From the strange but true department, in the Chinese capital Beijing, it is no longer possible to fly or even purchase a drone. The government apparently passed a new rule last month that makes it illegal to buy, rent, or fly a drone without prior approval from the authorities, plus, you must complete an online training session and pass a test on the current drone regulations.
Additionally, if you do get permission and fly but manage to crash your drone, you are not allowed to repair or replace it in Beijing meaning you must send it away to get it fixed. But there’s a catch here too as you have to physically pick it up – the repairer cannot deliver it back to you.
Of course, China is home to the world’s largest consumer drone maker, DJI, and I hear that it has pulled all stocks of its drones from the shelves in Beijing.
Beijing authorities say that the rules are made to “strengthen the management of unmanned aerial vehicles” and “safeguard the security of the capital.”
Beijing is not on its Pat Malone in this though; I hear there are also restrictions in LA and New York City. I doubt it will happen in Australia, however. At the Global Drone Solutions Summit I asked a representative from CASA about this very subject and his take was that ultimately, there will probably be some form of registration implemented at the point of purchase, but he was not of the opinion mandatory licencing would occur in the foreseeable future for consumer use anyway.