I Had to Get Permission from a Drone Operator to Test a Trendy Camera | Your Tech | Country

Now you can record yourself running through the trees in the mountains, or film your own scene where you look into infinity on a deserted paradise beach and the image zooms out from you. These are movie-like effects, and for that very reason they have become extremely popular on social media. How do you get it? With a drone like the HoverAir X1, a device just larger than the palm of your hand with a camera on the front that lets you record video and take photos.

After several days of testing, I am firmly convinced that the key to its success compared to alternatives like the DJI mini 3 is its simplicity and ease of use. It operates completely autonomously – it does not require a cell phone or controller to fly – and it does this thanks to artificial intelligence and object recognition. It has only two buttons: one to start and stop, and one to switch between the various shooting modes it allows, which include recording from a fixed point, following you, moving away, rotating around you, a bird’s eye view, or taking a photo. Simply place it in the palm of your hand, press the button, and the drone automatically takes off and starts recording on demand; when done, you place your hand under the ground and land. All images are saved to the 32GB internal memory, and you need to use the mobile app to retrieve them.

It weighs only 125 grams, so as expected, the wind affects it a lot, even knocking it down. In any case, the propellers remain intact thanks to the structure that covers and protects them, it flies at a maximum height of 10 meters and has a low speed: it can follow you while you run or ride a bike, but nothing more. In addition, its battery has a power reserve of 10 minutes – quite short, although common for drones – but it is removable and therefore interchangeable.

It’s actually a very interesting device, and the effect of the videos is truly amazing. But its use has raised many doubts in me, both about its flight (after all, it’s a drone and there is legislation about them) and about privacy.

With permits and insurance

To know what to expect when you want to use one of these devices, I consulted AESA (Aviation Safety Agency), which confirms that this type of device must comply with the rules that apply to UAVs/drones weighing less than 250 grams, so you must register as a drone operator to be able to fly it in open spaces. This is a very quick and free process that can be done from the UAV page with or without a digital certificate.

This is not the only obligation. In addition, you must have an insurance policy covering civil liability to third parties for damage that may occur during and as a result of the flight. Some large insurance companies, such as Mapfre or Allianz, already offer this, and there are also companies specializing in them. The cost is about 20 euros per year without additional coverage.

On the other hand, it is necessary to take into account that it is always necessary to maintain a safe horizontal distance from people and that it does not fly over crowds, is always visible and does not rise more than 120 meters in height, which is impossible to do with this model on purpose. And you can’t fly it anywhere: there are flight restriction zones due to the proximity of airfields, military zones, official infrastructure or environmental protection. It is best to always check it on a map, such as the one from Enaire Drones. It is surprising how many places it cannot be used.

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