Frequently asked questions

Private recreational flights below 25 kg in Class G airspace still require the drone to stay below 120 m and 10 km from an aerodrome, and you may not fly over people, roads or property without permission. Any commercial work, spraying, inspection, surveying or filming for money, requires a Remote Pilot Licence (RPL) plus a Registered RPAS Operator Certificate issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). Trio Drones provides RPL-aligned ground school, helps you compile your operations manual and can arrange a SACAA-accredited examiner.

Yes. All displayed prices are in South African Rand (ZAR) and include 15% VAT. Your order confirmation and tax invoice show the VAT portion separately, and we issue a compliant tax invoice with our VAT registration number 4530318213 for every order.

Courier delivery is free on orders above R15 000. Below that we charge a flat R450 nationwide courier fee. Heavy-lift and industrial platforms that ship on a crate or pallet are R1 850 (white-glove, lift-gate) and enter full-service freight scheduled with you. Metropolitan deliveries arrive in 1 - 3 business days, outlying and regional areas in 3 - 5 business days, and batteries travel by road courier as a dangerous-goods consignment with the correct documentation.

Absolutely. Unflown, unused items in unopened original packaging can be returned within 30 calendar days of delivery for a refund or store credit. Once a drone has been activated or flown we cannot resell it, so we offer an in-house trade-in valuation instead, typically 60 - 75% of purchase price depending on condition. Full details are on our Return & Refund Policy page.

Every new airframe carries a 24-month manufacturer-supported warranty covering manufacturing defects, flight controllers, motors, ESCs and gimbals (batteries carry 12 months / 300 cycles). Warranty repairs are handled through the manufacturer's authorised South African service channels, and we manage the claim for you. Accidental damage, water ingress from crash recovery and normal propeller wear are excluded;

Yes. We can supply genuine batteries, propellers, chargers and accessories for the drones we sell. Ask us on WhatsApp for the part you need and we will confirm availability and price. Items in stock ship the same business day if ordered before 13:00 SAST.

You can pay by card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) on Stripe's secure checkout, or by EFT / bank transfer against your tax invoice. All prices are in Rand and include 15% VAT. We do not offer finance, lease or purchase-order terms.

We regularly export to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. International orders are quoted EXW Klerksdorp or DAP, with export documentation, dangerous-goods paperwork for lithium batteries and freight forwarding arranged by our exports desk. Cross-border buyers should confirm local civil aviation and import permit requirements, we assist with the technical documentation.

Card payments are tokenised and processed by a PCI-DSS Level 1 accredited South African payment gateway; we never see or store your full card number. We process personal information strictly in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), read our Privacy Policy for the full picture of what we collect, why, and how to exercise your rights.

Yes. Every commercial and industrial platform includes a two-day operator handover at your site or in Klerksdorp, covering pre-flight planning, spray calibration, mission software, emergency procedure and record keeping. Additional operator seats, night-rating upgrades and agricultural spray-application modules can be added to any order.

Report transit damage within 48 hours of delivery with photos of the box and airframe. We collect the unit at our cost, replace it like-for-like or refund you in full, and open a courier liability claim on your behalf. Do not discard the packaging before the claim is closed.

We supply and integrate RF-based detection and geofencing systems for mines, stadiums and correctional facilities, and we provide consultation on compliance with SACAA and ICASA requirements. Contact our special projects desk for a site survey.