Australian Drone Guide 2021/2022 – Buying and Flying
Australian Drone Guide 2021/2022 – Buying and Flying
Everything you need to know to buy, register and fly a drone (legally) here in Australia. This video is in three parts: which drone to buy (brand, model and size), what paperwork you need to complete (registering yourself and your drone) and how to fly it and avoid getting fined (including standard operating conditions).
0:00 Intro
2:18 Part one – buying your drone
2:21 Which Brand of Drone?
3:15 Which Size of Drone?
4:27 Which Model of Drone
5:28 Accessories for the Drone
6:29 DJI Care Refresh
7:17 Buy New or Used?
8:36 Drone Care
9:08 Learning to Fly
9:39 Part Two – The Paperwork
10:30 Who or what is CASA?
12:04 Registering Yourself
15:27 Drone Registration
18:33 Part Three – Standard Operating Conditions
19:08 Visual Line of Sight
19:50 Daylight Hours
21:05 Flight Ceiling
21:48 Airports and Airfields
22:39 Privacy
23:21 Marine Mammals
24:01 Restricted Airspace
26:23 Weather
28:08 Outro
So the only way to fly around a council park -no people or hazards is to take off & land from a nearby public road? seems a little dangerous? footpaths are council owned.If I have a park opp my house I can take off & land from my driveway up 30m fly across the rd fly in the air space then return to my property is that correct?
Your a legend, go Ozzie go!!!! Love it.
im stuck at id verification . i have to now go get a stat dec and get someone to sign it . no hurry tho i got a mini se its under weight .
Really…Legally…Really… who says what goes and what doesn’t. We are too controlled. Where is our freedom?
Thanks Andy. I am still unclear about flying over my neighbourhood. I thought the 30m rule extended vertically meaning no flight over anyone, houses etc. In short , can I launch off my balcony and fly over people, roads and houses in my neighbourhood?
Now I’m on the fence of getting myself a drone. Primarily to shoot landscape in and around NSW national parks. Your video is most helpful though, thank you!
This video was put together amazingly and very helpful, glad I found you!
Insightful video Andy – thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work. Love your sense of humour ….
Thanks for all that info. My issue is what is reasonable wind to fly in. If the wind is under 30ks but there are occasional gusts over 40ks is it ok to put up a Mavic air 2. Lately I’ve been unable to fly because my weather app is saying not good to fly and it seems the gusts are the issue
Totally brilliant, amazing video. Thank you!
Are the days of flying a plane made out of a single sheet of paper without regulations gone yet?
I’ve been eyeing off a DJI Mini for ages, and the Mini 3 looks awesome. It’d be for my youtube vids which, right now, don’t attract any money, but if I’m reading things right, if that ever changes and I start making some money off videos with drone footage, then I need to be registered?
I’m also confused about the regulations around airports for these <250g drones too. I live within 5.5km of an airfield, and it shows up on the maps as a restricted space. But I read that <250g drones aren’t restricted in that environment, provided there are no manned aircraft operating at the time? I mean I won’t often be flying from my home, so it’s not that big an issue, but the <250g thing is relevant for when I do take it places.
I dunno, it all seems very complex – almost like it’s deliberately complex to catch people out. Certainly makes me wary of investing money in a drone.
Am I correct in my understanding that if flying purely for fun I don’t need accreditation?
Thanks Andy, you are amazing…
Brilliant!!!! Thank you.
Thanks Andy, I’m looking at buying my first drone and your video has been the most informative one I have found on the tube.
Regards,
Dave K 👍
What’s your opinion on a DJI refurbished drone? Is it likely to have cracks or anything? They claim the batteries are new.
Very interesting and informative, but I have to say, my favourite part was the reference to ScumMo at Engadine Maccas! lol
Hi Andy am I permitted to fly over a residential area I am using a dji air 2s
Thanks Andy. This truly gives me a good perspective on where to fly my dji mini.
Very much appreciate your advise and content
Great video. Very informative. Many thanks.
Thanks Andy great information in layman’s terms, love the dry humour also. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Andy, another great vid
600th Sub, hooray for me. haha
Thanks.. this was very helpful
Brilliant comprehensive piece of info. You dont need to see another video about buying drone after this one. Fantastic! Thanks very much
Thanks Andy this is brilliant. You explain it way better than CASA.
Hi Andy, I’m from the US and will be visiting Australia for about a month next year. I have a DJI Mini 2. Will I be able to fly it legally if I bring it with me and what is the best way to stay on top of the rules (assuming it is ok for a foreigner to fly in Australia)?
Thanks.
Cheers Andy! I just got the mini 2 today(1st drone for an ageing bastard), & did all the hoopla thanks to your info.
So now I’m ridgey didge 😐
Like the way you deliver your vids..with humour & commonsense & some choice french thrown in😁👍
Subbed 👍
*Shoulda been ‘assholes’ like to dob in these days…not "Aussies". 🍻🇦🇺
Hey mate, I tried looking for additional info about airport zones within 5.5km, I’m wanting to test out a DJI Mavic Mini SE at the park in town under 10m altitude for a quick assessment of it’s abilities, I’m still unsure about it because there’s a airport in town and alot of everything else is all bushland I can’t access, and I’m a cyclist so I can’t really reach 10km on riding.
It’s a dilemma I’m dealing with, is there any advice or am I stuck in a doghouse?
Hi! Great video with lot’s of great information… I was wondering if foreigners have to go through the same procedures to fly in Australia. I already have my license and my drone is register in Canada. Maybe the Mavic Mini 2 would allow me to skip all these steps. Thanks!
New fan here! Really enjoyed the video!! so awesome!
Hi You might also want to look at the free Apple Iphone App Sunrise Sunset Widget which provides the Civil Twilight times for the current day, at a glance.
Do I need to register the dji mini 2 for recreational use
Great info. Didn’t know about the timed airspace in Shoalhaven. A bit annoying.
I must say that you are completely wrong about the DJI refresh plan it is unreel. I had a bug glitch in my mini to, I took it to a river got to the middle of the river and started recording when I pressed forward and stopped or tried to stop the drone by taking my fingers or thumbs off the sticks it just kept going forward. I quickly thought I’ll send it higher up above everything, but I noticed some powerlines and it was still going forward and up at the same time. I panicked and being an old remote control car guy the stick orientation I had was totally opposite to what I’m used to with the car. I had been practising in my backyard and thought well I can just your around and let it come back to me and try and crash landed into the beach but instead of that when I panicked I hit the stick that I thought I was going to your around only to fly the drone sideways hence straight into a tree. Now I have had an infection in my spine for 12 months I had only just started getting better but couldn’t really walk I crawled on my hands and knees to go and find the drone. I had only flown around 50 m away and thought I should get it but I got to a point where there was it to me to drop in two meter ascend. It was telling me the drone was only 15 m away I could even hear it beeping but I could go no further and turned around. The very next morning I went back with more suitable clothing on and literally crawl to the same spot but couldn’t get past it where it got struck the day before. My nephew and my brother-in-law put their kayaks in the river and got past that place where I couldn’t get down and out they looked for three hours straight as it had run out of battery it was like looking for a needle in a haystack we gave up. I contacted DJI and it was expecting to pay $379 for a replacement flyaway. I sent my flight data video and explanation to what had happened a day later got the news they were sending me a free replacement along with DJ I now own that drone in if I ever find it it is the position of DJI now. Says the moral of the story is it was wonderful for me they even sent me a free memory card as well that was lost in my drone which was brand-new straight out of the box that morning LOL but didn’t replace the ND filter I had on it so that’s gone. I have nothing bad to say about DJI and their service wonderful experience in my opinion.
Can you fly a drone under 250g within 5.5 km of an controlled aerodrome or the departing / landing flight tracks?
Great vid. thank you! Its crazy how hard it is to really know for sure if you are following all the right rules…. couple of things in this vid though… I understand that you do not need accreditation for a sub 2kg drone you use for recreation but come next year you will need to register it – the very small excluded category specifically. Also the registration fee for this category i.e. >250g but <2kg is a once off $40 fee. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I’ve just gone through all this and this is how I understand it.
Great video Andy, subbed. I’m from NSW as well flying the mavic 🤟🏽
Thanks Andy, just started watching your channel lately and it’s been very informative. I’m going from hobbyist to starting a business venture and I was hoping that you might do a video about any safety measures i.e. JSA’s or other precautionary measures that you take prior to doing any commercial work. Once again thanks for your content.
You had me at the" Most people won’t give a fuck about that" statement about the rules and laws!. I bought a used Mavic Pro and have spent 3 days studying videos and tweeking settings before taking it out.
That’s so helpful regarding the national parks land vs airspace. I’ve wondered about that. I assume that would mean that you can launch from palm/hand with a Mavic mini even in a NP?
Is it allowed to fly DJI Mini 2 in the Australian beach (facing the beach from water)?
height restriction, max height 120m above takeoff site, if your takeoff site is on the hill 500m heigh you can technically fly 620 m above the sea level
I want to start a drone business where I capture sports such as motoX, mountain biking, and other racing and water sports. And sell the footage to the athletes. As I will be flying the drone within 30m of the athlete, are there any exemptions to this rule? And how would I get these exemptions?
so.. im aus if i fly below 250g, what do i have to do. redister with casa? pass a test? an i fly round my rural farm with out issue ?
asking for a friend of a frinds cousin dogs human mums neighbours friends local IGA checkout chick’s uncle..
just wondering
The no flying beyond Vlos is biggest problem I have with the rules. The main purpose of buying the dji mavic pro was to explore tops of hill and rugged terrain. So far I’ve heard nothing about how I can still do this legally, and anyone that doesn’t follow the law would just do it anyway.
Flying distance above the ground can be a funny one also, because are they referring to the distance above the ground in reference to the drone or the take off position?. If I’m at the foot of a huge hill, I’d say 400 ft above the top of the hill, as this is still 100 ft below the height of any light GA aircraft ( their minimum is 500ft over terrain)
Just found your channel, subbed & sent the link to a couple of friends. I’ve enjoyed your clear, no bullshit explanations of flying a drone in Australia today. Love the dry wit. Loved the scottyfrommarketing email address! Love the fact that you don’t wear a back to front baseball cap & start your vids with "’sup dudes". I have done all the accreditation & registration crap with CASA & didn’t find it too difficult, but at the time, a few months ago, wasn’t aware that they would want me to start forking out money for each of my 2 Mavics. Pricks. What’s your take on DJI’s FPV drone re regulations? Thanks.
Thank you for taking the time for producing these valuable videos. Could you please say more about the laws regarding buildings? For example, we could circle buildings without flying ‘over’ them. If the circle is high enough we could theoretically maintain the ‘line of sight’.