okay so i just got a mini 3 pro for christmas and my brother in law keeps telling me i need to register it with the FAA before i fly it anywhere. but im in my own backyard in a suburban neighborhood so does that actually apply to me? like its not a park or anything, its literally my property. i looked it up a little bit but got confused because some stuff said under 250g doesnt need registration and the mini 3 pro is like 249g so maybe im fine? but then other things were talking about TRUST certificates and i have no idea what that is. just want to fly around and maybe get some footage of the house, not trying to do anything crazy.

so the weight thing is real - if its under 250g you dont need to register with the FAA for recreational flying. the mini 3 pro just barely squeaks under that limit which is basically why DJI made it that weight. the TRUST thing is the recreational flyer test, its free and takes like 20 minutes online, technically required for recreational pilots even if you dont need to register. your backyard is generally fine as long as youre not near an airport or in controlled airspace. download the B4UFLY app and check before you go up, itll tell you if theres any restrictions in your area. some neighborhoods also have HOA rules which are a whole separate thing from FAA regulations but thats between you and your HOA not the government.

also worth mentioning your state might have its own rules on top of federal stuff. like Florida and California both have specific drone laws that go beyond what the FAA says. probably fine for backyard flying but if you ever take it to a state park or beach just double check because some states ban drones in state parks entirely and its not always obvious. found that out the hard way in oregon lol