Mini Drones

Legal provisions for flying mini drones

Without certain rules, it doesn't work in the airspace either, especially because more and more people are buying a mini drone. Since 2019, uniform regulations have regulated the operation and use of drones within the European Union.

In Germany, this ordinance has been implemented in a wide variety of adaptations and additions to passages in a wide variety of legal texts. These include, in particular, the Aviation Act, the Aviation and Air Traffic Licensing Ordinances and the Costs Ordinance of the Air Administration. Anyone who wants to buy and fly a mini drone must adhere to this. According to current EU law, drones are divided into three different categories according to their respective purpose, location and weight of the aircraft.

What needs to be considered with mini drones?

The "smallest" of these three categories is the so-called open category. If you want to buy a mini drone, it usually falls into the open category, as it poses a very low risk. An essential factor for the classification of drones and, in connection with this, also for the requirements for operation is their weight. Mini drones almost always fall into the weight class under 250 grams. If you want to buy a mini drone, the following applies:

• If you want to buy such a mini drone, a special EU drone license is not necessary.
• You must register your drone if it has a camera.
• As the owner of a mini drone, you must also have drone liability insurance.
• In principle, you are allowed to fly with a mini drone in cities and residential areas, but regional requirements and possible no-fly zones must be observed.
• The horizontal speed must not be faster than 19 meters per second.
• The maximum flight altitude is 120 meters.

Buying a mini drone - what you should look out for

Due to the low legal requirements for the operation of mini drones, they offer a great deal of freedom in use. If you want to buy a mini drone, it should of course also offer many possibilities for use. Accordingly, the decision for a mini drone always depends on its equipment. Despite the low weight, you can still expect good equipment if you want to buy a mini drone. Your new mini drone should have the following features:

• The possibility of many flight functions for individual maneuvers in the air
• GPS support
• A high-resolution camera
• Long range and long battery life for extended flying fun
• An automatic return-to-home function in case of weak signal or low battery level

The more equipment is installed in the drone, the higher its weight becomes. So you also have to do without some functions if you want to buy a mini drone. Most mini drones, for example, do not have obstacle sensors for active obstacle detection and you will usually look in vain for automatic flight modes such as a follow-me function in mini drones.

Pros and Cons of Mini Drones

Mini drones have some advantages over their larger relatives. These are mainly in the low legal regulations for the operation of drones under 250 grams. If you want to buy a mini drone, you usually don't need a special drone license and the regulations for minimum distances and permitted flight zones are also quite relaxed. The low acquisition costs, but also the supply of appropriate accessories and necessary Spare parts for a small budget are also among the advantages if you want to buy a mini drone.

Despite the advantageous legal situation for operating a mini drone, you also have to be prepared for some disadvantages if you want to buy a mini drone. For example, the equipment of mini drones can be equipped with that of a real Professional Drone usually can't keep up. Useful technical helpers such as automatic flight modes are usually missing, as are high-end cameras.

For whom is it worth buying a mini drone?

Mini drones are mainly used as Drones for beginners interesting. The aircraft are inexpensive to purchase and easy to use, even for total beginners. In addition to the beginner models, you will also find Drones for advanced users in mini format as well as special camera drones or GPS drones.

For professionals, mini drones are also recommended as a second drone. Especially if you travel a lot with your drone and want to fly in different places around the world, it can make sense to buy an additional mini drone. Since it is easy to store and transport, more and more drone professionals want to buy an additional mini drone.