FAQ

For recreational flying you don’t need CASA permission before each flight, but you do need to follow CASA’s standard operating conditions every time you fly. Keep the drone in visual line of sight, fly only in daylight, stay below 120 m (400 ft) above ground level, keep at least 30 m from people who aren’t part of your flight, and only fly one drone at a time. Different rules apply for commercial work, over-people operations, and controlled airspace. When in doubt, check the CASA website or ask us in-store.

Open beaches, farm paddocks with the landowner’s permission, and quiet rural spots are usually fine — but a lot of Coffs is closer to Coffs Harbour Airport than people realise, and you must stay at least 5.5 km from a controlled aerodrome. National parks (including many of the headlands and reserves along our coast) generally prohibit drones without a permit from NSW National Parks. Always check a CASA-verified safety app before you fly. Pop in and we’ll show you the local sweet spots and the places to avoid.

Under CASA’s standard operating conditions the ceiling is 120 metres (400 feet) above ground level. That applies whether you’re flying a 249 g Mini or a 6 kg Matrice. Higher ceilings need a Remote Pilot Licence, an approved operator, and often a CASA area approval. Cliffs and headlands complicate things — you must measure altitude from the ground directly below the drone, not from take-off. If you’re not sure, keep it well under 120 m and ask us about how to plan altitude on tricky terrain.

Not under the standard rules. Recreational and excluded-category commercial flying is daylight only, and you must stay at least 30 m from people who aren’t part of the operation. Flying at night, over crowds, beyond visual line of sight, or above 120 m all require additional CASA approvals, a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) and usually an operator certificate (ReOC). If you need to do that kind of work — event coverage, night inspections, film sets — talk to us; our sister operation CCADS holds a ReOC and can help you scope it out.

Use a CASA-verified drone safety app before every flight. OpenSky (by Wing) is the most widely used in Australia and pulls in live airspace, TFRs and controlled-aerodrome buffers. CASA publishes a current list of verified apps at casa.gov.au/knowyourdrone/drone-safety-apps. Airspace changes — bushfires, air shows, emergency operations and even DPI helicopter work can lock an area down at short notice — so check the app the day of your flight, not the night before.

CASA runs a Drone Complaints reporting tool on the CASA website (casa.gov.au) where you can log unsafe flying with as much detail as you have — location, time, altitude, drone type. If a drone is putting people, property or aircraft in immediate danger, ring 000. Don’t try to intercept it or shoot it down; that’s a separate offence. For nuisance flying near your home, local police can also help.

It depends on weight and how you use it. Recreational drones over 250 g must be registered with CASA; sub-250 g drones flown purely for fun don’t need registration. The moment you use any drone — even a Mini — for work, business, or paid content, it must be registered regardless of weight. Registration is done through the CASA drone portal (myCASA), takes a few minutes, and there’s a small annual fee for drones over 500 g. Check casa.gov.au for the current fee and process.

If you fly a drone over 250 g recreationally, or you fly any drone under 25 kg for business under the excluded category, you need CASA’s free online operator accreditation. It’s a short quiz on the myCASA portal that covers the safety rules and takes about 30 minutes. It’s valid for three years. Kids under 16 flying with a supervising adult are covered by the adult’s accreditation. Bring your accreditation number when you collect your drone from us and we’ll show you how to link it to your drone in the app.

A Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) is a personal qualification — like a driver’s licence — issued by CASA after formal training. You need one to fly drones over 25 kg, to fly commercially outside the excluded category, or to work under an operator’s certificate. A Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) is a business authorisation that lets a company conduct commercial operations, apply for special approvals (night, over-people, BVLOS, spraying) and employ RePL holders. Our owner is a Chief Remote Pilot and we’re backed by CCADS, which holds a ReOC — happy to talk you through the training pathway.

For most first-time buyers we point to the sub-250 g class — the DJI Mini series or DJI Neo. They’re light enough to skip recreational registration, forgiving in the air, still shoot serious footage, and they don’t hurt the wallet if you’re just testing the waters. If you already know you want longer range, better wind handling and a bigger sensor, step up to the DJI Air series. Come in and we’ll match a kit to what you actually want to film and where you plan to fly it.

Modern sub-250 g drones are a long way from toys. The DJI Mini 4 Pro shoots 4K HDR, has full obstacle sensing, holds position in surprising wind, and flies for around 30 minutes on a battery. For most people who just want great aerial photos and video on holidays or around the property, sub-250 g is the sweet spot: light regulatory footprint, easy to travel with, and genuinely capable. The trade-off is range and wind tolerance versus a heavier Mavic or Air.

For under-12s we usually suggest a small indoor trainer or the DJI Neo — it’s palm-launched, has propeller guards, and helps kids build controller skills without the stakes of a bigger drone. Older teens can generally handle a DJI Mini. Under Australian rules, kids under 16 can fly recreationally when supervised by an accredited adult, and the adult carries the compliance responsibility. Come in with them; we’ll walk through the options and make sure the drone matches their coordination and interest.

It depends on the job. Real-estate and inspection work is well covered by the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise or Matrice 4 series with a zoom or thermal payload. Mapping and survey usually means a Matrice with a LiDAR or high-resolution photogrammetry payload. Public-safety and search-and-rescue teams tend toward thermal-capable Matrice platforms. Have a chat with us about the actual outputs you need — deliverables drive the kit choice more than any spec sheet.

We stock and support the DJI Agras range — the T50 and T100 spraying and spreading platforms — and we can help you build the wider setup around them: generators, mixing tanks, transport trailers, spare props, RTK base stations, and training pathways. These are serious pieces of gear and there’s more to running one than the drone itself, so we treat every Agras purchase as a conversation about your whole operation, not a box on a pallet.

Every drone we sell comes with a free 1-on-1 intro flight so your first flight is your safest and your best. We meet you at a suitable local site, walk through the kit, cover the airspace rules that apply where we’re standing, run the pre-flight checklist, and supervise you through your first flights. You leave with the drone set up correctly, the app configured, and real confidence at the sticks — not a printed quick-start guide and a hope for the best.

Run through the same checklist every time: airspace check on a CASA-verified app; weather — wind, gusts, rain, temperature; battery levels on drone and controller; props inspected for chips or cracks; SD card in and formatted; firmware up to date; home point set correctly after GPS lock; RTH altitude set above local obstacles; and a clear line of sight to your take-off area. We’ll walk you through the whole thing at your intro flight and set the app up so it prompts you.

An open, flat, grassy area — a sports oval outside game hours, a wide farm paddock, or a quiet stretch of beach at low tide — well clear of powerlines, trees, roads, buildings and people. Check the airspace on a safety app first; a lot of what looks empty around Coffs sits inside the airport buffer. Avoid launching from a boat, a car bonnet, or your hand until you’re confident. We know the local spots that work and we’ll take you to one for your intro flight.

Charge them at room temperature, never straight after a flight when they’re still warm, and never leave them charging unattended or overnight. Use the manufacturer’s charger. Don’t fly a battery below the app’s warning threshold or fully to zero — deep discharges shorten pack life fast. Keep them out of direct sun in the car; a black case on a Coffs summer dashboard can push a LiPo well past its safe temperature in minutes. If a pack ever swells, gets hot, or takes physical damage, stop using it.

Store LiPo and Li-ion drone batteries at around 40–60% charge — most DJI Intelligent Batteries auto-discharge to storage voltage after a set number of idle days, and you should let that happen rather than override it. Keep them in a cool, dry spot, ideally in a fire-resistant LiPo bag or metal ammo tin. Don’t leave them fully charged for weeks — that’s the fastest way to kill a pack. Give them a top-up flight every couple of months to keep the cells healthy.

Don’t put drone batteries in your household bin or recycling — swollen or damaged LiPos are a genuine fire risk in truck compactors and MRF facilities. Discharge the pack fully (a saltwater soak for 24–48 hours is the classic method for LiPos), then drop it into a B-cycle battery recycling point. Coffs Harbour City Council and most Bunnings stores host B-cycle bins. If a battery is swollen, hot or damaged and you’re not sure how to handle it, bring it in to us in a safe container and we’ll deal with it.

Most consumer drones are rated to around 10–12 m/s wind (roughly 35–43 km/h) but that’s the drone’s tolerance, not yours — sea-breeze gusts on our headlands can easily catch a Mini out. Rain is a no unless you’re flying a purpose-built IP-rated enterprise drone; even a light shower can kill motors and electronics. Heat is fine up to around 40°C, but batteries suffer above that. Cold below 5°C dramatically reduces flight time. When in doubt, don’t launch — the drone will still be there tomorrow.

Visual line of sight (VLOS) means you can see your drone with your own unaided eyes at all times — no binoculars, no screens, no goggles. FPV goggles by themselves do not meet VLOS. You can legally fly FPV in Australia if you have an accredited observer standing next to you keeping the drone in sight, or under a specific CASA approval. Sub-250 g cinewhoops flown recreationally still need a spotter if you’re wearing goggles. If FPV is your thing, come talk to us about doing it properly.

Yes. We ship drones, batteries, spares and accessories to every state and territory using tracked couriers. Lithium batteries have to travel by road freight for safety, so remote WA, NT and Tasmania deliveries can take a little longer — we’ll always give you an honest ETA at checkout. If you’re within driving distance of Coffs Harbour, click-and-collect from the shop at 5a 92-98 Industrial Drive is free and unlocks your in-person intro flight straight away.

Every new drone we sell carries the full manufacturer’s warranty — typically 12 months for DJI consumer and enterprise products, longer for some enterprise components. On top of that, all our sales are covered by Australian Consumer Law, which gives you guarantees no warranty can override: goods must be of acceptable quality, fit for purpose and match their description. Because we’re a local shop, if something goes wrong we handle the warranty claim for you rather than making you deal with an overseas support desk.

Unopened, unregistered drones can be returned within a reasonable window for a refund or exchange — the exact policy depends on the product, so check with us before you buy if you’re unsure. Once a drone has been activated and linked to a DJI account, it’s treated as used and refunds fall back on Australian Consumer Law rights for faulty goods. That’s another reason we push the free intro flight: it’s a much better way to know a drone suits you than opening the box and hoping.

Spraying is one of the most heavily regulated things you can do with a drone. In broad terms you’ll need: a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) with an aircraft weight rating that covers your platform; an operator’s certificate (ReOC) held by you or your business; a chemical rating (typically the AQF3 ChemCert course); an Aerial Application Operator’s Licence (AAOL) from CASA; and, in most states, a separate commercial pesticide-use licence from the state chemical authority. Rules vary by state — always check CASA and your state’s chemical regulator for current requirements.

Yes — this is one of the things we do most. We can supply the DJI Agras T50 or T100 platform, point you at the right training providers for your RePL, ChemCert and AAOL, help you pick the right generators, tanks and transport, and connect you with our sister operation CCADS for ReOC guidance. Setting up a spray rig is a real business decision, not a weekend purchase. Come and talk to us about the crops, the paddock sizes and the season you’re planning for, and we’ll build a realistic package.

Underwater ROVs — like the Chasing range we stock — open up hull inspections, aquaculture pen checks, dam and pontoon surveys, marine research, spearfishing scouting, and search work. Recreational units run to around 100 m of depth on a tether; professional units go deeper. Tether length is your practical limit, not battery. In our saltwater environment, rinse the vehicle thoroughly with fresh water after every dip and dry the connectors before storage. Pop in for a look — the ROVs are genuinely fun to demo in-store.

Yes. We’re one of the few Australian retailers carrying the Unitree Go2 and B2 quadrupeds and their humanoid platforms. They’re used for research, education, inspection, security patrols, and increasingly on farms for stock and asset monitoring. Because they’re a newer category we always recommend an in-person demo first — the size, noise and behaviour of a real robot in the room are hard to appreciate from a video. Give us a call to book a viewing.

Bring it in. We do in-house repairs on most current DJI consumer and enterprise drones, from prop and arm replacements through to gimbal and flight-controller work. If a repair isn’t economical or safe, we’ll tell you straight up — sometimes a bent arm on a Mini is a full replacement job rather than a fix. For units still under DJI warranty or covered by DJI Care Refresh, we can lodge and manage the claim for you. Send a few photos through with your enquiry and we can usually quote before you drive over.

Yes — modifications, mounts, payload integrations and firmware work are all part of what we do, especially for enterprise and research customers. Common jobs include mounting third-party thermal or multispectral sensors, integrating custom RTK ground stations, and firmware rollback or reflash for specific operational needs. We’ll always be upfront about what a mod does to your warranty and airworthiness. If you’ve got a specific integration in mind, email a spec through to contact@coffsdrones.com.au and we’ll scope it.

Yes, with battery rules. Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Rex all allow drone batteries under 100 Wh (which covers almost every consumer drone battery, including all DJI Mini, Air and Mavic packs) in carry-on only — never in checked baggage. You can typically carry up to about 15–20 spare batteries for personal use, each in its own protective sleeve or plastic bag with the terminals taped. Batteries between 100 Wh and 160 Wh (some Mavic 3 Enterprise and Matrice packs) are limited to two spares and need prior airline approval.

Different country, different rules — and they change often. Some destinations require you to register on arrival, some ban drones outright, and a few will confiscate them at customs. Check the aviation authority in your destination country before you fly out, and check your airline’s lithium-battery policy for the specific route (long-haul carriers sometimes have tighter limits than domestic). Take proof of purchase to show customs on return so you’re not charged duty. We’re happy to talk through what we know about common destinations before you travel.

We’re a recognised participant in CASA’s Drone Safety Advocate program, which means we’ve committed to promoting safe, lawful flying and passing accurate CASA-aligned information to our customers. That’s not endorsement — CASA and the Australian Government do not endorse retailers or products — but it does mean we take the safety and regulatory side of this seriously, and it’s why the free intro flight and pre-flight coaching come standard with every drone we sell.

You’ll find us at 5a 92-98 Industrial Drive, North Boambee Valley NSW 2450 — five minutes off the Pacific Highway just south of Coffs Harbour. Phone (02) 6699 1440 during shop hours, or email contact@coffsdrones.com.au any time. If you’re driving down from Grafton or up from Port Macquarie for a specific drone or demo, give us a ring first so we can make sure the right person is on the floor when you arrive.