Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread

Don
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
22,697
Location
Wargrave, UK
Just passed my A2 CofC. I did it though UAVHUB and it was very slick. TBH, I could have passed it without the training material if I'm being completely honest based on the question I answered.
If you have a spare £100 and want to be less restricted in where you can fly I strongly suggest taking it.
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Oct 2009
Posts
6,672
Location
Caerphilly
Just passed my A2 CofC. I did it though UAVHUB and it was very slick. TBH, I could have passed it without the training material if I'm being completely honest based on the question I answered.
If you have a spare £100 and want to be less restricted in where you can fly I strongly suggest taking it.
But isn't it all changing soon?
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2005
Posts
5,709
Just passed my A2 CofC. I did it though UAVHUB and it was very slick. TBH, I could have passed it without the training material if I'm being completely honest based on the question I answered.
If you have a spare £100 and want to be less restricted in where you can fly I strongly suggest taking it.
What are the benefits of certification? It’s changing so frequently it’s hard to keep up! I had a quick look on some sites and it’s still quite confusing. They seem to make it sound as though the training is required to fly drones like the big mavic which I have but then other places say it just gives you the ability to fly in more places?
 
Don
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
22,697
Location
Wargrave, UK
Without it, under the new rules, you can only fly 150M from any uninvolved persons. This also includes flying anywhere that's residential, industrial, recreational, etc. etc. So yeah, if you want to fly the Mavic anywhere other than on your own private estate you need it.
With it, you can fly legacy drones under 2kg (All Mavics are legacy as they aren't class certified) down to 30M from uninvolved persons. Once there are class certified drones than it will allow you to fly as close as 5M in low-speed mode.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2005
Posts
5,709
Without it, under the new rules, you can only fly 150M from any uninvolved persons. This also includes flying anywhere that's residential, industrial, recreational, etc. etc. So yeah, if you want to fly the Mavic anywhere other than on your own private estate you need it.
With it, you can fly legacy drones under 2kg (All Mavics are legacy as they aren't class certified) down to 30M from uninvolved persons. Once there are class certified drones than it will allow you to fly as close as 5M in low-speed mode.
Thanks for clearing that up succinctly! I must have spent 30 minutes researching and ended up more confused than when I started.

Sounds like something I’d want and need to do. Do you think this would be a decent route? Looks like the course is free with just the the exam free that needs paid? https://coptrz.com/shop/cpd-training-courses/a2-certificate-of-competency-a2-cofc/
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2005
Posts
5,709
No idea. How much is the exam?
I went with UAVHUB simply because others I know have gone via them and spoke highly of the material. The exam fee is included.
Just shy or £60 so not a great difference. They have some expensive courses so I presume it’s subsidised to get you on the hook.
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
39,267
Location
Ireland
Have an air 2s on the way and am in 2 minds about keeping it or not, seen a few side by side videos comparing the air2 and the 2s and for the most part the difference is negligible. You really have to do a lot of "pixel peeping" and zooming in to see any real difference between the 2.

Might hold out for the pro 3 which is rumoured for this year at some point.
 
Don
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
22,697
Location
Wargrave, UK
Have an air 2s on the way and am in 2 minds about keeping it or not, seen a few side by side videos comparing the air2 and the 2s and for the most part the difference is negligible. You really have to do a lot of "pixel peeping" and zooming in to see any real difference between the 2.

Might hold out for the pro 3 which is rumoured for this year at some point.

So, I have both. The difference for me is in the dynamic range. There is more detail in the shadows without the highlights being blown out. I do mainly stills and the additional dynamic range will come in handy when post processing.
However, for most use cases I can't see there being enough difference that you would actually notice. The Air 2 is still a bloody fantastic drone with an excellent camera.
If someone didn't have a drone then I'd absolutely say get the Air 2S but if you have an Air 2 already then unless there is a specific deficiency in the camera that will be alleviated with the larger sensor, then save you money.
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
39,267
Location
Ireland
So, I have both. The difference for me is in the dynamic range. There is more detail in the shadows without the highlights being blown out. I do mainly stills and the additional dynamic range will come in handy when post processing.
However, for most use cases I can't see there being enough difference that you would actually notice. The Air 2 is still a bloody fantastic drone with an excellent camera.
If someone didn't have a drone then I'd absolutely say get the Air 2S but if you have an Air 2 already then unless there is a specific deficiency in the camera that will be alleviated with the larger sensor, then save you money.

Yeah i think i'm gonna hold out for a mavic 3 instead, it's a pretty minimal upgrade over the air 2 for the most part. Take the master shots out of the equation which they could add to the air 2 (but probably won't as it's a selling point) and it's essentially a bigger sensor (with marginal image improvement depending on the scenario) and 2 more obstacle sensors with slightly less flight time and a bit more speed. I could probably get £700 or so for my air 2 fly more but even then the additional cost for the 2s flymore combo with refresh is a bit much for what it offers over the air2.

Mavic 3 pro has been rumoured for at least a year now and more rumours pointing to a possibility of it appearing later in the year.
 
Back
Top Bottom