kommentare

If you want to use a drone in Germany, you should familiarize yourself precisely with the legal requirements. In this article we would like to show you which rules apply to copter pilots in Germany.

The EU Drone Regulation has been in force in Germany since December 31, 2020. This has largely harmonized the rules for remote pilots. You only have to register as an operator in one European country and your EU drone license is also recognized across countries. This is some relief for travelers. However, the participating countries can make some regulations independently, which is why it is always worthwhile to find out about the applicable law in the respective country. In Germany, too, there are some special things to consider in the implementation of the new drone laws.

If you want to register in Germany, you can do so via  this link .

Overview of the European rules that apply in Germany

In Germany, the regulations of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) apply. The following is a summary of the key facts. For a complete overview, read our article on the new EU drone regulation .

National peculiarities in Germany

Each country can define certain aspects of its drone regulations. For Germany, the following requirements apply in addition to the European regulations.

Futher rules for drone pilots in Germany

The compulsory insurance is regulated in Germany in the Aviation Act and has not yet changed with the EU regulation. That means you have to insure your drone flights with liability insurance. The sum insured for accidents with aircraft under 500 kilograms, which include drones, is set at 750,000 special drawing rights, which corresponds to around 900,000 euros (as of the end of February 2021). Since the exchange rate can change, you are on the safe side with 1 million euros or more. We have put together suitable drone insurance policies  in this separate article . Note that you have to have your insurance certificate with you when you use your drone!

Drone licenses

Almost everyone who wants to fly a drone now needs a license. In the Open Category, there is the EU competence certificate A1 / A3 and the EU remote pilot certificate A2. In Germany, the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt offers online training and the exam for A1 / A3 certification. You can find the German exam platform  here . So far, the training and the test for this “small” driver’s license have cost nothing. However, it can be assumed that a fee will be charged in the future. This is already the case in other countries.

The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt has named test centers for the A2 certificate. You can find a list here .

If you already have an old certificate of knowledge according to §21d of the air traffic regulations, you can partially continue to use it in Germany until 2022. General decrees of the federal states also remain valid during this period. 

Safety distances and flight bans

In addition to the rules valid throughout Europe, the individual member states can further restrict the operation of drones, as long as these rules do not contradict the European requirements. In Germany, we find the national regulations primarily in the Luftverkehrsordnung (Air Traffic Regulations).

It mainly regulates two sets of issues:

• What are the responsibilities of the individual authorities?
• Which areas may I fly over as a UAV pilot with a drone and under which conditions?

Of course, the second topic is the most exciting: Where am I allowed to fly?

And it is precisely here that there has been a nice paradigm shift as part of the new regulation. Because the new regulation text now states:

The use of airspace by unmanned aerial vehicles is free, provided […] Excerpt from §21h para. 1 Luftverkehrsordnung of June 2021.

So it is now clearly stated in a legal text that as a remote pilot you are allowed to let your drone fly.

But of course, it is not quite that simple. There are still some areas where we are not allowed to fly or only with certain restrictions. But even here there was an improvement because the operation of drones in sensitive areas was previously only possible with a permit from a state aviation authority. These authorities then issued a permit that came with ancillary provisions. These ancillary provisions have now basically found their way directly into the German Air Traffic Regulations, so that from now on it is no longer mandatory to obtain a permit (and thus pay a fee) for the same type of flight.

But which areas are we actually talking about here?

Restricted operations in geographical areas

In the context of the European regulations, we are talking about geographical areas. So, these are areas where the operation of a drone is not allowed or only allowed under certain conditions. In the future, these geographic areas will also be made visible on an official map by the federal government.

Landing fields and glider sites

Drones can be operated within 1.5 km of the outer boundary of landing fields and glider sites if a permit has been issued by the relevant state aviation authority in the Specific Category or if approval has been obtained from the air supervisory authority, air traffic control, or the airfield operator.

To fly a drone in the vicinity of airports, a permit for the Specific Category from the state aviation authority is required. This regulation applies at a lateral distance of one kilometer from the outer boundary of the airport and from the centerline of the runway – extended by 5 km each.

Control zones around airports

There are so-called control zones around airports. In these areas, all air traffic is controlled by the tower. If you want to launch a drone here, you need an air traffic control clearance. Attention: This regulation applies in addition to the rules for airports mentioned above!

Residential properties

Residential properties are places of retreat and therefore enjoy special protection by law. Nevertheless, the use of drones is permitted here if one of the following conditions is met:

• Owner or authorized person has consented to overflight
• Drone weighs less than 250 grams and does not have a camera or other sensors for recording personal data
• Overflight is required for a legitimate purpose,
• other public areas are not available
• the consent of the persons concerned cannot be obtained in a reasonable manner
• all precautions are taken to avoid invasion of privacy
• operation takes place between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
• noise protection guidelines are complied with

Railroads, federal trunk roads and federal waterways

If you want to launch your drone near major transportation routes, you have three options:

• You obtain a Specific Category Permit from the state aviation authority. In the required risk assessment, you include the risk of flying over these traffic routes.
• The competent authority or the operator of the facility approves the overflight.
• You maintain a minimum horizontal distance of ten meters and do not fly higher than the horizontal distance to the traffic route (1:1 rule).

Regardless of the three points mentioned above, you may also cross federal waterways by the shortest route if you fly at an altitude of at least 100 meters and do not fly over ships and ship facilities such as locks.

Protected areas under nature conservation law

In order to protect nature, there are various protected areas where you are only allowed to fly a drone under certain conditions. These areas include nature reserves, national parks, FFH areas and bird sanctuaries. Here you are allowed to fly if you have obtained the consent of the responsible nature conservation authority or if the local state law provides other rules for the operation of drones.

In addition, an overflight (no takeoff!) of nature reserves, special areas of conservation (FFH areas), and bird sanctuaries is possible if …

• the overflight is not for sport or recreation.
• a minimum flight altitude of 100 meters is maintained.
• you as a pilot know the protection purpose of the area and take this appropriately into account during your operation.
• the overflight is unavoidable for the operational purpose.

This regulation is therefore clearly aimed at commercial purposes (e.g. inspection flights) and does not apply to national parks!

Outdoor swimming pools and beaches

The overflight of open-air swimming pools and bathing beaches is only allowed outside the operating or bathing hours. Please also note the restrictions of the European rules, which stipulate a minimum distance of 150 meters to recreational areas in subcategory A3.

Other geographical areas

There are a number of other geographical areas where you may only fly with the permission of the relevant operator or responsible body. These geographic areas include:

• Accident sites, operational sites of authorities and organizations with security tasks, as well as mobile facilities and troops of the armed forces. The contact person is the operations manager
• Industrial facilities
• correctional facilities/prisons and facilities of the Maßregelvollzugs (correctional facility for persons with special needs)
• facilities and troops of the German armed forces as well as other military facilities and organizations
• facilities for centralized power generation and distribution (power plants, wind turbines, substations, etc.)
• facilities in which activities requiring a permit at protection level 4 in accordance with the Biological Substances Ordinance are carried out (institutes in Hamburg, Berlin, Marburg and on the island of Riems)
• Properties of federal and state constitutional bodies as well as upper and supreme federal and state authorities
• Diplomatic and consular representations (embassies)
• International organizations as defined by international law (UN, EU, NATO, etc.)
• Properties of the police and other security authorities

If the corresponding permission is not available, you must maintain a horizontal distance of 100 meters .

To find out where the corresponding geographical areas are, you can use various apps. Unfortunately, there is no official map material, so you can never rely 100% on the information. A very good map that you can also access on the computer is offered by Flynex . In addition to the web interface, a smartphone app is also available. Another alternative is the smartphone app from Droniq, but we can’t work well with it.

From whom do I get a permit?

If for some reason you cannot cope with the restrictions described above, the state aviation authority responsible for the planned area of operation can issue you a permit. The state aviation authorities are also responsible for issuing permits for the Specific Category. Which authority you need to contact depends on the reason why you need a permit.

Permit to operate in a geographical area:

Aviation authority in which the area is located

Permission to operate in the Specific Category:

Aviation authority in the state where you have your residence/primary place of business.

Privacy Laws

Germany has strict privacy laws which must also be observed by drone pilots. In addition, the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) affects the way you can collect and store people’s data. These laws make it very difficult to fly over and capture images of residential neighborhoods without infringing on the rights of the residents.

You should try to not capture images which contain people’s data, like their name, address, appearance or even license plates. If you want to take photos or videos of people or objects which might identify them, please ask for permission first. You are also not allowed to publish any photos or videos of people without their consent unless certain criteria are met.

Do not fly over places that are normally hidden from view. This could even be in nature at lakes or parks if people have taken measures so that they are not seen by others.

We have researched the listed drone regulations for Germany to the best of our knowledge. We cannot guarantee the correctness of the information. If you want to be on the safe side, contact the competent aviation authority. Alternatively, you can also ask the embassy in your country for further information about the regulations. Please leave us a comment when you receive news and/or gain experience with your copter in Germany!

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About the author

Since January 2015, we travel around the world. In our backpack we carry a camera drone which we use to capture the best places from a bird’s perspective. First we travelled with a DJI Phantom 2. But now we use several drones like the DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ or the DJI Mini 3 Pro. On our blog we share the best tips for you about travelling with a drone. If you have questions about this article or new information, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment!

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Discussions

i have ryze tello drone. it weighs 80 gms and has a camera and can fly max upto 10m ht. Can i fly it open grounds or near monastery or in forest in germany??

please suggest a good source to know about all rules

Hello Brijes, Yes, in general, you can fly your drone in open spaces. Please use this map to identify restricted areas: https://map2fly.flynex.de/

Drone should also have a special, fireproof tag with name and adress of the owner.

Absolutely right!

Hi, I have holy stone 700 drone. It weighs 372 grams. Do i need to register somewhere? What are the steps i need to take to fly my drone.

First, you should read the article. 😉

At the moment, you don’t need a registration for Germany.

So if I visit Germany from the USA I don’t need insurance ? Or do I have to obtain insurance there while I stay at a hotel ?

Hello, for national parks, how does one apply for the permit?

Hi, I live in Landshut, about 60 kilometers from Munich. I would like to meet other drone pilots in my area. Can you tell me where the nearest club is? Thanks very much! Oscar

Hello, Oscar, maybe you would like to ask for like-minded people in your region in our Facebook group (in German language): https://www.facebook.com/groups/MitDrohneUnterwegs/ Best regards from Leipzig, Francis

Thank you for great article! I have a question. some other article said drone pilot need to inform to police station at least 1 hour before you flight. Do you know which number or Email and if othere form contact to police station?

I have a fireproof name tag, insurance but still cannot be able to fry drone in Berlin eventhough there is hundred of Dorons in electronic shop in berlin haha.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards

hello , i am new in Germany and wanted to ask if there is any information about how can i get a commercial drone pilot license ? , thank you

Hi! Since the beginning of this year, the new EU-wide drone rules apply in Germany so there is no difference between private and commercial drone pilots anymore. There are, however, different types of licenses depending on where you want to fly (e.g. in urban areas or away from people and buildings). Please have a look at this overview article and the linked information to determine which category you would need a license for: https://drone-traveller.com/eu-drone-regulation-2021/ Without this information, it will be difficult to point you in the right direction.

Hi! As I understand from https://www.bmvi.de/SharedDocs/EN/Articles/LF/clear-rules-for-the-operation-of-drones.html I don’t need to register or do anything with my DJI Mini 2, but on this article, it said that if my drone has a camera (and it’s obvious has) I should register anyway. Can you please clarify it’s for me? Thanks

Hi Gene, The website you’ve found contains old information, as it has not been updated to reflect the new EU-wide drone rules. Since December 31, 2020, you have to register in Germany if your drone has a camera. You can find some answers on the website of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency: https://www.easa.europa.eu/the-agency/faqs/drones-uas The German aviation authority also has some FAQs, but unfortunately, they are only available in German, so you may need an automatic translator: https://www.lba.de/DE/Betrieb/Unbemannte_Luftfahrtsysteme/FAQ/Uebersicht_FAQ_node.html

Thank you a lot for your reply! And what about the license? Should I have it? I will use DJI Mimi (250g) for personal purposes (non commercial use)

Hi Gene, in Germany, you don’t currently need a license for <250 grams.

You Have to register your drone and take the insurance

Hello. Thanks for your informative website. Do you have a link to the registration site for Germany in English language.?

I have an Operational Authorisation in UK. I have a flight requirement to operate in Padaeborn and need to register.

Your help is appreciated.

Alan Perrin Head of Flight Operations Evolve Dynamics UAV Aircraft & Systems

Hi Alan, It doesn’t look like the registration form is available in English, unfortunately. Is it possible for you to use an automatic translator like DeepL or Google Translate while filling out the form?

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