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DJI is working to add LAANC support

msinger

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DJI posted this news article today where they recommended using Kittyhawk to obtain LAANC authorization when flying in controlled airspace within the US:

DJI Welcomes Easy, Fast Access To Controlled U.S. Airspace For Recreational Drone Pilots

At the bottom of the article, they mentioned the following:

"The FAA approved DJI as a LAANC UAS Service Supplier last year, which will in the future allow DJI professional and recreational customers to use DJI solutions to seamlessly apply for LAANC approvals when planning flights. Further details on LAANC services currently under development by DJI will be announced in due course."

I'm sure other people figured this was coming since DJI is an approved LAANC UAS service supplier. However, this is the first I've seen DJI mention they are working on this integration.
 
The UK and EU are both looking towards a similar system in the future as well (the CAA is looking at LAANC for a model), so I think this bodes well for the future integration of drones into ATC systems. Once there's some more assurance that we can all fly safely together then it should make things much easier when we want to fly within NFZs and other highly contested areas of airspace, or above the current legal flight ceilings.

Hopefully there will be some kind of standard for this though, because if every country has their own system then either DJI is going to have to add some serious bloat to Go or pick and choose which systems they support. If *needs* to be seamless in the App, IMHO, and possibly even automatic, and that's only going to happen if it's easy for DJI and other drone vendors to implement.
 
This will be another step towards insuring the skies are safe for everyone, except extraterrestrials ??
 
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This will be another step towards insuring the skies are safe for everyone, except extraterrestrials ??
I think it will be nice when it's integrated into DJI GO - it will certainly make it easier to use for more people.
Hopefully, it will also sync up the DJI fly safe database with LAANC. As it is, LAANC allows me authorization, but DJI requires self unlock. In another location, LAANC is 0 feet authorization, but DJI says enhanced warning zone.
Being that it is lat/long based, these should match exactly.
It wouldn't surprise me if when DJI is a LAANC provider that it differs from Kittyhawk, etc...
 
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I guess this is what I am confused about. If you were to get LAANC approval as a recreational pilot in KittyHawk do you have to use that app to fly? Or can you still fly with the go app so that DJI will still cover you if there is a malfunction?

Example I am sitting in downtown Roanoke VA looking at maps. AirMap shows me in an area reuireing approval (automated available under 200ft) and there it is not even an enhnaced warning zone in DJI Go. (If I was in a safe/legal take off and landing area.

So in theory it would seem I could get automated LAANC approval in AirMap/KittyHawk and use the dji app to fly just fine (even if this was an enhanced warning zone in DJI)?

I am just learning this stuff and have yet to see any posts about this. I have seen people mention that dji won't do anything about malfunctions and damage if you were not flying with their app (which can't do LAANC for now like the above stuff mentions).

Am I way off in some wierd rabbit hole of confusion surrounding LAANC as a rec pilot?

If you want to look at maps I am basically at the corner of Market St and Campbell Ave in downtown Roanoke VA.

37.2717858, -79.9390447

This is all hypothetical and for learning purposes so can we keep the replies educational and not be jerks.
 
I guess this is what I am confused about. If you were to get LAANC approval as a recreational pilot in KittyHawk do you have to use that app to fly? Or can you still fly with the go app so that DJI will still cover you if there is a malfunction?


To answer your question, you don't have to use KittyHawk to fly after getting the LAANC approval. In fact, you might need to use DJI Go 4 anyway because I'm not sure 3rd party apps will bring up DJI's prompt to unlock the GeoZone on the drone itself. (I know Litchi doesn't, when I want to fly with Lichi in controlled airspace after getting LAANC approval, I first have to open DJIGo4 after powering up my drone and confirm I am authorized after starting my propellers, then I have to close DJIGo4 and power-cycle my controller to get it to connect with Litchi again).
 
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I am also learning the process of getting LAANC authorization using KH, then actually flying using DJIGo.

I plan to fly this evening, so wanted to get my auth set. It came through instantly on KH, as well as text message, and the DJIGo “sync” indicated that something had synced between KH and my DJIgo account. However, I do not think the authorization synced.

I guess I’ll find out if the authorization is available “in” my MavicPro or DJIGo when I get to the site where I am flying.

Otherwise, I may still have to self-unlock.

I’ll try to report back what happens.
 
I am also learning the process of getting LAANC authorization using KH, then actually flying using DJIGo.

I plan to fly this evening, so wanted to get my auth set. It came through instantly on KH, as well as text message, and the DJIGo “sync” indicated that something had synced between KH and my DJIgo account. However, I do not think the authorization synced.

I guess I’ll find out if the authorization is available “in” my MavicPro or DJIGo when I get to the site where I am flying.

Otherwise, I may still have to self-unlock.

I’ll try to report back what happens.

If that area is normally locked as part of DJI's Fly Safe, I guarantee that you'll have to self-unlock. DJI Go has no capability to import LAANC authorizations.
 
The UK and EU are both looking towards a similar system in the future as well (the CAA is looking at LAANC for a model), so I think this bodes well for the future integration of drones into ATC systems. Once there's some more assurance that we can all fly safely together then it should make things much easier when we want to fly within NFZs and other highly contested areas of airspace, or above the current legal flight ceilings.

Hopefully there will be some kind of standard for this though, because if every country has their own system then either DJI is going to have to add some serious bloat to Go or pick and choose which systems they support. If *needs* to be seamless in the App, IMHO, and possibly even automatic, and that's only going to happen if it's easy for DJI and other drone vendors to implement.
I always find it amusing that other countries implement something, have it up and running and actively being used and the UK are still 'thinking about it'.
Oh, how we love to 'think about things'....
We all know what that means - they will have to undertake a feasibility study for a couple of years. Cost it (another year).
Think about it again (by which time technology will have moved on and whatever they are thinking about will be out of date).
Realise their costing is woefully inadequate.
Farm it out to the private sector (probably Capita), who will make such a monumental hash of it, it won't work.

Hell, we haven't even got UAV registration yet until the end of October and that is already over three times the cost of what the US pays!
 
the DJIGo “sync” indicated that something had synced between KH and my DJIgo account. However, I do not think the authorization synced.
That's correct. Authorizations via LAANC don't go anywhere. They just allow you to fly legally. The self unlock in DJI GO is still going to be required until (hopefully) DJI adds LAANC authorization to DJI GO.
 
I am also learning the process of getting LAANC authorization using KH, then actually flying using DJIGo.

I plan to fly this evening, so wanted to get my auth set. It came through instantly on KH, as well as text message, and the DJIGo “sync” indicated that something had synced between KH and my DJIgo account. However, I do not think the authorization synced.

I guess I’ll find out if the authorization is available “in” my MavicPro or DJIGo when I get to the site where I am flying.

Otherwise, I may still have to self-unlock.

I’ll try to report back what happens.

so DJIGo did ask if i did want to self-authorize, but allowed me to skip the process and fly anyway. it seems very hit and miss on when it requires it and when it doesn’t.
 
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