DJI Authorization, LAANC required or both?

[DCase]

My model airplane club is in discussion with the National Soccer Center in Blaine, MN to establish some indoor flying sessions for small electric airplanes. The Sports Dome is adjacent to Anoka County Airport. While inside this inflatable dome my DJI Air 2S would not allow takeoff, the App stating that “Authorization was required”. I assume that the drone will have to be “unlocked”. Will I also have to get a LAANC approved to fly inside this dome?

 

[GFields]

My model airplane club is in discussion with the National Soccer Center in Blaine, MN to establish some indoor flying sessions for small electric airplanes. The Sports Dome is adjacent to Anoka County Airport. While inside this inflatable dome my DJI Air 2S would not allow takeoff, the App stating that “Authorization was required”. I assume that the drone will have to be “unlocked”. Will I also have to get a LAANC approved to fly inside this dome?

If you're going to be flying inside, I don't see any reason for LAANC approval. The only reason for the DJI unlock is because of the GEO fencing of the area. Otherwise, there is nothing you are required to do in order to fly inside a structure.

@BigAl07 is more knowledgeable than I am on this matter, so hopefully, he will chime in.

 

[akdrone]

you should be able to apply online at DJI FlySafe and hopefully it will just be a few minutes if it's a simple authorization zone (blue on the dji map). Be sure to note the height of the zone and not make an application for any height above what is allowed. You can ask for authorization for several months - at least when you do a polygon you can ask for months (I normally ask for 3months at a pop). I'm not sure about when you ask for the entire circle.

 

[BigAl07]

From a Legal standpoint the FAA has no authority over indoor flights but the Flight Controller inside your DJI aircraft has no clue you're flying indoors or not. Because of this, you'll likely have to contact DJI and get a Custom Unlock for your operations inside since it may very well be within a GPS Restricted area per the DJI software.

 

[PHZ]

Are you getting a satellite lock inside the dome? Just curious. If flying in atti mode, be very cautious flying around people.

 

[DCase]

Are you getting a satellite lock inside the dome? Just curious. If flying in atti mode, be very cautious flying around people.

I did get a satellite lock while there. That did not surprise me since there isn’t much overhead to block the signal. I got a satellite lock with a Mavic Pro a couple of years back in the Maple Grove Sports Dome.

The reason for my original post was that the NSC Sports Dome is not a permanent structure and comes down for the spring and summer months, becoming an open air field. I was told by one NSC management guy that the FAA considers non-permanent structures as “outdoors”. That fellow flies a Mavic 2 Pro and seemed like he knew.

Does being a non-permanent structure matter?

DCase

 

[BigAl07]

I did get a satellite lock while there. That did not surprise me since there isn’t much overhead to block the signal. I got a satellite lock with a Mavic Pro a couple of years back in the Maple Grove Sports Dome.

The reason for my original post was that the NSC Sports Dome is not a permanent structure and comes down for the spring and summer months, becoming an open air field. I was told by one NSC management guy that the FAA considers non-permanent structures as “outdoors”. That fellow flies a Mavic 2 Pro and seemed like he knew.

Does being a non-permanent structure matter?

DCase

It's only an issue if the area is "open" to Airspace. Even a moveable dome is considered "Inside" if the UAS can't easily navigate into FAA Airspace. When the Dome is open/down etc then you're flying in FAA Airspace and would, from a legal standpoint, require FAA Authorization. If it's "Closed" you are INSIDE the building and not within FAA's Authority.

 

[DCase]

It's only an issue if the area is "open" to Airspace. Even a moveable dome is considered "Inside" if the UAS can't easily navigate into FAA Airspace. When the Dome is open/down etc then you're flying in FAA Airspace and would, from a legal standpoint, require FAA Authorization. If it's "Closed" you are INSIDE the building and not within FAA's Authority.

Thank you all for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

DCase

 

[Aerophile]

The problem I can imagine is, how is anyone (FAA, DJI) supposed to know (and confirm) that you're inside some bubble? Why can't anyone claim, "oh, don't worry, I'll be flying inside an inflatable dome, you just go ahead and unlock that airspace for me please. Oh by the way, my dome moves around..."

 

[DCase]

The problem I can imagine is, how is anyone (FAA, DJI) supposed to know (and confirm) that you're inside some bubble? Why can't anyone claim, "oh, don't worry, I'll be flying inside an inflatable dome, you just go ahead and unlock that airspace for me please. Oh by the way, my dome moves around..."

We held the indoor fun fly at the NSC Sports Dome on January 18th. To fly my Air2S indoors required a custom unlock from DJI. During the online request for the custom unlock I uploaded two photos of the NSC Sports Dome from their website and “painted” its location on the Geofence map, which displayed a summertime image of the soccer field under the dome. The unlock request was from midnight 1/18 to midnight 1/19.

A previous post asked about GPS locks. I had a very good GPS lock and it took little time to acquire them.

This was the first time I ever tried the “custom unlock” process. The instructions said to use a laptop or desktop and sure enough the request website is NOT mobile friendly. I tried to unlock the drone the night before the request after it was approved and it would not unlock.
I unlocked the drone at the Sports Dome after I arrived and everything worked as it should.

My thanks again to those who gave me good advice on how to proceed with this because my model airplane club has received more dates from the NSC managers to hold more winter indoor fun flys at the Sports Dome.

Dale Case

 

[akdrone]

The other thing the custom unlock allows is unlocking for a longer period of time. I live in an authorization zone and using the custom unlocking and drawing a pentagram around my house I unlock for three months at a time. I have not been able to do that when selecting the entire circle although that may have just been some mistake on my part.

 

[DCase]

The other thing the custom unlock allows is unlocking for a longer period of time. I live in an authorization zone and using the custom unlocking and drawing a pentagram around my house I unlock for three months at a time. I have not been able to do that when selecting the entire circle although that may have just been some mistake on my part.

Quite true, akdrone. I thought about a longer unlock period, but wanted to fly there once before committing to it. Between my bother and I have many GB of video shot from both air and ground.

Two things concerned me about flying the Air2S in that environment. First to minimize the chance of an air to air collision I needed to see how and what people were going to fly in this first fun fly. Then try to place the drone where they didn’t go. Secondly, the lights around the entire perimeter of the dome face upward. This is great from ground level, not so good for video when above the lights.

In short, I took a one-day unlock thinking I might only do it once.

Dale Case