Congress seems to be inching closer to banning DJI Drones

[TonyPHX]

So lets say all this equipment gets bricked, so many of us then have one hell of a tax write-off.

 

[rickmurray1989]

I am strongly in favor of preventing an ill-founded, paranoia-based, restriction on DJI drone sales and operation in the United States and elsewhere.

I'm not begging you for anything. I'm challenging you to provide some substantive and positive suggestions about the "fight" you mention frequently. Perhaps "consort and collaborate and strategize."

So lets say all this equipment gets bricked, so many of us then have one hell of a tax write-off.

Not necessarily - that gets into an IRS grey area. If you have taken Section 179 tax deductions for the drone purchases, then you have already received tax credits during the purchase year. I am not sure that you can claim a loss on a fully-depreciated and claimed asset. I will have to do a little tax research on the subject, since I am no longer an active CPA.

 

[Meta4]

If you owned a company that used DJI Drones for a service and you where facing this rumor mill would you wait till the last moment to tell the employees that depend on a paycheck "Sorry I was wrong" OR is it best to use caution and plan for what could be. As a responsible employer I would have to side with the OP.

I was suggesting that the OP's ideas that existing DJI drones could or will be bricked and wouldn't be able to fly, and discussion following this incorrect assumption is complete nonsense.

This idea and the decision to immediately ground his drones is unnecessary and unhealthy catastrophising.
His cognitive distortion has prompted him to jump to the worst possible conclusion.
He's already imagining that he's having to deal with a crisis that hasn't happened and is unlikely to happen the way his overactive imagination has decided it will.

If he had employees, his idea is to shut down the shop and immediately make his employees unemployed, without giving any notice.
That wouldn't be in line with your ideas of being a responsible employer.

 

[Meta4]

So lets say all this equipment gets bricked ...

It's not and imagining it would be isn't realistic.

 

[Cafguy]

How will they "Brick My Mavic Pro 1 That Now has an fpv Camera, and an ELRS Reciever? Can I build a drone that is shaped like a DJI or is this "style" now unlawful Can I own a Balloon in the shape of a DJI drone or would that be considered wasting police resourses?. Can I continue to use My DJI Air unit Or is that gone now too, simply because it has a DJI stamp on it. Air units Don't call Home.
How about I Take a Mavic 3 Body- pull out the existing electronics ...Stuff an Air unit in it....Place a Mamba Stack and some Motors on it and go out Flying. Is my new setup illegal? IF SO -are they Planning on Banning every RC toy in the country?

 

[TonyPHX]

It's not and imagining it would be isn't realistic.

Exactly my point. It's not happening. This panic is silly.

 

[pmcdn]

I don’t see drones getting banned. It is a rapidly growing industry with too much money in it and only getting bigger. I certainly wouldn’t “ground” my drones now. Seems more than a little hasty.

 

[mavic3usa]

I don’t see drones getting banned. It is a rapidly growing industry with too much money in it and only getting bigger. I certainly wouldn’t “ground” my drones now. Seems more than a little hasty.

C'mon, of course you would, really? Let's say the FAA puts out a directive to all registered drone owners and say something along the lines of "DJI drones are no longer welcome in US airspace and violations after August 1st could result in fines up to $150,000 and/or 10 years in federal prison" or the standard usual language used for all regular FAA drone violations. You would still put your DJI up in the air with remote ID blasting? Then, you're braver than me.

FAA and Congress don't care about drone growth in America, do you think they will consider the impact on this ground if they ban DJI drones or are they more interested in shrinking the growth of Chinese-made drones? I think it's the latter. As been mentioned several times, it's an election year and everything anti-China is on the table.

 

[Droning on and on...]

C'mon, of course you would, really? Let's say the FAA puts out a directive to all registered drone owners and say something along the lines of "DJI drones are no longer welcome in US airspace and violations after August 1st could result in fines up to $150,000 and/or 10 years in federal prison" or the standard usual language used for all regular FAA drone violations. You would still put your DJI up in the air with remote ID blasting?

Absolutely, without hesitation.

 

[Daytona500]

I'm not hinting at anything, it's Freedom 101. If you knew anything about it, you would know it has little to do with being illegal or being violent. Fight for this cause like you would fight for any other cause you really care about. Do you need to me teach you how? Why keep begging me to discuss the specifics in a location (forum) where I am saying it is inappropriate to discuss or I don't feel comfortable going into the details?

I never said I didn't want to discuss it, I said I didn't want to discuss it here in this forum and if I'm being honest, with you. because you don't seem to be open to it. You are right, there's no point in continuing beyond just the high level opinion that I have offered because going further tends to get petty and argumentative, and ends up going sideways. I'd rather not get into that and would prefer to consort and collaborate and strategize with those who have similar interests in the cause. In the past, I have mentioned that the community needs to organize and take this fight in a judicial (rather than legislative) direction and do it today instead of tomorrow.

if you dont want to discuss it then dont bring it up

 

[Daytona500]

I'm making tin hats for all you paranoid people.

 

[Meta4]

Let's say the FAA puts out a directive to all registered drone owners and say something along the lines of "DJI drones are no longer welcome in US airspace and violations after August 1st could result in fines up to $150,000 and/or 10 years in federal prison" or the standard usual language used for all regular FAA drone violations. You would still put your DJI up in the air with remote ID blasting? Then, you're braver than me.

Lets say .... <insert completely unrealistic imagined scenario here and discuss as if it's real> ....

 

[Droning on and on...]

I'm making tin hats for all you paranoid people.

No need for tin... Aluminum foil blocks the signals too...

 

[mavic3usa]

if you dont want to discuss it then dont bring it up

I never said I didn't want to discuss it, I said I didn't want to discuss it here in this forum ...

C'mon you can understand that, can't you?

 

[mavic3usa]

Absolutely, without hesitation.

Then I might be wrong. Seems something the laws are respected and sometimes they aren't. Ok I get it.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Then I might be wrong. Seems something the laws are respected and sometimes they aren't. Ok I get it.

Don't think you do.

There is this thing called the US Constitution. It limits government power. Gubmint can't make just any old law they'd like. To illustrate my point by absurd example: If CA passed a law stating I had to give $20 to any black person that asked me for it as reparations, would I follow that law?

No. Absolutely not. Not even once. With confidence I'd prevail in court, in the exceedingly unlikely event it ever came to that.

Hopefully that clarifies my previously terse response.

 

[bdooley]

Your subject line says it all. They are inching towards enacting this. Our Government takes forever to enact laws like this. And it takes them a long time to implement laws like this.

I do not have a drone business so it is admittedly easy for me to say what I would do. And nobody knows your business like you do. But it seems to me that this is a bit of a knee jerk reaction. I don’t know what your fleet looks like but if it were me, I would continue to use the existing fleet and fly it until the end of its lifespan while waiting to see how things shake out - it’s going to take a while before anything gets implemented. Maybe don’t replace or upgrade any of your fleet until there is a better understanding of what is actually going to happen. You have an investment that if you shelve it is simply lost revenue in my opinion. I would simply plan for the future with as little investment as possible but not completely turn my back on this revenue source at this point. It sounds like you have your foot in the door of this business- don’t run out of the door yet. In June, I would suggest taking the recurrent test unless the writing is actually on the wall. It doesn’t cost you anything except about an hour of your time.

Again, all this is easy for me to say since I am not in the business! Just my $0.02.

 

[mavic3usa]

Don't think you do.

There is this thing called the US Constitution. It limits government power. Gubmint can't make just any old law they'd like. To illustrate my point by absurd example: If CA passed a law stating I had to give $20 to any black person that asked me for it as reparations, would I follow that law?

No. Absolutely not. Not even once. With confidence I'd prevail in court, in the exceedingly likely event it ever came to that.

Hopefully that clarifies my previously terse response.

Wow, that's rich; reciting the US Constitution to me. Yet you live in a state which repeatedly, willfully, and happily violates the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and 14th Amendment routinely.

So let me understand this, you believe if Congress passes a law that says DJI drones are prohibited from flying in the US Airspace that they control and the Supreme Court has not yet overruled, you will continue to fly your DJI drone in US airspace because you believe Congress "can't make just any old law they'd like" and because you are confident that you will "prevail in court" should a federal law enforcement officer arrest you and confiscate your contraband drone.

Look, I don't like the [proposed] law either but I will abide by it should it pass and then I will work the system from there. I'm an activist, not an agitator or an anarchist. We believe there is a time and a place for breaking an unjust law and launching the whole situation into the fight that is heavily judicial in nature. But, flying a Chinese consumer drone for fun in the US restricted airspace during a sensitive time in Sino-American relations unfortunately doesn't rise to that level especially if it's obvious the majority of the drone community and the entire American public won't have your back during that fight. I do believe in fighting the good fight on behalf of others even though they are ungrateful but the time for sensible activism is NOW *before* the law is passed.

Please don't ask what I would do personally; at this point, I am unable to share any further advice on that topic.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Seems something the laws are respected and sometimes they aren't. Ok I get it.

This brings to mind one of my favorite quotes:

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds..." – Ralph Waldo Emerson​

 

[Droning on and on...]

Wow, that's rich; reciting the US Constitution to me. Yet you live in a state which repeatedly, willfully, and happily violates the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and 14th Amendment routinely.

In your opinion. Which is irrelevant. The SCOTUS has the vested authority to make such decisions.

To be thorough, I disagree with the SCOTUS on these matters from time to time too. Which is just as relevant to the question of constitutional violation and fidelity as your opinion is.

The SCOTUS decides when law violates the constitution, not you or me. I accept that. Therefore, as far as I'm aware, despite my objection to many laws passed by the state of CA, I'm unaware of any that have been ruled a violation of my constitutional rights, and therefore, as a matter of law and fact, CA is compliant, my own personal opinion notwithstanding.

Do you not respect the SCOTUS as the determining authority for what is, and is not constitutional?