I was looking for fun on Amazon last night and was shocked at all the DJI dead ringers. The ones that looked like direct DJI copies far outnumbered the ones that didn’t.

So riddle me this, I'm seeing that the Potensic Atom 3 is NOT FCC approved and therefore can't be sold in the US. The AI machine tells me this, there are youtube videos to the point, etc.

So why can I buy it on Amazon?

I was about to pull the trigger and buy the Atom 3 today but stopped because of this. Why can I buy it and not register it? Granted, the info I'm finding is all 3 months old, so maybe it's changed now?

If I were to buy an Atom 3 and it's not approved, does that mean it would get snatched at the airport potentially? (I've flown overseas with a drone multiple times and no TSA or Customs person has ever even given it the slightest attention, FYI.)

Any insight on this? If the Atom 3 won't work, I guess maybe I'll get the Atom 2, which is approved.

Typically, the FCC isn’t running around airports worrying about drones. The FAA probably doesn’t care either if they are packed in your luggage.

You can buy a new carbureted 40hp 2-stroke tiller outboard on Amazon for $2,995 as well which I guarantee doesn’t meet EPA regulations.

If it's not kosher with the FCC, can it still be registered with the FAA Drone Zone?

I ask because some of my normal travel destinations require proper home country registration and marking with the registration numbers.

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Originally posted by Herknav:

quote:

Originally posted by 357fuzz:

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin101:
I still don't understand why someone in the US cant make a competitive drone ?

You have heard of Skydio, right?

Skydio left the consumer market about 3 years ago. Their current focus is public safety/industry.

Buy a used one. Or a Parrot. Or a Brinc.

quote:

Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
If it's not kosher with the FCC, can it still be registered with the FAA Drone Zone?

I ask because some of my normal travel destinations require proper home country registration and marking with the registration numbers.

Drones weighing less than 250 grams are exempt from FAA registration unless they are being used for commercial purposes. You need an FAA part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate to fly drones for commercial purposes.

The FAA requires drones have Remote ID in order to be registered. The drone you named does not have Remote ID and cannot be registered unless you buy a separate Remote ID module for it.

FCC approval is not an FAA requirement for FAA drone registration.

What country accepts USA registered drones?

I think you are misunderstanding “home country”. Norway, accepts other EU countries’ drone registrations as “home country” registration. The USA is not a member of the EU so you would register your drone in Norway if it has a camera or it weighs more than 250 grams. Norway doesn’t care about FCC approval either.

To answer your earlier question more specifically, an awful lot of stuff being sold on Amazon is not being sold by Amazon. The outboard motor I mentioned is sold by a third party and would be shipped directly to the purchaser from the factory in China. I suspect the drone you are looking at would be the same.