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DJI Go4 App: What height is your drone Really flying at??

Ikopta

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So with new 400ft max coming into force this month for all craft over 250g in weight, got an interesting issue with the Go4app. What height is it actually reading? CAA say 400ft is from the surface. Which one? where the pilot is? Where the craft takes off? Where someone is standing that thinks you're flying over 400ft?
The DJI go app registers a point that the system sees as Zero. If that were on a 200ft above sea level, and I fly 500m out to the valley.. I think I'm at 400ft because DJI tell me so. But CAA in the valley think I'm 600ft (200+ 400ft). Who's right? Do CAA need to reword, or DJI tweak the system?
Interested to know your thoughts.
 
It's 400' above ground level. Go 4 does not know how the ground level changes, it only knows the starting point, so it is up to the pilot. With a little experience a pilot should be able to tell if they are more than 400' above the ground.
 
Current CAA guidelines are 400ft above the *surface*.
The new drone laws coming out soon will likely reword that somewhat (and make guidelines mandatory).

From the CAA Blog:
How high can you fly?
So, to stay safe you must simply fly your drone no further than 500m away from you horizontally or 400ft above you vertically. That sounds fairly straightforward to achieve, particularly if your drone gives you a distance data reading on your screen telling you how far the device has travelled from its transmitter. However, we do know that some users are flying higher than they should, so it's very important to understand how high 400ft really is to ensure you stay legal and don't inadvertently fly into airspace where a drone shouldn't be.

As a comparison, the London Eye is 443ft, Blackpool Tower is 518ft and the Spinnaker Tower on the Portsmouth waterfront 560ft. Of course, drones must be kept well away from all structures, as well as built-up areas in general, but if you can visualize any of these landmarks then you know that you need to keep well below their highest point. Of course, manned aircraft can fly lower than 400ft, particularly helicopters, so it is vital you still keep a good lookout.

Guidance for flying drones | UK Civil Aviation Authority

The new laws come in July 30th with some fairly hefty fines for violators.
 
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