I’ve been a drone pilot for some time now. Since my Phantom 3 and now with my Mavic Zoom 2 – which I love it!

I have already quite some long hours flying drones and never had a severe crash – trees are more common.
So, one of the things I love is taking my drones and flying above water in Portugal, near the coast, where there’s no one, no houses, no boats. Just water and rocks to take photos like the one bellow.

But whilst in other countries (EU) you can fly easily over water or with a minor authorisation, in Portugal, you need to talk to 3 different organisations and fill 3 different forms, in advance, with a specific time and gps coordinates. Then you need to wait for approval – which might take some days – to fly.

In case you don’t know, if the weather changes, the chances of you being grounded are huge!

So to take this photo, you need a permission for airspace usage – which is usually fast to get and free, you need permission to capture the photo due to privacy laws and then you need written permission from the nearest Port Authority – because it’s over water. Also, and now the funniest part, for my drones, you need an insurance that no insurance companies do in Portugal.

It’s like, the rules aren’t made for actual pilots like me, to enjoy their flight safely, but rather to bar everyone of having a drone.It’s ridiculous!