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Photography

Do you fly drones?

With the introduction of compact drones like the DJI Mavic and the super tiny DJI Spark, I’ve recently been considering getting into drone photography myself. They seem super practical to travel with and I could really have taken advantage of one on my trip a couple of weeks back. I’m currently checking with Fajer the Lawyer to see what the latest laws on flying drones in Kuwait are, since I know last year they proposed a bunch of things. Until she gets back to me I figured I’d ask my readers, do you fly drones and if yes, have you run into any issues with cops or people?

Also on a side note, if anybody is bored of their Mavic and wants to sell it, let me know!

47 replies on “Do you fly drones?”

Yes Please find out.I just got my DJI Mavic and still didn’t fly it because I’m still uncertain of the rules here in Kuwait.

If anyone has a good spot for flying drones,please let us know.

Yes, you can. Just easily Google, and it would say something like… You can’t fly a drone over people and over risticted areas. Just ask a question on google and you will find out

Mohammed if i fly drone on seaside near marina mall its okey? Or like in Old Souq, is there any restrictions? Or do we need permit?

Wow, I was doing my own research on it and was about to post it in Kuwestions. Though I don’t intend to fly it in Kuwait, I want to buy it and take it to India with me.

Based on my research, I didn’t find any site that is selling used drones. Don’t fall for the website olx.com.kw. They have bunch of listing but all scams.

Let me know as well if you find any local shops or site selling it.

What did you use for your research? Encarta 95? Try google, you would have ended up on Xcite.com or falconrchobby.com, both of which sell DJI drones..

I want to take my chances. I am planning to disassemble it to certain extend. Also Mavic hardly looks like a drone when its folded.

I’ve preordered the spark and am super excited about it. I’ve owned 2 drones previous to it. A tiny one for laughs at the office and a big one that I only flew in Qurtoba Park, but it was so old school at the time, the calibration was a super hassle.

The spark I will use for trips, it’s great since it fits my Canon Photographer backpack, went to a forest in Germany and so wished I had it with me. It’s so tiny that it’s not threatening to your average Joe passing by, which is what I love about it.

I needed a drone for a trip I was gonna go on and decided on the Phantom 4 because I couldn’t wait for the Mavic (was a serious shortage in the supplies for Mavics as soon as it was released)

I kind of regret my decision, lugging around the Phantom 4 was a definitely a hassle to say the least. I do appreciate the Phantom 4 for it’s greater FOV, and considering what I use it to capture, I think that’s important.

But, the convenience of just popping the Mavic into my backpack is just too big to ignore… I need a small suitcase for my Phantom 4.

I’ve owned my Mavic Pro for a few months now and been flying it around non residential areas, i presume the main concern of flying it would be invasion of privacy, therefore I take it out to sea or farm areas like Abdali and Wafra.

I’ve read somewhere that they are legal if you fly in non residential, military or government areas, and I think there is a way you can apply for a permit to fly the drone via Civil Aviation.

Get a drone! it’s so worth it. also, do keep us posted about what the lawyer says about Drones Laws in Kuwait. Thanks!

I fly my drone in remote areas away from government buildings, oil security and military areas. It is however not recommended to fly in temperatures higher than 40 degreed!!!

My current DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ is for sale. Comes with 4 batteries, extra props, prop guards, charging hub, 2 x gimball protectors, backpack type carry bag. The drone also comes with the original box and all standard accessories. Drone and batteries have very few flights logged and the drone has never been crashed. Interested parties can leave a message here and I will revert.

Can you share some google location where is safe to fly a drone…

might plan to go on Eid Holidays.

I’ve flown in Mutla, there is a pop up that shows there’s a military base in the area which is pretty cool. I think it sends the drone back “home” if you fly to close to the base though.

Mutlah Ridge is a huge land area and the military base there covers only a very small piece of land. Only a fool would fly a drone in close proximity to a military installation, considering the potential unpleasant consequences.

Not just the motors. The bigger risk is puffing your battery. Try downloading an app named Hover. It will tell you if it is too hot, too windy, etc, and even has a map with no fly zones (Although, I wouldn’t trust it 100% to show all the now fly zones).

I went to pick up the mavic but decided against it after speaking to the gent at falconrc.
According to him, you need a permit to fly. Though it is easy to get, you need to specify date, place and time of flight, which means it is a single use only. Can’t imagine going through so much hassle.
Perhaps Fajer can update us on this.

Yes its the same thing they told me at falcon when i got my drone.
not only its good for single use,but you have to go all the way to Subhan to apply for one.

but then again they told me i only need to apply for this permit if i want to fly in commercial areas.

luckily i need it more in Philippines but it would be great if i can use it here in Kuwait to..

Kuwait has lots of empty desert areas but you’ll never know if it safe to fly in it.

Hi Fiel, I’m from Phil as well. I just bought a Spark. Are there any issues in Kuwait airport (Police/Custom) for bringing it out and again bringing it back to Kuwait. Any requirements?

Hey bud!

So yeah the local scene is rather saturated with people who fly Phantoms and various other DJI products. Personally, I find them boring but well suited for a very specific purpose. If your looking to capture rock solid video from an interesting perspective and generally have easy of use, look no further because DJI products serve this purpose and do so really well.

Personally, I’m more into building my own (for racing/freestyle flight not aerial photography). While the initial learning curve is rather steep this has to easily be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If you crash, and you definitely will often, it’s not a big deal since fixing it will be trivial (you’ve built the whole thing, right?). All the parts I use to are bought separately and that basically gives you the freedom of choice on almost everything. With regards to flight time, I usually get 2-3 mins (depending on how agressively I’m flying) vs the 22ish minutes you get with the DJI phantoms. It’s not a problem since most outings involve a bunch of batteries. Performance though is a whole different issue, basically when you compare it to a phantom it’s kinda like riding a tricycle vs a F1 formula car. Check out my instagram profile if you want to see some of my stuff: @meshal_alasfour

There is a huge global movement that’s going on right now with FPV (first person view) drone racing, you can check it out on YouTube. The problem is that locally, there are very, very few people who do this so awareness is basically non-existent.

With regards to the legality of all of this, I’m not entirely sure but one rule I’ve always followed is to never be an idiot about it and never, under absolutely no circumstances, fly next to people or put anyone at risk. A few years ago no one cared about what you did but recently there has been a lot of dumb people that shed a bad light on this hobby by doing dumb things (like fly in residential areas and over people’s houses). I usually carry around spare goggles which have the same view as the one in mine (yes, I fly with googles on xD ) and hostile behavior by random curious people changes to extreme amazement/interest in seconds and usually brings smiles all over the place.

Best regards and happy flying!

Hey Meshal, It’s been a while. You still flying, or have you packed it in for the summer due to the temps?

Where do you get your parts, it would be interesting to make one 😀

would like to make a tiny whoop. at the moment im using a nano q4 quit fun and can easily fly indoors.

I order a furibee fuuton 200 racing drone from Gearbest. And they called me from dhl asking me to come and talk with the airport office regarding the drone. I have no idea what they want but has anyone faced a similar case. Please do let me know. Kuwait airport

Oh wow that Spark looks so good I might have to pick that or a pro up! Shame about all the hassle with the laws though I didn’t know it was that restrictive to fly drones here 🙁 I would love to fly around the Kuwait skyline esp during national/lib days when all the buildings and towers are all lit up!

Unfortunately, drone season is pretty much over until maybe October due to the heat. You might have a few hours early morning/late evening now, but that will be over in a couple weeks. Flying in anything above 40 degrees C is a major risk to your battery, especially if you are flying racing/acro drones.

I’m getting ready fly to Portugal and want to take my GoPro Karma Drone, are there any restrictions at the airport or problems that someone has run into with the lithium batteries for their drones leaving or returning through the Kuwait Airport?
Thanks,
Jeff

Holleywood, did you run into any problems? I was planning to fly out later this week and take mine with me on vacation to the Philippines with a friend. I know I’m good on the Philippines end of things, just don’t know about the leaving or coming into Kuwait part. The police give you a hard time or anything?

Hi..anyone found a good spot to fly drone in Kuwait?

Anyone got into trouble for flying one?

Finally anyone went and obtained a permit for flying a drone ?

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