(04-Nov-2021, 02:26 PM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: One other thing to consider isn't just the country that you are travelling to, but the airline you are flying with which may have it's own COVID-19 rules.

A colleague of mine travelled to France last week and the French requirement is to have a negative PCR test result within 24 hours (yes, just 24 hours!) before you arrive in France which he said was stressful to say the least. His flight left at 6pm in the evening and with test facilities only opening at 9am it meant only a 9 hour window to take the test and get the results back before boarding the flight. He did manage to do it but he said it was really tight.

When entering the UK from France the UK no longer require a negative test result to pass through border control if you are double-jabbed, but what he subsequently found out was that he still wouldn't be allowed to board the plane without proof of a negative PCR test in the previous 72 hours. So he took one in France before departing and sure enough he was asked for it before he boarded the plane.

So if in doubt, pay to have a PCR test from a private company to cover yourself because the last thing you want is to be turned away at the boarding gate.

It would appear that the UK are on the Amber list for France and that you only need a negative PCR if you are travelling unvaccinated. Need to check out the SA angle now. This is all becoming a bit complicated.

(04-Nov-2021, 04:17 PM)Nejo_FPV Wrote: 24 hours is not a lot at all and we are travelling through France. Thanks for the heads up, I will check it out. Its all a bit money grabby from the various countries and well the UK don't currently have the best relationship with France.

We are paying for a private PCR, it was the medical practitioner part that we are struggling to get any details about.

If you're just transiting through France then you might be OK with just being double-jabbed. My wife transited through Germany back in July on her way to Russia and while the rules for entering Germany required a PCR test, just transiting through without actually exiting the airport only required her to prove she had been double-jabbed using the NHS app.

I think getting the test done by a medical practitioner just means you need to attend one of the approved private PCR test centres in person so they can see and verify that the test was actually done on you, whereas with the postal PCR tests there is nothing to stop you doing the test on another known clear person and then submitting it as a test that was done on yourself even if it wasn't.

Just wanted to report that no issues travelling with 7 x 6s lipos on this occasion.

What might be difficult is getting myself home to the UK from South Africa. I may have to stay ha ha

Great to know you made it. Yes, you got there just in time for your next challenge, getting back home

(27-Nov-2021, 02:14 AM)kafie1980 Wrote: Great to know you made it. Yes, you got there just in time for your next challenge, getting back home

Ha, yep and a £3715 bill when we get home. It's been an expensive mistake. ?

No point stressing at the point in time as the latest restrictions are a knee jerk reaction and hopefully things settle down the more we understand the new variant.

(27-Nov-2021, 11:54 PM)kafie1980 Wrote: No point stressing at the point in time as the latest restrictions are a knee jerk reaction and hopefully things settle down the more we understand the new variant.

Exactly, we are just enjoying what we can and will see what happens in a few days ? . Hoping to get a few days flying in soon.

I guess there's no point worrying about the situation. It is what it is and you're already over there so there is nothing you can do about it anyway and you might as well just get on and enjoy yourself. It's always a risk travelling abroad under the current circumstances and you unfortunately just ended up being unlucky.

You probably already saw that Boris announced the new COVID related measures in yesterday's press conference. Wearing of masks to be mandatory in shops and on public transport from Tuesday (a rule that should never have been relaxed in the first place IMO), compulsory PCR tests for anyone arriving in the UK, and 10 day quarantine in a government approved hotel for anyone arriving in the UK from a red list country. Israel have even taken things a step further and closed their borders to foreigners completely.

Well the good news is that it looks like you can at now return to the UK without having to spend thousands of pounds to stay in a quarantine hotel. That's assuming you didn't already come back and have to go through all of that pain and cost.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59653236

(14-Dec-2021, 09:07 PM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: Well the good news is that it looks like you can at now return to the UK without having to spend thousands of pounds to stay in a quarantine hotel. That's assuming you didn't already come back and have to go through all of that pain and cost.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59653236

We ended up in Kenya trying to avoid the quarantine nightmare, spent 6k extra, got drones confiscated (Got them back at a price), but we are back in the UK now. Think I will just stick with UK flying for awhile lol

(28-Dec-2021, 09:10 AM)Nejo_FPV Wrote: We ended up in Kenya trying to avoid the quarantine nightmare, spent 6k extra, got drones confiscated (Got them back at a price), but we are back in the UK now. Think I will just stick with UK flying for awhile lol

Wow. All I can really say to that is I'm glad you got back safely and that you managed to get your quads back. I hope you managed to get some decent flying in and some nice footage.

There was a post on Facebook yesterday from someone who was looking to borrow some LiPos from anyone in Finland who could spare some because they had their LiPos confiscated and destroyed by the Finnish airport authorities after landing in Finland. So things like that do seem to happen.

If you are happy to divulge the information I think people might be interested to know the reason you were given for your quads being confiscating and which authority actually did that (SA, Kenya, or somewhere else).

(28-Dec-2021, 11:20 AM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: Wow. All I can really say to that is I'm glad you got back safely and that you managed to get your quads back. I hope you managed to get some decent flying in and some nice footage.

There was a post on Facebook yesterday from someone who was looking to borrow some LiPos from anyone in Finland who could spare some because they had their LiPos confiscated and destroyed by the Finnish airport authorities after landing in Finland. So things like that do seem to happen.

If you are happy to divulge the information I think people might be interested to know the reason you were given for your quads being confiscating and which authority actually did that (SA, Kenya, or somewhere else).

Kenya just has very strict drones laws and you have to jump through a lots of hoops to get a license to fly them. I dont think the British bloke who flew his drone inside the presidential premises helped the situation.

They didn't seized my FPV quads, just the DJI ones. I didnt get any of my lipos seized, in fact they didn't even look at them.

I think the world is just becoming less tolerant to drones and the only people who really like them are those who fly. I can imagine them being outlawed in most countries or it being so difficult to fly them legally, it will not be worth it.

I managed 4 lipos over 3.5 weeks, so not worth all of the hassle in taking them.

There now also seems to be more and more requirements to take a test and obtain some kind of registration in each individual country you intend to fly in, so that also just adds to any headaches of taking your gear to other countries. South American countries are also known to be quite strict / ruthless with confiscation of multirotor gear at the border with no guarantee of getting any of it back even if you offer to pay.

This is why I've never even considered trying to take my quads with me on holiday abroad. To me it's just not worth the potential hassle and unnecessary worry. It's probably best for most people to just enjoy a holiday abroad from the ground and give up the idea of flying in a foreign land unless you have a residency there.

(04-Jan-2022, 10:52 AM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: There now also seems to be more and more requirements to take a test and obtain some kind of registration in each individual country you intend to fly in, so that also just adds to any headaches of taking your gear to other countries. South American countries are also known to be quite strict / ruthless with confiscation of multirotor gear at the border with no guarantee of getting any of it back even if you offer to pay.

This is why I've never even considered trying to take my quads with me on holiday abroad. To me it's just not worth the potential hassle and unnecessary worry. It's probably best for most people to just enjoy a holiday abroad from the ground and give up the idea of flying in a foreign land unless you have a residency there.

Which is such a shame because the majority just want to see it from a different perspective. Kenya was the 1st issue I have had with my drones and I always check before I go, but Kenya was not on our plans. Thanks Boris ?

I dont think a lot of these countries actually understand the technology. They were walking poacher guards who could have covered far greater land with a drone, let alone the money they generate.

I dont understand the hatred, actually I do, its because of a lack of understanding and everyone thinks I want to spy on them. I have yet to find a human, including myself that I'm interesting in taking photographs. Little do they know that they are not that interesting.

It's such a shame that I feel like a criminal everytime I want to go abroad with a drone. Not that I will be doing it in the future.

(04-Jan-2022, 10:52 AM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: There now also seems to be more and more requirements to take a test and obtain some kind of registration in each individual country you intend to fly in, so that also just adds to any headaches of taking your gear to other countries. South American countries are also known to be quite strict / ruthless with confiscation of multirotor gear at the border with no guarantee of getting any of it back even if you offer to pay.

This is why I've never even considered trying to take my quads with me on holiday abroad. To me it's just not worth the potential hassle and unnecessary worry. It's probably best for most people to just enjoy a holiday abroad from the ground and give up the idea of flying in a foreign land unless you have a residency there.

And I would happily take a comprehensive worldwide test/exam if I was allowed to responsibly enjoy my flying abroad.