Step by Step guide: Operating a drone in Malta

Whether you’re new to drones and aerial photography, or you’ve been flying for a while under the previous self-registration framework - here’s what you need to do to operate a drone legally in Malta

All of the information in this page can be found in more detail on the TM Drones page here: https://www.transport.gov.mt/aviation/drones-4444

This page is not endorsed by TM and in the case of any conflicting advice, please refer to the materials issued by TM-CAD. This guide also only discusses operations in the Open category. Other categories exist for more demanding flights, however these bring additional requirements such as risk assessment

First Steps: Registration on the TM Portal

Step 1. Register on the Transport Malta Drone portal: https://tmcad.idronect.com/ . Registration costs €25 and is paid online, yearly and you will be issued with a UAS Operator Registration Number together with a UAS Operator Certificate.

Step 2: This UAS Operator Registration Number or corresponding QR-code should be printed and affixed to any drones you own/operate. I used a label printer to create a small neat and hard wearing sticker.

Next Step: Insurance

Step 3: You need to get a valid insurance certificate. 3rd-Party is the minimum required by law, however you can opt to also insure your drone. I used https://www.coverdrone.com filled in a couple of online forms and paid €18.70 for 1 year of 3rd party cover. Other operators exist such as Ving insurance brokers.

Step 4: Upload you insurance details to https://tmcad.idronect.com/ . To do this click on the Document Library button and “Add Document”.

Next: Drone Operator Certificates & Examinations

Step 5. Depending on the drone you operate, sit for the A1/A3 operator exam (certificate of competence). To do this you will need to physically go to the TM CAD office in lija, and you will need to book the exam beforehand. In the portal, under the Certificates -> Exams you will be able to see the available exams. Chose a convenient time and book online. This costs €10 and is paid online during booking.

The the EU legislation: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019R0947 states

As confirmed by Transport Malta, the A1/A3 operator exam certificate is not required for drones under 250g even if they have a camera - so a Mavic Mini pilot will not need this unless there are accessories added that add weight to the drone.

However whilst not required - If i had a Mini i would just get the certificate. It’s pretty simple, takes less than an hour of your time and teaches you what you can and can’t do as a drone operator. Also less possible loopholes for insurance providers

You can find training materials for the A1/A3 exam here: https://www.transport.gov.mt/aviation/drones/training-4446 Make sure you read/study the Powerpoint presentation as well as the video since there will be questions on classes/minimum distances and things you are allowed/not allowed to do as a drone operator. The A1/A3 exam consists of 40 multiple choice question and will change from person to person.

Step 6. If you have a larger drone (> 500g such as the Mavic 2 or Phantom) you will also need to sit for the A2 exam, unless you choose to only fly it in the A3 category (Which brings about additional restrictions such as not being about to fly within 150m of touristic/urban areas/beaches according to the videos on TM’s site) This covers additional topics related to weather conditions and their effect on flight, batteries and flight envelopes. There are many online courses available and I found this PDF from transport sweden quite helpful: https://transportstyrelsen.se/globalassets/global/luftfart/dronare/utbildningsmaterial/drones-a2-education.pdf

There is a (at time of writing this) free online course for the A2 here: https://coptrz.com/shop/cpd-training-courses/a2-certificate-of-competency-a2-cofc/ Thanks to Malcolm debono for finding this

Registration for this exam costs another €10 and can be booked in the same way as the A1/A3 exam.

Both the A1/A3 and A2 exams are valid for 5 years. The exams are multiple choice tests that are done on a computer at the TM CAD office in lija. The process is extremely organised and efficient and you get the results minutes after completion by email

Next: Drone Registration & Flights

Step 7. Register your Drone on the Drones section of the https://tmcad.idronect.com/ . You will need the model and serial number of the drone

You are now ready to fly

Step 8. Before you fly you need to submit your flight within the portal. You will need to provide date, time, altitude and draw a flight plan. If certain conditions are met (during daytime hours, under 60m and in non restricted zones) this flight should be approved automatically by the system

Note: Flight logs are automatically uploaded to DJI’s servers if you are using a DJI drone and are not using “local mode” in the app. If you do not wish to upload the logs to DJI’s servers, you can enable local mode in the app and store the logs yourself. Logs do not need to be uploaded to TM CAD

Elevate - An editorial with Rosemarie Abela & a drone

Lets’s start with the good stuff, and put the text at the bottom this time.

Check out some drone footage in this behind-the-scenes video. All drone footage was shot at Bahar ic caghaq, Malta using a Dji Mavic 2 Pro

And now here are some shots using the ‘traditional’ camera in your hands method :) - A Canon 5D Mk4 if anyone is keeping track

Random Ramblings

One of the first hard decisions DJI forced me to make when buying the drone was - do I get the Mavic 2 Zoom? which would allow all sorts of interesting shots when shooting fashion, or do i go for the larger sensor of the Mavic 2 Pro.

As should be obvious by now, i went for the pro since 1” sensors are pretty much the baseline of what i consider to be acceptable in terms of photo quality (Turns out there might be an issue in video for the Mavic 2 pro but hey lets’s not get into that - the photos are pretty great)

The first thing that you face when using a drone for this kind of thing is that composition becomes much harder - purely because 1. you are fixed at 24 mm, 2. elevated shots are naturally shortening which doesn’t play well with fashion and 3. It’s not a scenario you’re used to and it takes time to adjust

Having said that, the possibilities it opens up are impressive - This was just a little dive to see what is possible and it's going to really open up some locations which would have been impossible to photograph ahem “on foot”

Another BigThing (tm) was the mix of photo and video. Once you’re flying the drone, it becomes a crime not to take some shots (as Andrew Randon once told me - motion = emotion, not sure if they are his words or not but they are definitely true) - and this brings about a new set of skills, a new workflow.. the list goes on.

I don’t feel I am ready to truly explore video yet - i’ll stick with Fashion & Portrait photography for now, but it’s nice to see where the road leads. Hope you like it! If anything crosses your mind please leave a comment below

Credits:

Designer: Rosemarie Abela

Model: Justina Vai

Photography: Kurt Paris

Makeup: Rodianne Caruana

Hair: Dominic Bartolo @ Dreaaaaaaaaaaaaaads

Fabric (1st Dress): Ivory & co

A DJI Mavic 2 Pro in Malta - Still Camera Quality

Even though video and photo are such similar media, the way you tell a story with either of them is completely different. There is also a completely new set of skills that one has to master. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro even when handled very basically (ie find a nice open space, go up, point the camera downwards - frame your shot, done) gives a very different point of view to what we are used to.

One of the key things in photography (in my humble opinion) is to constantly be different and push boundaries - because only by creating novel, new and fresh content are users surprised and delighted.

Malta is a truly beautiful place, and in the last week i've been trying to find different locations to fly to train on how to use the craft and also how to take good aerial photos (all whilst not breaking the law, and not crashing the thing at the same time)

So here are some sample shots - these are RAW shots from the Mavic 2 and processed in Lighroom. Off the bat, the RAW files of the Mavic 2 Pro are not as forgiving as something out of a professional camera like the 5D mark 4. However overall the RAW files do have some wiggle room (mainly in the shadows, less in the highlights) to play with.

Some observations so far:

• Long exposures (even up to 8 seconds) have come out quite fine
• Underexposing shots slightly to preserve highlights is preferable to me than losing highlights
• Make sure the drone LEDs switch off during long exposures, otherwise you will get a crappy pink hue at the top and bottom of the image
• Don't touch the sticks during a shot - the drone WILL move and blur everything :D

By far the most eye-opening experience has been that at face value, a drone feels like a toy that can be used at whim - but just like driving a car or boat, flying a drone requires a great deal of maturity and responsibility (and skill which i am still working on..). The technology today is (so far) quite easy, even for people new to the scene - but there is a lack of information and resources. Luckily there is a very healthy community who are very quick to help (Big shout out to Andrew Schembri from Dickens)

From a more photographic point of view, the same "don't annoy people" rules apply. Invasion of privacy is very easy and it's important that one is aware of where they are flying so as not to harass people, and more importantly what images they choose to publish. The Mavic 2 is a very silent drone so that helps keep people happy, also advising any bystanders nears takeoff/landing of my filming intentions has avoided any grumpyness

Dji Mavic 2 Pro Unboxing & Raw Footage

Excuse the quick nature of this video but i was (am) a bit excited to get started!

Available from: https://click.dji.com/AMBbabAbz0r0u7RxUWwxxw?pm=link

Here is also some raw footage of Ghar Lapsi (Malta) at sunrise. Yes my piloting skills need more work :)