DJI sales in America.

[Michael Ainsworth]

Great. Where do you suggest we go visit where everyone and everything is better?

Australia, mate.

 

[KS-6]

At least consider the possibility of coming back to it. Even when you remove the human factor, fires happen. Some trees require fire for reproduction. The Lodgepole pine has cones that are sealed with resin. It requires a forest fire to melt the resin away and to allow the seeds to be released. It's part of nature.

I'm assuming that you have the before pictures. Take some pictures now of the aftermath, even if you just put them away in storage for now. At some point, nature comes back. It won't be the same landscape, but it will be a fresh one with new life. You have the opportunity to record and document a life cycle.

Thanks, I sent you a PM.

 

[MS Coast]

I really didn't intend to get into a debate about their designations and their status but I know most people tend to lump these all together and may not be aware.

There is no debate. National Parks are National Parks and drones are prohibited in them. Other federal properties are not National Parks and some allow drone operations. You confused things by referring to a federal property where you can fly drones as a National Park. (Yes, I know you didn't use principal caps and put it in quotation marks.)

When you go into the Red Rock entrance and show your NP pass and there are federal officials in uniform everywhere....if it quacks like a duck.....

That's not a National Park pass. It's a pass for many types of federally owned property. Again, calling it an NP pass is confusing. You even confused yourself into you into thinking that might be in a National Park when you arrive at Red Rock. Quack.

*I'm not asking for a wide open Park to buzz the animals and land on top of Rushmore and fly between the buildings creating noise and over the geysers spoiling everyone's pictures. I just had to throw that out there because that's the typical go to response for anyone wanting to fly a drone in a NP. Just asking for limited time, limited space, permits and/or fees....something for my land.

It's not your land, it's our land. And we, collectively through our federal employees, have decided that we don't want drones in our National Parks. Attempts to change that policy are folly. But, go for it if you like.

 

[offtheback]

This reminds me of those persistent fears that Hillary Clinton and Jane Fonda are coming to our homes to seize our firearms.

I thought it was Obama who was coming to seize our guns.I bought one hoping to meet him.(a joke,nothing nefarious intended)

 

[mavic3usa]

It's not your land, it's our land. And we, collectively through our federal employees, have decided that we don't want drones in our National Parks. Attempts to change that policy are folly. But, go for it if you like.

"My" as in the People. But you wouldn't know that because you probably believe "federal employees" have something to do with the ownership. You're not use to the People calling it theirs.

And I'm going to change it, just like I helped to change some other things about NP that I didn't like and as usual, once it changes, you'll change your mind about it being a "folly." The people never decided they didn't want drones in the park, the government decided that. I never could understand how people just sit back and let someone else do the heavy lifting and then swoop in to reap the benefits later especially when you are against it now. The drone policy in national parks will have to change eventually, it's inevitable.

 

[offtheback]

Great. Where do you suggest we go visit where everyone and everything is better?

Try Boston and the New England coastal states.Beauty and lots of reasonable people.

 

[MS Coast]

"My" as in the People. But you wouldn't know that because you probably believe "federal employees" have something to do with the ownership. You're not use to the People calling it theirs.

Playground-level unfounded aspersions.

And I'm going to change it, just like I helped to change some other things about NP that I didn't like and as usual, once it changes, you'll change your mind about it being a "folly." The people never decided they didn't want drones in the park, the government decided that. I never could understand how people just sit back and let someone else do the heavy lifting and then swoop in to reap the benefits later especially when you are against it now. The drone policy in national parks will have to change eventually, it's inevitable.

Good on you. I look forward to adding "Drones now allowed in National Parks!" to your ongoing list of personal accomplishments in modifying NPS policies on behalf of we the people. We're standing by, ready to swoop.

 

[mavic3usa]

Playground-level unfounded aspersions.

Good on you. I look forward to adding "Drones now allowed in National Parks!" to your ongoing list of personal accomplishments in modifying NPS policies on behalf of we the people. We're standing by, ready to swoop.

It's going to be more like on a limited basis, only some parks, and under certain conditions only. Like I said, I don't believe in blanket bans and that also means blanket non-bans. "Drones now allowed in NPs" is just silly and uncalled for. Ideally, the national park would follow the same rules at the national forest or the state rules when it comes to drones; that's a good start. However, I would continue to expect the main attractions and the built-up areas and the buildings, etc to continue to be off limits.

I'm working on it, are you going to help or not? Or maybe just step aside and get out of the way of progress, not sure why you are so against it. Either way, it might take awhile to adjust and get use it and you'll see I'm right and everything will be fine when limited drone use is finally implemented. If you like to check it out yourself, just go to Red Rock, close your eyes and pretend like you are in the Badlands and you'll see an example of how it could be and how everything works fine for everyone regardless of the "designation." It's a beautiful thing. The People get to enjoy their park and nobody gets hurt.

 

[glocke12]

I think we can now say there is a drone ban bill officially before the US Congress (Rick Scott) which if signed by the President will ultimately ban Chinese drones in the US. Anyone who says drones won't be banned is simply being disingenuous because the bill does have a chance to pass and should not be ignored. Anyone who continues to believe the government is not coming for your drones (for whatever reason) and doesn't care about recreational flyers and their drones is in denial. Anyone who believes the bill will fail (like it always does) and we can just get back to normal and the government will give up and never try again (or will fail the next time as well) is naive.

That's right, the future isn't what it used to be; THIS is your new future. That is all. Frustrated.

I've only been in this hobby since May, but I think the writing is on the wall one or another. Either the de facto ban on DJI will go into effect at the end of this year when no .gov agency steps up to perform that audit thats been called for, or there will be a ban ( at best severe restrictions ) on recreational flying that basically shuts down the 0-400 foot air corridor for non-commercial use.

It's frustrating. Even if all we get is a DJI ban, the alternatives to DJI are either way too expensive for purely recreational use, or are affordable but are sub-par.

Add in the large anti-drone public sentiment that exists (born largely out of ignorance), and the realization that this thing is such a niche hobby that no one outside of it really cares if it goes away.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

If they are not being allowed into your country (being held at ports) it may as well be a ban

There is not a ban at this time. The problem is someone in US Customs believes that DJI is using children violating Child Labor laws and therefor decided to restrict them at customs and is either seizing them or returning them to DJI.

 

[MS Coast]

or there will be a ban ( at best severe restrictions ) on recreational flying that basically shuts down the 0-400 foot air corridor for non-commercial use.

No. They sky is not falling. And it's not going to be closed to recreational drones.

 

[GadgetGuy]

This is why I’m hesitant hanging onto or even using my DJI drones. I feel like it’s going to be a major PITA if I need parts or service. I need to feel that DJI has my back if something happens with one of their products, and through no fault of their own, I don’t have that impression right now now.

This last year has really put a damper on my interest in the hobby.

You are not alone. Much like the ICE raids that have resulted in over a million self-deportations, with the noose tightening on drones in general, and DJI drones in particular, the clear intent is to discourage as many drone hobbyists as possible, between mandatory RID broadcasting of the pilot's location throughout the flight, U.S. Customs holds, and widely publicizing the Ukranian use of DJI consumer drones as weapons of war, to fuel the public perception of all drones as a threat to privacy, security, and safety. Even Trump's would be assassin used a DJI drone to surveil the site beforehand. Ukrainians were acquiring 10,000 Mavic 3's a month on the secondary market to resupply their war losses.

The FAA's mandatory RID has put targets on all our backs. CCP's are mandatory now for drone pilot's safety when flying. Pilots of commercial planes are now armed. Why should we be any less safe as pilots?

When drones are outlawed, only outlaws will have drones! LOL!

All that being said, those of us who are determined to not be intimidated, and want to be independent of DJI for needed parts and replacements have been hanging onto our older aircraft for backups and parts, and buying two of every drone. Just because a drone has been discontinued or is not officially being sold in the U.S. does not mean that a secondary market among existing suppliers and owners doesn’t exist. Look at how many in the U.S. have still managed to acquire a Creator Combo or even a regular Combo of the Mavic 4 Pro. No Care Refresh saves us money that we have spent too much on in the past. Difficultly getting warrantee service is moot when quality control is good enough that DOA units have all but been eliminated.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

 

[anotherlab]

I've only been in this hobby since May, but I think the writing is on the wall one or another.

I've been in this hobby for close to 10 years, and people have been saying that the entire time.

 

[hank970]

I've only been in this hobby since May, but I think the writing is on the wall one or another. Either the de facto ban on DJI will go into effect at the end of this year when no .gov agency steps up to perform that audit thats been called for, or there will be a ban ( at best severe restrictions ) on recreational flying that basically shuts down the 0-400 foot air corridor for non-commercial use.

It's frustrating. Even if all we get is a DJI ban, the alternatives to DJI are either way too expensive for purely recreational use, or are affordable but are sub-par.

Add in the large anti-drone public sentiment that exists (born largely out of ignorance), and the realization that this thing is such a niche hobby that no one outside of it really cares if it goes away.

Nobody is going to shut down the 0 to 400-foot-altitude airspace to drones. That would adversely affect the few people who use drones of domestic manufacture as well as those of us who fly DJI. YMMV, but I've never encountered any public hostility when flying my drone. The few folks who've approached me are just curious as to how it works and what it can do.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I've been in this hobby for close to 10 years, and people have been saying that the entire time.

Yes, from the days of the wild west, we've come a long way! LOL!
Range distance contests with leaderboards of every drone, with and without mods, one way and round trip! Initially, I figured we would have a year or two before everything got regulated to death. It has been much longer than that.

However, the four biggest changes during that time have been NFZ's, mandatory GEO, VLOS requirements, and now mandatory RID, which finally allows the pilot to be located without Aeroscope. Circular NFZ's were DJI's first attempt at safety. Voluntary GEO, followed by mandatory GEO was the next proactive step, limiting where DJI drones could be flown with more precision than circles, adding in altitude zones and Authorization Zones. Those were DJI's solutions to the problem of rogue drones, from "those guys!" by physically preventing them from flying too high or too close.

The FAA and Congress wanted more. They still wanted to be able to locate the pilot.

VLOS was the first step, as it greatly limited the search area for the pilot. Now with mandatory RID being broadcast by the drones themselves, there is no need to search anymore. The drone itself is continuously broadcasting the pilot's location. DJI simultaneously stopped selling Aeroscope systems, as they were redundant and unnecessary with RID in place.

Lastly, DJI decided that their GEO was now no longer necessary, as RID and VLOS provided complete accountability and the exact location of the responsible pilot for all enforcement purposes during rogue flights.

Meanwhile, U.S. Customs has been placing holds on almost all DJI shipments into the U.S.. Now, on top of that, the U.S. is imposing additional tariffs on all Chinese goods, including drones.

Ultimately, unless Congress conducts a security audit of all DJI drones before December, and DJI successfully passes the audit, no further DJI drones can ever be sold in the United States.

DJI's recent complete voluntary withdrawal from the U.S. market is a testament to their reading of the tea leaves!

In the U.S., where DJI has previously held a 70% market share, the handwriting on the wall is now plain as daylight.

"We live in interesting times!"

We'll see how it all goes from here!

 

[Wreckhunter]

If they are not being allowed into your country (being held at ports) it may as well be a ban

Sorry can't agree with you on this.

 

[Max Headroom]

Sorry can't agree with you on this.

If they are not being allowed into your country (being held at ports) it may as well be a ban

I have changed the wording -
If they are not being allowed into your country (being held at ports) it serves the same purpose as a ban without the government actually placing a ban on them.

 

[KS-6]

I have changed the wording -
If they are not being allowed into your country (being held at ports) it serves the same purpose as a ban without the government actually placing a ban on them.

Until it is officially labeled an actual ban, I myself am calling it what it is and that is a problem.
At the moment, some of us are circumventing it somewhat effectively, albeit at a higher price and with questionable ability to utilize the standard one year warranty.

 

[Max Headroom]

At the moment, some of us are circumventing it somewhat effectively

Glad you have found a way round it