I’ve recently been flying my DJI Mini 4K and I’m interested in flying above the 120m (400ft) limit under certain conditions. I’m aware of the general recreational guidelines in Europe.
I’ve heard that it’s possible to declassify the drone, essentially reclassifying it for different types of use. Could anyone explain what happens when you declassify a drone like the Mini 4K? How does that process work, and how long does it usually take?
I want to make sure I stay within legal bounds while also understanding the options available for more advanced flying.
At least in the US, to fly above 400 you would need to obtain a license so you can fly commercially. This would involve registering your drone and getting your commercial license. I’m sure you could find an answer on YouTube from a bunch of experienced drone users.
It’s not just a matter of declassifying the drone. You’d also need to get the correct authorizations (and as others have said, licenses). For example, in the UK, you’d need to contact the CAA to request permission to fly outside the limits of the UK drone code.
In other European countries, you’d likely need to contact the equivalent bodies. This is because 400ft is the lower limit of most uncontrolled airspace. Flying higher, other aircraft (manned or otherwise) would expect you to be operating in a professional manner, be in contact with ATC (or at least monitoring guard/UNICOM frequencies), and generally, it’s just a totally different level of flying than what you’d be doing with a Mini 4K.
It’s not impossible to do. For example, everyone says you can’t fly a drone near an airport, but in truth, you can if you phone up and get permission. In some cases, they’ll be happy to let you fly within a FRZ if it’s a local airport with low traffic, but you’ll likely be told to hop on your bike if you try asking to fly over the fence at London Heathrow.
You’re not asking to do an unreasonable thing, but be aware that in most cases it won’t be possible without going down a more commercial route.
In the USA, a commercial Part 107 remote pilot can exceed 400ft when within 400ft vertically of a tall structure. You can go up to 400ft above the structure to allow for inspection of said tall thing. I do this regularly with 800ft cell towers.