DJI Neo 2

An aircraft that flies itself, and a blind spot

The Neo 2 takes off from the palm, is flown from a phone or from nothing at all, and follows its subject on its own. It is built to be used without having learned to fly.

That ease creates a blind spot: many owners do not think of themselves as remote pilots. The regulations make no such distinction.

What the regulations require for this model

Automatic tracking changes nothing about the rules: you are the operator, even when the aircraft chooses its own path. A flight that leaves your direct sight is still a flight outside the open category, whether or not the camera is following a subject.

What it does well

• Hand launch, with nothing to set up
• Well under 250 g, so category A1 with no exam
• Flies without a controller if you stay in the automatic modes
• Sturdy enough to be handled without special care

What to know before buying

• Registration is mandatory despite the apparent simplicity of the aircraft
• The automatic modes have limits: they follow a subject, they do not avoid everything
• Short flight time, which makes the second battery more useful here than elsewhere
• Without a controller, the range is the phone's, not the one advertised for the aircraft
• Neither memory card nor filters are supplied

Propeller guards, measured as a real need

On this aircraft, propeller guards are the most sought-after accessory after the battery, and that makes sense: it is a drone you learn on, often indoors or near people.

What they bring:

• They limit the damage on contact with a wall, a branch or a hand
• They make close flying acceptable to the people around
• They protect fingers above all, not just the aircraft

⛔ What they do not change: the rule. Guards create no right. Flying over assemblies of people remains prohibited with or without them, and the flight subcategory does not move. The regulations target the assembly, not the risk of a cut.