This is more of a YouTube video than a post, but I figured I’d at least mention it over here. In this video I dive into the mess that is the DJI Mini 5 Pro. Or at least, the mess that is its presence on the weight scale. While the product may be technically fine, it’s also technically breaking the law.
The DJI Mini 5 Pro weighs more than the 250g weight limit applied by the EU, UK, Canada, US, and many other countries. Beyond that limit, most countries require either additional registration or additional licenses (or both). And historically speaking, all of the DJI Mini-series of drones have been below that limit. After all, that was kinda the entire point of this series.
But this time around, DJI has marketed it as 249.9g +/- 4g, all while self-certifying that they mean the requirements of the “C0” classification within Europe, via EASA. That C0 certification requires a drone to be under 250g (with no tolerance), and Article 6 even requires companies to issue recalls for batches that are beyond that level.
In any case, in the video I dive into all of the aspects here, including what it means for consumers that fly it in the EU (hint: still illegal), retailers that sell it (also illegal), distributors that import it (yup, illegal too), and DJI itself (also…subject to recall).
Oh, and to make it interesting, since there’s a lot of legal talk, I snuck a ton of pretty turquoise blue scenic water/bay/boat shots in there too. :)
Thanks for watching!
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No more issue if you move your Mini 5 Pro from C0 to C1 class as C1 allows for drone under 900g.
Totally, at least in the EU. But then you need to go complete the licensing test. ;)
And same goes for Canada. I haven’t looked super closely at the nuances of the UK.
There is no real penalty in the EU from moving from C0 to C1, as both allow operations in open category A1. Operating a DJI mini requires operator registration anyway as it has a camera and, while operating a C1 drone requires going through an online training and exam, I’d argue this should be recommended anyway.
The main technical difference between C0 and C1 drones, other than weight, is that C1 drones need to have remote Id. Since DJI offers the possibly to update the Mini 5 Pro to C1, I guess it is remote Id capable.
What is strange is that DJI felt the need to play with the limit of the C0 category when they offer a larger battery options for those who don’t mind operating a C1 drone. Why then not shave 4g off the weight of the smaller battery?
I received my M5P last friday. Let’s be honest, the license test is a no brainer. It took me 30m. I requested the move to C1 yesterday via the DJI process. Waiting for the new stickers to finish the process. IMO a lot of noise for almost nothing. I could have stayed with C0, I don’t care about the 253g stuff. Moving to C1 as it brings more flexibility.
I’m not sure you’re legal even holding the higher licences when the drone says it’s C0 and isn’t. The EASA FAQ suggests that _operating_ a non-compliant drone could in and of itself get you “persecuted” [sic]
My reading is that you’re legal, you’re just simply defaulting out of the C0, assuming you hold a license for that drone weight/speeds/etc otherwise.
To be honest, EU governments have other priorities than tracking citizen who bought a 253g M5P, lol. Plus they won’t never ban DJI drones, especially if it’s a mess with Russia in 6 months from now, lol. In short, stop paranoïa and enjoy your M5P.
S0 lets not hold companies to task over false information. Plus where’s the protection for a customer who DOES get taken to task over it, especially since people are going to be MORE cautious about drone usage