AlphaTango: who registers when you rent a drone?

Two different things, often confused

On one side, the aircraft. It belongs to us, it is identified by its manufacturer serial number, and that number appears on the drone annex attached to your contract. That is our part of the work, done before the parcel leaves.

On the other, the operator: the person who has operational control of the flight and answers for it. This role cannot be rented and does not transfer with the equipment. We do not put our number on a rented drone: we slip a blank adhesive label into the parcel, and it is your number that you write on it. Our general terms say so in article 10.2: "The Lessor does not affix its own number to the drone."

Yes, even below 250 g

Both drones in our fleet are declared by DJI as under the threshold with the standard battery: less than 249 g for the Mini 4 Pro, certified C0 in the European Union, and 249.9 g for the Mini 5 Pro. You read everywhere that below 250 g there is nothing to declare. That is false as soon as there is a camera on board, and there is one.

The trigger for registration is not the mass, it is the sensor: a drone capable of capturing personal data requires its operator to be registered whatever its weight (Regulation (EU) 2019/947, article 14). The 250 g threshold, for its part, affects two other things: training, and the right to fly over people.

The XXL battery: read this before ticking it

This is the most costly trap on this page. We offer an "XXL Batteries" option on the Mini 4 Pro. It greatly extends flight time, and it takes the aircraft above 249 g. DJI writes it on its own datasheet: with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, the aircraft exceeds 249 g and can no longer be operated as a class C0 UAS in the European Union.

Three consequences, immediate:

• the A1/A3 proof of online training completion becomes mandatory before the flight, free and online, on the DGAC training site;
• you can no longer fly over people who are not taking part in the flight: the authorisation specific to class C0 no longer applies;
• you must carry this certificate on you during the flight.

What does not change: the class label remains the one affixed by the manufacturer. You do not change a drone's class by changing its battery. What changes are the rules you must follow, and the regulation requires you to check before every flight that the added load does not take the aircraft out of its class.

The simple choice: if you want a perfectly settled framework, take the standard battery. The aircraft stays under the threshold, in class C0, and training is recommended but not required. On the Mini 5 Pro, the question does not arise: we do not offer this option.

AlphaTango registration, step by step

Allow about fifteen minutes and have an email address you actually check. You must be at least 14 in France.

Step 1: the account

1. Open AlphaTango, the DGAC portal, and log in or create your account.
2. Complete the "My account" section: address and contact details.

Step 2: operator registration

1. Choose France as the country.
2. Declare that you are not already registered in another country.
3. Finalise. Your number appears straight away and a confirmation email arrives.

Step 3: reading the number and the ID

The operator number takes the form "FRA" followed by thirteen characters. Keep it: it is valid for all your rentals, with us and elsewhere. You also receive an electronic ID: the same number, followed by a hyphen and three secret characters. These three characters are a check code. Do not share them with anyone.

Step 4: the label on the drone

On the blank label supplied, write your operator number alone, without the hyphen or the three secret characters. Stick it on the aircraft, legible when the drone is on the ground, without covering the manufacturer's class label.

Step 5: entering it in DJI Fly

In the app, open "Safety", then "UAS Remote Identification", and enter the complete electronic ID, three secret characters included. This entry is a requirement of our general terms, in article 10.3: it is done before the first takeoff. It is often forgotten, because the number stuck on the shell gives the impression that everything is done.

Step 6: A1/A3 training, only with the XXL battery

Access is from your AlphaTango account. The test is free, online, with 40 questions, 75% correct answers required and unlimited attempts. The certificate is valid for five years. There is no "licence" in the open category.

Common mistakes, and what a check will ask for

• Writing the complete ID on the label: the three secret characters go only in the app.
• Entering the number without the three characters in DJI Fly.
• Covering or removing the manufacturer's class label when sticking on yours.
• Registering on the morning of the flight, in a car park, with a patchy network.
• Ticking the XXL battery without having done the training.

Carry on every flight, on paper or on your phone: an ID document, your operator registration certificate and, with the XXL battery, your A1/A3 certificate. The flight rules remain those of the guide to drone regulations in France: 120 m maximum and a check of the Géoportail map before every flight.

Without this number, the parcel does not ship

Every rental of a drone with a camera goes through a prior check: ID document, UAS operator number, and two statements to tick. The first covers having read the rental conditions and the drone annex, the second is a sworn declaration of sufficient cover for damage caused to a third party. The file is checked manually within 24 working hours, and the order is prepared only once the file is validated.

Good news: it is valid for a year and reusable for all your drone rentals over the period. The advice fits in one sentence: do the AlphaTango registration when you book, not when you receive the parcel.

If you do not live in France

Do not register twice. Registration is done once, in your country of residence, and it is valid throughout the European area, France included. From a country outside this area, such as the United Kingdom or the United States, you register with the DGAC, on AlphaTango, as the authority of the first European country from which you fly.

And insurance?

Do not confuse the two covers. Breakage and theft insurance for the equipment is included in the price of our drone rentals: it protects the aircraft. It does not cover damage you would cause to a third party, for which you answer as operator. That is precisely the purpose of the sworn declaration requested in the file.

The details of the obligations, dated and sourced, are in our drone annex.

See drone rental