Flying in NFZ scheduled in the future

[CapitalSkyEye]

Hello Everyone,

I ran into an unusual situation today where my drone wouldn't fly because it thinks it's in a No Fly Zone. Technically, it's not.

I'm in the Washington, DC area which is one of the most restrictive flight regions for drones in the USA for obvious reasons. The No Fly Zone extends out to a 15 mile radius from DCA and there is a Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) which extends another 15 miles beyond the DCA NFZ.

The boundary between the DCA NFZ and the SFRA literally runs through my backyard. The back end of my deck is legal, the front end is not.

I am a licensed 107 pilot with FAA registered drones so I can fly in the SFRA.

I take kids in the neighborhood to a local high school with a large, open parking lot a few miles away which is solidly in the SFRA. There is a mile long lake on the other side of the road so it's a good place to go up, take a few pictures for them to have and come back down. It's a good way to teach them how to work the camera and fly at the same time.

President Trump is scheduled to visit Baltimore on Monday, May 25. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in a 30 mile radius around Baltimore, Maryland. The scheduled time of this TFR is Monday May 25, 2020 from 11:15am to 3:00pm. I was aware of this TFR before I went out today with someone.

When I got to the high school, the drone decided it is in a No Fly Zone and wouldn't take off. The warning on the screen was telling me the correct date and time limits for the TFR which at this point is still two days in the future.

I have included a screen shot from Kitty Hawk. The black pin shows where the high school is.

The drone is a Mavic 2 Pro. I did not apply for an unlocking code before I went out. I'm not even sure it would be available for a NFZ that doesn't yet exist.

I have a real estate property shoot in Baltimore on Tuesday and I am now worried this phantom NFZ might be in the way.

Is there a solution to this?

Thanks.

 

[Thomas B]

Doubt if you can get permission to legally fly in a presidential TFR. I’d reschedule the shoot.

 

[CapitalSkyEye]

Doubt if you can get permission to legally fly in a presidential TFR. I’d reschedule the shoot.

I'm not looking to fly in a TFR. The TFR only exists on May 25 from 11:15am to 3:00pm. I attempted to fly on May 23 which the Mavic wouldn't do in a place I know I can fly and I need to fly on May 26.

 

[dawgpilot]

I'm not looking to fly in a TFR. The TFR only exists on May 25 from 11:15am to 3:00pm. I attempted to fly on May 23 which the Mavic wouldn't do in a place I know I can fly and I need to fly on May 26.

I just looked at that area inside my DJI Fly app, and it is showing as an "Authorization Zone", only active from 11:15am - 3pm on 5/25. DJI Authorization Zones should also allow "self-unlock" by simply confirming on your device that you have authorization to fly there. (assuming you have internet access on your phone/tablet).