Why do they want to ban DJI?

51 Drones · Jun 18, 2023

I could be wrong, but I think this may be one reason they want these drones gone.

mavic3usa · Jun 18, 2023

Good video, Russ. Thumbswayup

Tufargon · Jun 18, 2023

Very informative Russ. Very level headed thinking too. Thanks for sharing, I appreciate all your videos. Thumbswayup

Hauptmann · Jun 18, 2023

51 Drones said:
I could be wrong, but I think this may be one reason they want these drones gone.

51 Drones said:
I don't see a reason DJI could not build a drone plant in the US. GM and Ford each have six plants in China. Tesla has one plant in China, which is being expanded. WTF?

I wish it made sense to buy and use a US made drone, but so far, none has made a dent in the domestic market. Why? They can't compete on the basis of cost/features/performance. Not even close.

If the Feds want to outlaw Chinese drones in the US, why don't they pump some $$ into drone design and development? This probably won't happen, because they'd likely screw it up anyway, like they do everything else they "manage".

Know what a camel is? It's a racehorse designed by the government.

Yorkshire_Pud · Jun 18, 2023

Would a Chinese owned drone factory be welcomed in the USA, surely some people would think it and the drones it produced, were a source of espionage?
I'd also wonder if DJI might have concerns about the possibility of firmware etc. leaks etc..

Cafguy · Jun 18, 2023

China is centrally located that allows for cheaper shipments of materials. It would cost much more to ship these materials to a factory in the U.S. Plus we, in the united states enjoy Labor laws that workers in china do not. Further driving up the cost ,not to mention Minimum wage, Property taxes, Business taxes, Healthcare etc... What incentives does DJI have to build drones in the U.S? and would you pay the extra cost for one?

51 Drones · Jun 19, 2023

mavic3usa said:
Good video, Russ.

Thank you! More people need to be discussing this I think.

Hauptmann · Jun 19, 2023

Cafguy said:
China is centrally located that allows for cheaper shipments of materials. It would cost much more to ship these materials to a factory in the U.S. Plus we, in the united states enjoy Labor laws that workers in china do not. Further driving up the cost ,not to mention Minimum wage, Property taxes, Business taxes, Healthcare etc... What incentives does DJI have to build drones in the U.S? and would you pay the extra cost for one?

The point is, DJI owns the consumer drone market, more than half of which are US purchasers. If DJI has to choose between building a mfg. plant in America or losing its entire US market, their decision is obvious. What would you do?

Yorkshire_Pud · Jun 19, 2023

Hauptmann said:
more than half of which are US purchasers.

From where does that information come?
Would they be allowed to build a factory in USA?

mavic3usa · Jun 19, 2023

Foxconn in Wisconsin - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

What's happening at the Foxconn site in Wisconsin five years after the company announced its plans

It's been 5 years since Foxconn was rumored to be coming to the state. Now the company has been here many things have changed during that time.

www.jsonline.com

djwak59 · Jun 19, 2023

Private companies / corporations would be responsible for building and designing drones in the U.S. not the Feds, unless they’re gonna be military, and even then, private business gets involved with that. My opinion, U.S. businesses would have to pay Americans too much, probly wouldn’t be worth their investment in the long run.
Just sayin.

Torque · Jun 19, 2023

51 Drones said:
I could be wrong, but I think this may be one reason they want these drones gone.

Watched this yesterday. I hope you're wrong, but the pieces do fit.

Cafguy · Jun 19, 2023

DJI Sells alot of drones By taking advantage of cheap labor and contacts in the retail industry that drone producers in the U.S. cannot, due to cost. Drone companies in the U.S. make some of the most top of the line drones made but they are made here and you will pay for that. Companies use many Drones from companies Producing in the U.S. You won't find these drones on the shelf at Best buy, but some are the best drones available for there fields such as FreeFly System's Astro- Mapper drone. This is a mavic forum so I won't list more and I like my DJI Drones and have no complaints But if not for their ability to get their drones mass produced and placed promonatly on the shelves of major retailers we might all be on the EXO forum now.

djwak59 · Jun 19, 2023

Cafguy said:
DJI Sells alot of drones By taking advantage of cheap labor and contacts in the retail industry that drone producers in the U.S. cannot, due to cost. Drone companies in the U.S. make some of the most top of the line drones made but they are made here and you will pay for that. Companies use many Drones from companies Producing in the U.S. You won't find these drones on the shelf at Best buy, but some are the best drones available for there fields such as FreeFly System's Astro- Mapper drone. This is a mavic forum so I won't list more and I like my DJI Drones and have no complaints But if not for their ability to get their drones mass produced and placed promonatly on the shelves of major retailers we might all be on the EXO forum now.

I’m all for “buy American”, but check out some other comments here. You’ll pay go

djwak59 · Jun 19, 2023

djwak59 said:
I’m all for “buy American”, but check out some other comments here. You’ll pay go

Once again I didn’t mean to post that yet !
Anyway, if you want an American made product ( and I’m sure we all would ), you’re gonna pay for it because of our different labor laws and practices.

Felix le Chat · Jun 21, 2023

51 Drones said:
I could be wrong, but I think this may be one reason they want these drones gone.

This is something I spotted three years ago and have been banging on about ever since. The only difference being the geographical location. In Europe and Britain, legislators have been paving the way for commercial monopoly of the sub400' airspace - the EU in particular with their "U-SPACE" legislations that will definitively alter how and where consumer class drones can be flown and indeed IF they can be flown at all. Like all EU legislation, it has been sneaked through the door without public approval or consultation. Americans can look forward to the adoption of a very similar framework that will effectively block the use of private 'hobbyist' drones from being flown without USSP authorization. These will be the same U-Space Service Providers that will authorize and manage networked tracts of airspace for the safe operation of commercial UAV carriers.

Hauptmann · Jun 24, 2023

Cafguy said:
DJI Sells alot of drones By taking advantage of cheap labor and contacts in the retail industry that drone producers in the U.S. cannot, due to cost. Drone companies in the U.S. make some of the most top of the line drones made but they are made here and you will pay for that. Companies use many Drones from companies Producing in the U.S. You won't find these drones on the shelf at Best buy, but some are the best drones available for there fields such as FreeFly System's Astro- Mapper drone. This is a mavic forum so I won't list more and I like my DJI Drones and have no complaints But if not for their ability to get their drones mass produced and placed promonatly on the shelves of major retailers we might all be on the EXO forum now.

Junk-food-for-Thought: what if Elon Musk were to enter the highly profitable, multi-billion USD commercial/industrial/consumer drone industry? Aw, c'mon. They make cars, not microchips, right? Well, when Tesla tired of Nvidia's cost and supply-chain issues, they designed and now manufacture their own chips which are better and cheaper than Nvidias--so much so that other US mfrs are preparing to buy their new chips from Tesla. And Tesla's autonomous driving system? Same story. Tesla's NACS EV charging network? Ditto. The State of Washington just mandated that ALL EV charging stations in the State use NACS, with the rest of the US--and the world--expected to follow suit.

The Tesla Model Y is now the best selling car in the world and it returns a good profit. Sure, legacy car mfrs are building models to counter the Y, but if priced competitively they sell at a loss. Tesla has slashed manufacturing costs by reducing the part count and, for example, by casting entire car rear ends as ONE part using gigapresses, while simultaneously improving quality, features and performance. Industry guru Sandy Munro estimates that Tesla is a decade ahead of the competition and will continue to increase its lead.

Elon knows how to find and hire the right people to design, build and manage products and factories which can kick the competitions' @$$e$. US labor too costly? Build the plant in Mexico.

Probably won't happen.

Cafguy · Jun 25, 2023

Yorkshire_Pud said:
From where does that information come?
Would they be allowed to build a factory in USA?

I Know that they have other facilities in the U.S. But I am not sure if Da-Jiang Innovations would be Welcome to build whole assembly plants in America At least for the moment.

ericole · Jun 26, 2023

Yorkshire_Pud said:
Would a Chinese owned drone factory be welcomed in the USA, surely some people would think it and the drones it produced, were a source of espionage?
I'd also wonder if DJI might have concerns about the possibility of firmware etc. leaks etc..

Yes, it doesn't matter where the factory is. it is still a Chinese-owned company, and ANY Chinese company can be (must be) available for the communist government for whatever purposes they choose. It simply is the way it is.

lookout · Jun 27, 2023

https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/us-department-transportation-issues-two-much-anticipated-drone-rules-advance-safety-and

DJIs have a security problem even though they won't disclose what that is exactly.

DJIs have implemented a remote ID system a long time ago, even though FAA won't use it. Mitch McConnell's wife a CCP implant, Elaine Chao, supports the remote ID function dreamed up by congress.

Are they really afraid of the Chinese? They are cohorting with them.