After TikTok ban passage, the prospect of a DJI ban is looking more likely

[GregS]

Correct me if I’m wrong, tictok is a platform where you can use it to persuade one’s thinking. To shape and mold one’s mind, even to nudge a whole society’s thinking. A platform that uses and abuses the ability to control human behavior and emotions. I agree our government should not have the ability to take and suppress a platform… my point is….. it’s a platform, a stage… where as DJI drones are not. Why would they come after dji drones because they are banning tictoc? You definitely seem to be way more invested news wise on congress and dji drones than I. I’m sure you could spend an entire day explaining.. point me in the right direction so I can educate, understand and be a voice in this situation
Thank you
Semper Fi

Dead on.....

 

[Droning on and on...]

Greg said it best at Pilot Institute... DJI is such a pressing threat that the ban won't take effect until 2030.

This isn't about security at all.

That's in the legislation?



By then there may be a viable competitor, who knows?

I'll probably have left drones behind by then in favor of the new hyperlight interplanetary hobby spacecraft coming in a few years.

 

[GregS]

I wouldnt say the Tik Tok ban is an easy decision. It became "easy" when it was attached to another aid bill that needed to passed. Likely wouldn't pass all by itself. This is what *could* happen with DJI but we don't know for sure. Tik Tok is given a choice, they can sell and the ban is lifted. They have one year to decide and that also means there's one year to figure out something else depending on who becomes POTUS. DJI won't be given a year to sell because DJI won't sell (to American investors). But I do believe there will be longer than one year for the ban to go into effect; more like 3 or 4.

Standalone DJI ban won't pass. Attach it to another important bill and it just might slip thru. This is why the effort needs a judicial approach, not a legislative approach. I think the focus on DJI assets already deployed is misguided. In reality, the problem is companies, businesses, agencies, and employees who cannot invest and grown and train in DJI products or other Chinese products knowing this is hanging over their head. If you are already deep in DJI, milk it while you can. If you have $25m ready to park it somewhere, I think you know where *not* to go. Only a fool would start up a commercial US-based drone delivery business using DJI cargo drones, that's just insane. And if you think you can start a new drone company and base it in Texas and buy all your parts from China so you can assemble them in America....

When was the last time Congress/Senate passed a Stand Alone Bill???? They ALWAYS slip in something else in their million page bills that no one; including Congress and the Senate read.

 

[GregS]

That's in the legislation?



By then there may be a viable competitor, who knows?

I'll probably have left drones behind by then in favor of the new hyperlight interplanetary hobby spacecraft coming in a few years.

Time will tell. I dont want a competitor drone, I want to fly the drones I paid a lot of money for.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Time will tell. I dont want a competitor drone, I want to fly the drones I paid a lot of money for.

I agree. 100%.

I also want a Mavic 3T, and a Mavic 3 Pro. Don't have either.

Sometimes you can't have what you want. Often actually. Setting aside right/wrong about this prospective ban, I'd rather have an alternative solution if it does happen, than none.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

You are panicking...tik tok is a much larger, therefor a much more influential entity...and a lot of its influence is in a negative manner...if it happens ...it happens

And the word is, it will still be in operation, just under new ownership after it is sold. So most users will never see a change.

 

[sawman]

I'll give you $150 for your fleet. That way you won't feel bad about selling unusable stuff and I won't feel bad about loosing $150.

I have thought about that. However, I have a sense of ethics that prevents me from transferring my potential misfortune to someone else.

 

[Cafguy]

There are NO U.S. Competitors to DJI for one reason: Consumers are unwilling to pay the prices that come with producing a Drone in the U.S. and those that make them here now, know this. That is why U.S. makers of Drones do not produce drones for the consumer market Only specialized drones built for a certain purpose or the Military. The electronic components used in these U.S. Built drones would come from china anyways thats where Electronic components are Built like it or not.
It is time to start asking exactly how would the Government enforce such a ridiculous ban - Drive around looking for DJI shaped objects in the air? and what is the legal definition of a DJI shape. What would give them the right to come up to me and inspect what I am Doing Simply because they Think my Drone looks like a DJI. The whole thing is quite dumb really. IF The government can show me that Flying my drone does more Harm to National Security then say any Chinese hacker can't already do in a second -- I will chop my DJI Drone to pieces now.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

I was dismissive of this to date, but I'm getting a bit concerned. I still think it's more likely not to happen than happen.

In any case, how, technically, can existing aircraft be grounded? Please, no speculation, just what anyone knows factually (i.e. O4 operates in the 2.4 and 5Mhz bands – those are known facts; speculating that O4 increased range by broadcasting in subspace would not be factual ).

I suppose the periodic required log in could do it with the current version of Fly... there are some ways around that, with their own problems.

They can be grounded if the FCC change is made blocking those frequencies used by DJI Drones. If you can still fly them it then becomes a legal matter with the locals.
Also if they shut down China from using those frequencies, will DJI keep their servers open to log into your account to keep your drone working. DJI now has a process that logs you out periodically, then your flights are restricted until you log back into DJI. This has already caused headaches for some when they try to fly somewhere that has no signal and they need to login to fly.

 

[Cafguy]

They can be grounded if the FCC change is made blocking those frequencies used by DJI Drones. Now if you can still fly them is then becomes a legal matter.

If the ban comes to pass and I for one don't think its gonna happen I will be flying my "Gutted" Mavic with an ELRS receiver and a Walksnail VTX they cant ban that.

 

[AlanL]

They can be grounded if the FCC change is made blocking those frequencies used by DJI Drones. If you can still fly them it then becomes a legal matter with the locals.
Also if they shut down China from using those frequencies, will DJI keep their servers open to log into your account to keep your drone working. DJI now has a process that logs you out periodically, then your flights are restricted until you log back into DJI. This has already caused headaches for some when they try to fly somewhere that has no signal and they need to login to fly.

This statement is categorically ridiculous - the frequencies in use by our drones are the FCC public wireless service allotments and blocking them would wipe out ALL wireless computer communications across the country.

 

[mavic3usa]

When was the last time Congress/Senate passed a Stand Alone Bill???? They ALWAYS slip in something else in their million page bills that no one; including Congress and the Senate read.

Perhaps that is true but as you know, it's not a guarantee that any bills you want to have passed just wait for the big important bills to come up and then slip yours in along with it. That's not how it works.

 

[mavic3usa]

There are NO U.S. Competitors to DJI for one reason: Consumers are unwilling to pay the prices that come with producing a Drone in the U.S. and those that make them here now, know this. That is why U.S. makers of Drones do not produce drones for the consumer market Only specialized drones built for a certain purpose or the Military. The electronic components used in these U.S. Built drones would come from china anyways thats where Electronic components are Built like it or not.
It is time to start asking exactly how would the Government enforce such a ridiculous ban - Drive around looking for DJI shaped objects in the air? and what is the legal definition of a DJI shape. What would give them the right to come up to me and inspect what I am Doing Simply because they Think my Drone looks like a DJI. The whole thing is quite dumb really. IF The government can show me that Flying my drone does more Harm to National Security then say any Chinese hacker can't already do in a second -- I will chop my DJI Drone to pieces now.

If you got an email (after the ban) from the FAA that says your DJI entry into the FAA registration database has been cancelled and you are no longer valid to fly that drone is USA airspace, would you continue to fly or not?

 

[Droning on and on...]

They can be grounded if the FCC change is made blocking those frequencies used by DJI Drones.

Could explain how the FCC blocks those frequencies? I have degrees in EECS and Physics, and I can't think of any (practical) way to do that.

 

[MARK (LI)]

If you got an email (after the ban) from the FAA that says your DJI entry into the FAA registration database has been cancelled and you are no longer valid to fly that drone is USA airspace, would you continue to fly or not?

They could refuse to let you renew your registration when it comes due

 

[Droning on and on...]

If you got an email (after the ban) from the FAA that says your DJI entry into the FAA registration database has been cancelled and you are no longer valid to fly that drone is USA airspace, would you continue to fly or not?

Without hesitation.

Our opinions may differ. I do not believe the US has become such a Police State that any serious effort would be made to enforce that. Not by a parsec.

With 16 LEOs per 10,000 people in the US, it would be a fools errand.

And then there's that pesky constitutional requirement of equal treatment under the law...

 

[mavic3usa]

Without hesitation.

Our opinions may differ. I do not believe the US has become such a Police State that any serious effort would be made to enforce that. Not by a parsec.

With 16 LEOs per 10,000 people in the US, it would be a fools errand.

And then there's that pesky constitutional requirement of equal treatment under the law...

Are your drones registered today? The same amount of enforcement today is likely the same amount tomorrow. Why do you bother to registered today if you feel the "lack of enforcement" is a factor in your decision whether to obey the law or not. Yet we all expect everyone else today who is flying a drone in the airspace to properly registered and follow the law even when it comes to RID. Somehow that changes when something happens we don't like?

The difference is you have been told and notified to STOP when the registration is revoked. That's a bit difference than being dodgy. You speak about respect and the law and yet on the other hand, but when it impacts you directly, there seems to be a small about of hypocrisy going on here. Nothing is worse than we a motorist is told to stop driving because their license is revoked/suspended but they keep driving because they feel like they won't get caught. The fact of the matter is once those registrations are revoked, the vast majority of recreational flyers will be defacto grounded and nearly all the commercial pilots will be grounded for sure. We don't need a technical solution, that's irrelevant.

Pilots flying a drone and posting the footage on YT, everybody criticizes the flight and it's characteristics, talks about part 107 here in the US, and how the FAA will pop you when they can prove nothing about the where/when/how of the flight but in the future, if a video is posted showing a DJI drone flying in US airspace, the FAA somehow will ignore that even when the proof is obvious? Honestly I believe that attitude toward the potential ban detracts from the cause basically saying no big deal, I'll keep flying. Sometimes I get the feeling you're saying go ahead and ban DJI drones, it won't impact me. You guys who obey the law, you deal with unreasonable laws; I'll just continue to do my thing because I won't get a $50,000 fine for flying an unregistered drone....that's for you, not for me.

And, equal protection under the law, that's not it; not the proper applicable of that Constitutional right. You're not going to be able to fight back against selective enforcement and discretion using the equal protection clause. Read about it here: equal protection

 

[mneeze]

Are there any USA companies making high quality drones, comparable to the Mavic line? I fly an older M1P and love it but I am also pro USA if/when i can.

Anzu Robotics Raptor and Raptor T...EXACT copies of the Mavic 3 Enterprise and M3 Thermal, respectively. Check them out - they just released last week (or this week).. they license the tech from DJI, but not made in china..i believe its the same manufacturer that DJI uses/used, in Malaysia. This is the solution we've been wanting, albeit slightly compromised (american company but licensing dji tech instead of creating their own);however, in many ways better than an american company with completely new/different tech, because DJI's stuff is already matured and proven. The only thing i worry about if the ban goes thru, is can Anzu ramp up to the immediate demand if/ when the ban happens. Regardless, they are poised to become THE "American" drone company, just from the public safety/government sector sales alone.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and we are already seeing these invention-children being born out of our necessity to not have all of our eggs in DJI's basket (even if the basket tech is itself licensed from DJI) for the gov't to just dismiss/destroy at their very whim.

 

[mneeze]

There are NO U.S. Competitors to DJI for one reason: Consumers are unwilling to pay the prices that come with producing a Drone in the U.S. and those that make them here now, know this. That is why U.S. makers of Drones do not produce drones for the consumer market Only specialized drones built for a certain purpose or the Military. The electronic components used in these U.S. Built drones would come from china anyways thats where Electronic components are Built like it or not.
It is time to start asking exactly how would the Government enforce such a ridiculous ban - Drive around looking for DJI shaped objects in the air? and what is the legal definition of a DJI shape. What would give them the right to come up to me and inspect what I am Doing Simply because they Think my Drone looks like a DJI. The whole thing is quite dumb really. IF The government can show me that Flying my drone does more Harm to National Security then say any Chinese hacker can't already do in a second -- I will chop my DJI Drone to pieces now.

What do you think about the Anzu Raptor and Raptor T? Of course we dont have a perfect American drone company with 100% American created and owned tech yet, but I believe Anzu is the best hope for an immediate solution at our disposal NOW. It has to start somewhere, why not here and now with Anzu's licensed tech, with the drones being manufactured in Malaysia?
I kind of feel like a shill at this point, but i feel hardly anyone knows about the Anzu solution yet, but of course they just released a few days ago. I recommend watching the pocast from Pilot Institute with Anzu CEO - cant remember his name but he's the former head of Autel (and an American). Anyway its a good watch with loads of info, just curious what you think about all that...cheers

 

[mavic3usa]

^If Anzu can get it writing that they won't be the subject of a government ban on their aircraft (for whatever reason) then I agree, we have a winner.