This blog is brought to you by Drone Class, your drone trainer for flying in the open and special categories.
Before we enjoy the holidays, let’s take a look at the New Year.
New devices
It’s always exciting to see what new devices DJI will release. In 2024 the new Air series was introduced DJI Air 3S introduced and the DJI Avata 2 and the DJI Neo were also released. The DJI Neo will probably have a little brother, the DJI Flip. It is also obvious that the relatively older Mavic 3 series needs a successor. The new year 2025 would be a good time for this. The Mavic 4 series could launch with a Pro and Enterprise variant. More information and specifications will follow.
The first EU drone licenses are expiring
Anyone who applied for an A1-A3 and/or A2 certificate in early 2021 will undoubtedly have taken a look at the expiry date of the relevant certificate. If you received the A1-A3 and/or A2 certificate in 2021, you can continue to fly with your current certificate throughout 2025. You will then hear from us about how you should proceed with the timely renewal of your certificates.
SORA 2.5 active
For flight operations in the special category, the Specific Risk Assessment for Flight Operations (SORA) remains an important approval tool. The old SORA 2.0 is due and will be replaced next year by SORA version 2.5. This is a significant change as more emphasis is placed on commitments such as parachute systems. The challenge for new drone operators shifts from a lack of available parachute systems to a (current) lack of approval for these types of systems. This is essentially a temporary bottleneck that will hopefully be resolved by next year.
Partial opening of civil CTRs in NL
We end with a positive message. Although it has not yet been officially announced, the signals in the ministry and the supervisory authority seem to be green for a partial opening of the civilian CTRs in the Netherlands. These include Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Maastricht Aachen Airport and Groningen Eelde Airport. Of course, it remains illegal to fly near these airports without a license and permit (and RT will still be required there too), but the outer ring of the CTR is eligible for a relaxation of the rules. On behalf of the Drone Class team, we wish you a great new flying year!
