It is recommended to verify with the scenic staff before taking off it, to ensure flight safety.
A few days ago, the State Council and the Central Military Commission announced the Interim Regulations on the Management of Unmanned Aircraft Flights, which came into effect on January 1, 2024 in mainland China. This is the first specialized administrative regulation on the management of unmanned aerial vehicles in China, and is of great significance to the development of the drone industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will there be any impact on my flights after the promulgation of the Regulations?
The Regulations come into effect on January 1, 2024, and have not yet been formally implemented. You can still use your drone according to the existing regulations.
2. How will the promulgation of the Regulation affect the purchase or use of drones by ordinary consumers?
The Regulations provide users with clearer guidelines, clarifying the current classification of drones, the corresponding airspace suitable for flying, simplifying the declaration process for different categories of drones, and clarifying the thresholds for the use of various types of drones, such as flight licenses, liability insurance, and so on, and also clarifying that the national air traffic management authority will coordinate the construction of an integrated and comprehensive unmanned aerial vehicle service platform. This will fundamentally solve the problems that plague the flight legality of most drone users and promote the healthy and orderly development of the entire industry.
3. What type of drone do you have? Do you need real-name registration, a driver's license, or liability insurance?
Please note: DJI Mini series drones, although weighing <250 grams, are categorized as light drones because the radio transmitting equipment exceeds the micropower short-range requirement.
4. Which drone types are suitable for fusion flights? Does it need to be approved by an air traffic authority? What is the maximum altitude to which it can be applied?
[1] Fusion flight refers to the flight of unmanned aerial vehicles and manned aerial vehicles in unified airspace at the same time.
[2] The altitudes mentioned above are all 'true altitudes'.
5. How to understand the concept of "airspace suitable for flying" and "controlled airspace"?
The Regulations create the new concepts of "airspace suitable for flight" and "controlled airspace" for drones. Controlled airspace mainly includes airborne restricted areas, airborne danger zones, airports, national borders, border lines, military restricted areas, military management areas, radio observatories, enterprises and warehouses of flammable and explosive hazardous materials, and other core and sensitive areas that need to be protected, and in addition to the controlled airspace, airspace of less than 120 meters is classified as "flight-worthy airspace" and is open to the operation of drones. The airspace below 120 meters other than the controlled airspace is designated as "flyable airspace" and is open to the users of micro, light, small and agricultural drones with relatively low safety risks, lowering the threshold of legal flight.
Details are as follows:
- Controlled airspace
1. Airspace above 120 meters in true height
2. Prohibited airspace, restricted airspace and neighboring airspace
3. Military aviation ultra-low altitude flight airspace
4. Other eight major areas below
(1) airports and a certain range of surrounding areas;
(2) areas within a certain range of the national boundary line, the line of de facto control, and the border line to our side;
(3) classified units, such as military restricted zones, military management zones, and supervisory sites, as well as a certain range of areas in the vicinity;
(4) areas for the protection of important military industrial facilities
(5) power plants, substations, gas stations, water supply plants, public **** transportation hubs, navigation hubs, major water conservancy facilities, ports, highways, railroad electrification lines, and other public **** infrastructure, as well as a certain range of surrounding areas and Drinking water source protection zones;
(6) Radio astronomy stations, satellite measurement and control (navigation) stations, aviation radio navigation stations, radar stations and other facilities that require special protection of the electromagnetic environment, as well as a certain range of the surrounding area;
(7) Important revolutionary monuments, important immovable cultural relics, as well as a certain range of the surrounding area;
(8) The national air traffic management other areas stipulated by the leading organizations.
The specific scope of controlled airspace shall be determined by air traffic management agencies at all levels in accordance with the regulations of the leading national air traffic management agencies, and shall be announced by the people's governments at or above the municipal level in the districts where they are set up, and the civil aviation management departments and units with corresponding responsibilities shall issue the navigational information.
- Flyable Airspace
The airspace outside the scope of controlled airspace is the flyable airspace for micro, light and small unmanned aerial vehicles.
6. What is the impact of the promulgation of the Regulation on the height limit of flight?
Micro, light, and small UAVs with relatively small operational safety risks fly in flyable airspace, and controllers should not exceed the true height of 120 meters or more for flight;
Controlled airspace determines the flight height based on approvals, and in accordance with the Regulations, no UAV flight activities shall be carried out in controlled airspace without the approval of the air traffic management agency.
When manned aerial vehicles and unmanned aircraft appear in the same airspace at the same time, light, small and medium-sized unmanned aircraft shall not exceed the true altitude of more than 300 meters; large unmanned aircraft shall decide the final flight altitude in accordance with the approval.
7. How long is the flight application approval cycle? How far in advance do I need to submit an application for approval?
Approval applies to flight declarations in controlled areas and partial altitude and model declarations for fusion flights. Users are required to file by 12:00pm on the day before the flight at the latest, and the approval result will be available by 21:00pm on the same day at the latest.
8. Can I tell if I'm in a controlled airspace based on DJI's flight restriction zones?
Currently, DJI's no-fly zones include some controlled areas, such as airports. DJI's electronic fences are delineated by the company itself based on flight safety, and will also be adjusted in the future when policies and regulations are clarified.