GEO Zone Detected Unable to Set Waypoint

jazar · Jun 19, 2019

I am in Class D airspace because there is a corporate helipad within 5 miles. I have never seen a helicopter take off or land there in 25 years. I can fly my Mavic Pro and Mavic 2 Pro without problems. I keep it under 400 feet as recommended. I have been experimenting with the waypoints feature on the Mavic 2 Pro. Most of the time it will not allow me to set a waypoint in the area. It displays the message "Geo Zone Detected Unable to Set Waypoint". I get this even though I can fly manually through out the same area. I have been able to set a waypoint route and it fly's the route perfectly.

Does anyone know why I can set a route at times and not at other times, just minutes apart? Is it a setting or a bug?

dawgpilot · Jun 26, 2019

A corporate helipad by itself is very unlikely to have Class D airspace around it. Are you sure there isn't another airport nearby? If you really are in Class D airspace, it's not legal to fly there at all without an airspace authorization (via either FAA Drone Zone or LAANC), which currently only Part 107 pilots can apply for. (recreational pilot access to LAANC will come later this summer)

Sirin&Leyla · Aug 15, 2019

I have Mavic 2 pro model with a remote controller. I can't set waypoints for the yellow GEO zone. The message is: "GEO zone detected, can't set a waypoint. " I should be able to fly in a yellow GEO zone without any authorization needed. I checked the GEO zone unlock web: DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for Aerial Photography, it also indicates that I'm not required any unlocking! Any ideas of what is going on? Thanks!!

dawgpilot · Aug 15, 2019

Sirin&Leyla said:
I have Mavic 2 pro model with a remote controller. I can't set waypoints for the yellow GEO zone. The message is: "GEO zone detected, can't set a waypoint. " I should be able to fly in a yellow GEO zone without any authorization needed. I checked the GEO zone unlock web: DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for Aerial Photography, it also indicates that I'm not required any unlocking! Any ideas of what is going on? Thanks!!

I think because of the increased risk of nearby air traffic, DJI doesn't allow waypoint missions in those areas even though you don't need authorization.