Which drone do I need?

Are you looking to purchase a drone, but unsure of which one to go for? With drones being regulated differently in each region around the world, it is important to select one that meets the requirements of your country. If you are based in Europe, drones are regulated by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) through the registration process and must have a Class Label before they can fly in most European countries. It is therefore important to check whether drones fulfill these restrictions and regulations before purchasing. Furthermore, some drones may serve specific purposes better than others, so it’s useful to research drones depending on what you would like to use them for. Understanding these conditions ahead of time can save a lot of hassle when it comes time to fly!

I want to fly as a hobby

Flying as a hobby does not have many restrictions by the EASA, provided you stay away from people. If you are not building your own drone, we recommend drones from the classes C0 or C1 for that. Those allow you to even fly within cities, for example in parks.

Class C0 for example even allows you to fly over uninvolved people, although you should avoid that whenever possible, as long as you stay away from assemblies of people. Unfortunately, no class C0 drones are currently on the market, although the DJI Mavic Mini 3 will probably receive one. With a class C1 drone, like the DJI Mavic 3, you can also overfly people as long as you actively try to avoid that. No other operational restrictions apply. You still probably need a A1/A3 pilot certification.

I want to fly to take photos and film

Which drones you need if you take photos and videos heavily depends on your use case. If you fly for cinematic productions, there probably is no way around getting a drone that can carry your specific equipment and apply for a operational license in the Specific category. However, due to the amazing current camera technology, in a lot of other cases you can use a C1 drone like the DJI Mavic 3 Cine might be right for you.

I want to fly for surveys or inspections

Which drone you need in this case depends on your specific use case. If you want to do building inspection, you probably should use a multirotor drone. If you only need optical imagery, a DJI Mavic 3 might be right for you as it already has received a class identification label and has great performance for its class. Depending on the specifics also look into downsizing, some applications might only need a DJI Mavic Mini 3 and we always recommend to get the smallest drone that can get the job done.

However, if you need specific other data, for example thermal imagery or a laser survey, we have bad news for you: There currently are no drones on the market that have a class label and provide those sensors. Nevertheless, until the 01.01.2024 you can operate your current drones in the open category, depending on the weight of the drone and the specifics of the operation. After that, drones purchased before the cut-off date can still fly in subcategory A3 but as that only applies for flights further than 150m away from industrial sites that might not be useful for you.

If you want to fly larger area surveys, depending on the specifics of your operation, the SenseFly / AgEagle eBee X has a C2 certification and can therefore fly up to a close 50m distance from people and the Quantum Systems Trinity F90+ has received a C3 class label, meaning it can fly in the open class as long as you stay away 150m from residential, commercial and industrial areas and people.

I want to look at roofs

If you only need optical imagery, a DJI Mavic 3 might be right for you as it already has received a class identification label and has great performance for its class. Depending on the specifics also look into downsizing, some applications might only need a DJI Mavic Mini 3 and we always recommend to get the smallest drone that can get the job done.

I want to look at photovoltaic power panels

There currently are no drones on the market that have a class label and provide a thermal camera, which would be the right tool to inspect photovoltaic panels. Nevertheless, until the 01.01.2024 you can operate your current drones in the open category, depending on the weight of the drone and the specifics of the operation. After that, drones purchased before the cut-off date can still fly in subcategory A3 but as that only applies for flights further than 150m away from industrial, commercial and residential sites that might not be useful for you.

I want to look for and rescue fawns

There currently are no drones on the market that have a class label and provide a thermal camera, which would be the right tool to look for fawns in fields. Nevertheless, until the 01.01.2024 you can operate your current drones in the open category. After that, drones purchased before the cut-off date can still fly in subcategory A3 which for this application should not be a problem. Therefore our recommendation is: Buy a drone like the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise, the Parrot ANAFI, the Autel EVO II Dual or any other and go fly.

I want to fly in agricultural settings

Again, it depends. If you want to check field health we can recommend the SenseFly / AgEagle eBee Ag, which has received a C2 certificate. You can therefore use it without worry in all agricultural settings, the restrictions from the A2 subcategory should not be a problem for you.

If you want to use spraying drones, dispense Trichogramma capsules or any other use cases imaginable, then unfortunately there there currently are no drones on the market that have a class label and provide those options. Nevertheless, until the 01.01.2024 you can operate your current drones in the open category, depending on the weight of the drone, which must stay below 25kg which is definitely relevant for spraying use cases. After that, drones purchased before the cut-off date can still fly in subcategory A3 which for this application should not be a problem, provided you stay below 25kg. Therefore our recommendation is: Buy the drone that works for your use case and do not worry about the class label – at least not before 01.01.2024.