Travelling with a drone
Excited about flying a drone and shooting those amazing shots you see in documentaries? Great! When travelling with a drone you need to think about many things, such as
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Taking a drone on a plane
So, you might be thinking of getting a drone, or are already planning your trip with your drone to shoot some amazing images. But first, you''ll have to fly to your location. When taking your drone on an airplane, there are a couple of things you'll have to think about.
1 | Packing your drone
When packing your drone, there are two important things to think about to ensure the safety of your drown as well as the people on the plane.
- Turn off the drone and protect the switches from being activated.
- Carry the drone in a carrying case, to protect it from damage (this is not necessary, but helps to increase the lifetime of your drone).
- Consider getting a fireproof bag for your drone's batteries (such as these: https://www.amazon.com/Fireproof-Battery-Mavic-Phantom-Storage/dp/B0714FJ45Y/ref=sr_1_13?crid=2JM0RTK4XJGU2&keywords=fireproof+battery+bag&qid=1564387088&s=gateway&sprefix=fireproof+battery%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-13).
2| Check out the official guidelines (FAA or similar authorities) for dangerous goods not allowed on the airplane
To make sure you can bring the items you want on board, and to check what the exact rules are for lithium batteries it is important to check the official guidelines and regulations for dangerous goods. You can check these at the FAA for the US (https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/), the TCCA for Canada (https://travel.gc.ca/air) or EASA for Europe (https://www.easa.europa.eu/easa-and-you/passengers/dangerous-goods) for example.
For other countries, find the civil aviation authorities to check their rules.
3| Check out the airline regulations
It is not only the country regulations that count. Airline regulations might sometimes be more strict. Make sure to check the airline regulations on hazardous goods and bringing lithium batteries to make sure you can bring your items in checked in or carry-on luggage.
4| Print out the regulations
Too avoid conflicts and long discussions, print out the regulations for both the airline policy and the airport/country regulations.
5| Carry-on or check-in luggage
Drones are fragile and expensive equipment. It's definitely worth putting it in your carry-on luggage to avoid damage or it becoming stolen, if it fits in the overhead compartment. Packing it in your check-in luggage is also fine, but make sure to store it safely in a good, hard case. Furthermore, note that the spare batteries must always be stored in your carry-on.
Another thing that makes it a lot easier to carry your drown, is to put it in a separate case with all the other drown equipment such as the spare batteries. Several people have mentioned getting into trouble when taking out the drone of their bag, showing it to security, who often don't know the exact rules and ending up having long discussions. Avoid this by putting your drown equipment in a separate case. Try to stay under the radar, be inconspicuous.
The rules for carry-on are usually easier to follow and therefore it provides less of a hasle. The following rules are similar for EASA, TCCA and FAA. When packing LIPO batteries, they always have to be in your carry-on luggage, unless the battery is in your device. Furthermore, it is important to know the watt hours (Wh) of your batteries. To calculate the Wh, you can multiply the battery voltage by the Amp hours (Ah). The rules regarding Wh and lithium batteries are the following:
- The spare batteries have to be individually packed to protect short circuits for example through
- insulating the terminals with tape
- putting each battery in a plastic bag
- using another appropriate way
- Note, this is not always necessary, depending on the batteries. But is does avoid unnecessary issues.
- The batteries do not exceed a Wh of 100? No problem.
- If the Wh is between 100 and 160, you have to get approval from the airline to carry the item. Don't pack more than two of these batteries.
- Batteries of over 160 Wh are not allowed.
Also, always check your batteries for any damage. If they are damaged, don't bring them on the plane.
For the US, at the TSA website you can find regulations on what you an and can't pack in your luggage, and the FAA provides information on lithium batteries.
6| Going through customs
There are quite some horror stories on the internet about drones being confiscated at customs. The people at customs will ask you questions, maybe even swap your drone for bommaking material or make you turn it on. Don't worry, this is quite standard, as long as you stay friendly this will make your trip a lot easier.
Make sure to check the country's drone laws. Some country's are really strict on drone laws, or don't even allow drones. However, in many countries shooting for personal use is usually okay, for commercial use it's a different story, and you might need to get clearance. Another useful source for getting familiar with the country's customs are youtube videos or forums about experiences there.
So in short:
- Pack your drone securely
- Check the country's aviation regulations (for dangerous goods and lithium batteries)
- Check the airline regulations
- Print them out
- Pack your drone, carry-on or check-in, and your extra batteries in your carry-on (under 100 Wh, or max 2 between 100-160 Wh if approved by airline)
- Check the country's drown laws
Drone legislation for recreational use
So, you have your drone, you packed it well and you might have already done the preparations before taking it on your flight. Now it's time to check the drone legislation in the country your going too. Are you even allowed to bring a drone (this one you should check before packing ;))? Do you need permits? Are there strict rules regarding drone use? All of it important information to know before taking your drone into the air.
The use of non-commercial drones is increasing, and more and more countries are passing legislation regarding the use of these drones. While the majority of the countries have laws in place, some countries simply ban drones, and others have no legislation at all. Before you decide too take your drone with you on your next trip, you need to know the rules for your destination. If you don't, this might result in fines or even confiscation of your drone (and believe me, there are some horror stories about this on the internet). Therefore, avoiding potential problems is essential.
Providing a list of all the rules per country is an endless job, luckily we have the internet! There are several websites that devote their time to providing an overview of drone legislation. It's really useful and saves tons of time. However, be aware to check when the websites were last updated and remember that the people who wrote it are often just people like you and me, so mistakes can sometimes be made.
1| Country legislation
The first place to find correct and detailed information is of course in the country's legislation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This can usually be found on the website of the country's aviation authority. Just Google Country + Aviation Authority and you'll probably find it. However, it can be a difficult search to find the documents addressing drones. Therefore the below mentioned platforms also provide a good first source if you want to check the legislation yourself, since they often provide links of where to find official legislation documents.
2| Drone Laws Map
This map provides an amazing overview of the drone laws per country, or where to find them. It is based on information from appropriate governing bodies, either through their website or direct contact. Also important, it is regularly updated (the last update was on the first of July, 2019). The colors mean the following: Green - drone use is regularly allowed, Yellow - drone use is limited or may require cumbersome registration process, Red - Drone import or use is prohibited or otherwise heavily restricted, Grey - No data or there are no deined or applicable UAV laws. This map can now also be found as an app (DroneMate) in the app store and google play.
3| UAV Coach website
The UAV Coach website is in general a great website for information about travelling with a drone. Next to all the information they provide about drone training, which drones to buy, even drone jobs guidance, they also provide an extensive list of drone laws per country, and per US state. If you click on a country, it provides a sometimes short and sometimes detailed overview of whether drones are allowed or not, and where you can find more information. This really saves a lot of trouble reading through official documents and trying to translate it into practical terms.
4| Drone Regulations website
Another map can be found on Droneregulations.com. It is not as extensive as the first map, in my opinion, but does provide useful insights. Depending on the country you can find some information on the drone legislation, or just information on where to read about it.
5| Blogs, Fora and Youtube
The best place to find out about people's experiences with drones is through blogs, fora and youtube. While this info is not always up to date, it will give you an idea of how people took their drone to certain countries and how the local authorities react to it. Furthermore they often have useful tips based on their experience. One of these website is for example the website Drone-traveller.com. It is about Bina and Francis who travel around with a Phantom. They list their experiences, but also the rules they found for travelling to certain countries such as Swaziland, Cameroon, Montenegro, South Korea, North Korea etc.
A forum which can help you out is the DJI forum. Next to all kinds of info, and threads about interesting and less interesting things, you can search for specific information on the country you're going to by for example typing in country + law, or country + legislation. This will give you an idea of other people's experiences or search for information as well.
Youtube is of course nice since you can watch people talk, and things are often easier to understand when you hear them instead of when reading them. Youtube is full of videos regarding country drone legislation. Just type in drone + legislation and you'll already get a bunch of videos. Make sure to check the date on the videos since you can't update a video like you can update a blog.
I would recommend you check at least one of the first 4 options, preferably a couple, so that you can get an idea of what the rules are, if they are even known. Also, when websites say different things, I recommend checking the country's legislation on the aviation authorities website. Good luck, and most of all, don't forget to have some fun!
Drone regulations Netherlands
The Netherlands is known for its many rules and regulations. Therefore, if you're travelling with a drone it's good to prepare a bit before using it here. While the police is friendly and you might get away with a warning, it's better not too take the risk of your drone being confiscated.
The Dutch government has a page about drone regulations on their website. It's best to check the latest regulations there, since they might change once in a while. But for now, here are the most important things:
- "A private drone must not weigh more than 25kg (including cargo).
- There are places where you are not allowed to fly a drone, such as over crowds or built-up areas or in the vicinity of airports and other no-fly zones.
- You must always keep the drone in view.
- You are not permitted to fly higher than 120 metres, either above the ground or over water.
- You are not permitted to fly in the dark.
- You must always yield to other aircraft, such as aeroplanes, helicopters and gliders. This means that you must land immediately if you see an aircraft approaching. You should also stay away from accident scenes, since a drone can get in the way of emergency and police helicopters.
- You can use your drone to take aerial photographs for personal use. This is considered ‘recreational use’. However, you are not allowed to violate other people’s privacy. For example, you are not permitted to secretly film someone. If you want to film or photograph a person, you must first get their permission."
The extended version, with all the rules (regeling modelvliegen) can be found here: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0019147/2019-04-01. Unfortunately, this page is not in English. You can perhaps ask a friend to translate it, or post anything that needs translating below.
If you're in the money business with your drone, more rules apply. In that case, check out this page: https://www.government.nl/topics/drone/rules-pertaining-to-the-commercial-use-of-drones
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