DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Interesting Video from Drone U: How to "legally" not comply with RID

Sadly, none of what he mentions applies to Drone pilots. He quotes a page from the Airmen Information Manual (AIM) which quotes Part 91, which is for manned pilots only. The specific regulation is part 91.3 but reading into Part 91.1 (Applicability of Part 91), specifically subparagraph (f), you will clearly see that part 91 doesn't apply to Part 107 operations or Part 89 (remote ID) operations.
The second mistake is that the regulation only mentions "in case of an emergency" which clearly doesn't apply here.

Classic mistake but I'm surprised Drone U couldn't figure this out.
 
Last edited:
In addition to what was said above, I suppose the reason Drone U used the part 91 rule regarding emergency rather than just using what is said in 14 CFR Part 107; the FAA makes it clear that you may need to submit a report after doing so.

Much easier to just fly a drone without onboard RID (like I will with my Mavis 2 Pro) And use a module which: Does not broadcast pilot location.

§ 107.21 In-flight emergency.

(a) In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the remote pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent necessary to meet that emergency.

(b) Each remote pilot in command who deviates from a rule under paragraph (a) of this section must, upon request of the Administrator, send a written report of that deviation to the Administrator.
 
I'm seconding what @pilotinstitute said above.

And this is just one example of why I had to walk away from the ownership group of Drone U in January of 2020. And they still owe me almost $15,000.

I do not recommend anyone listen to Drone U when they start talking about regulatory issues. Paul does not know what he's talking about.
 
I guess we might see another video from Drone U in the future called, "I got busted for ignoring RID."
That would make my heart happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tleedom and EricJT
My question, what happens Sept 16th and I am not complying. The drone won’t take off? What?
The drone flight won't be affected. It's up to the person flying to decide if they are compliant or not.
 
Sadly, none of what he mentions applies to Drone pilots. He quotes a page from the Airmen Information Manual (AIM) which quotes Part 91, which is for manned pilots only. The specific regulation is part 91.3 but reading into Part 91.1 (Applicability of Part 91), specifically subparagraph (f), you will clearly see that part 91 doesn't apply to Part 107 operations or Part 89 (remote ID) operations.
The second mistake is that the regulation only mentions "in case of an emergency" which clearly doesn't apply here.

Classic mistake but I'm surprised Drone U couldn't figure this out.
You stated 'none of what he mentions applies to Drone pilots'. Not true!!! He is okay with broadcasting drone location, but not pilot location. That is absolutely true!
He also mentions 'in case of emergency'. He was referring to someone coming at him aggressively and maybe with a gun. Which has happened to drone pilots. I consider that an emergency.
 
You stated 'none of what he mentions applies to Drone pilots'. Not true!!! He is okay with broadcasting drone location, but not pilot location. That is absolutely true!
He also mentions 'in case of emergency'. He was referring to someone coming at him aggressively and maybe with a gun. Which has happened to drone pilots. I consider that an emergency.
Still doesn’t matter. We don’t fly under Part 91. The video is irresponsible.
 
You stated 'none of what he mentions applies to Drone pilots'. Not true!!! He is okay with broadcasting drone location, but not pilot location. That is absolutely true!
He also mentions 'in case of emergency'. He was referring to someone coming at him aggressively and maybe with a gun. Which has happened to drone pilots. I consider that an emergency.
The first statement about him being OK with the drone broadcasting its own location is just a matter of opinion--there's nothing to fact check there. The 2nd statement is true but ONLY if an emergency exists. What Drone U is trying to say is that it's OK to ASSUME an emergency is going to happen. That's very different from an actual emergency.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Torque and One-Eye
I do not know if Drone U mentioned this, but one way to fly legally w/o RID is to only fly at FRIAs.
 
Here's my take on this as a pilot who flies commercially for my company but owns a 4 year old Mavic 2 Pro. First, I am in a small town that does not have FRIAs. Besides, as I mentioned, I fly commercially getting aerial shots of businesses, schools or whatever I need for the videos we are producing. Second, I have yet to see any add-on devices for older drones (much like the flashing lights you can get for night flying) to be able to broadcast the drone location. My company is small and cannot afford to just dump our perfectly good Mavic and get a new one.

Can I still fly if I don't comply with RID? That's a good question. I've mentioned before in this forum, I once tried to fly a job in a restricted air space. I DID have FAA permission, an exemption but DJI would not unlock my drone. So, I had to fly 200' lower than I needed and had permission to fly, to to get the video I needed. What's to stop DJI in late September from just flipping a switch that makes all older DJI drones without RID, inoperable? Can't or won't happen.? I don't want to bet on that when a client is willing to pay us $15,000 for a video that is supposed to have many drone shots in it and I go fly but the drone won't work with a message from DJI saying, "not RID compliant."

I agree with Drone U...let me attach something to our drone that broadcasts it's location but not my location. Hey, I live in Texas, everyone has a gun, or two or three....
 
You stated 'none of what he mentions applies to Drone pilots'. Not true!!! He is okay with broadcasting drone location, but not pilot location. That is absolutely true!
He also mentions 'in case of emergency'. He was referring to someone coming at him aggressively and maybe with a gun. Which has happened to drone pilots. I consider that an emergency.
I'm also not ok with broadcasting the pilot location. That's not a novel idea, many of us have been against this and vocal about it since the NRPM. It's an OPINION and doesn't give you the right to ignore federal aviation regulation. It's like saying I don't agree with ADS-B regulation so I'm just gonna fly in Class B without it because my opinion is that it's dangerous...

As far as the emergency thing is concerned, you can't ignore FAA regulation on the pretense it will create an emergency. The FAA says you can break some FARs DURING AN EMERGENCY (not before), and you better be ready to make your case afterward.

This video is irresponsible at best and could get RPIC in trouble if they follow this so-called advice.
 
Here's my take on this as a pilot who flies commercially for my company but owns a 4 year old Mavic 2 Pro. First, I am in a small town that does not have FRIAs. Besides, as I mentioned, I fly commercially getting aerial shots of businesses, schools or whatever I need for the videos we are producing. Second, I have yet to see any add-on devices for older drones (much like the flashing lights you can get for night flying) to be able to broadcast the drone location. My company is small and cannot afford to just dump our perfectly good Mavic and get a new one.
There are many RID Modules with FAA approval. You can find them all here: UAS Declaration of Compliance
Can I still fly if I don't comply with RID? That's a good question. I've mentioned before in this forum, I once tried to fly a job in a restricted air space. I DID have FAA permission, an exemption but DJI would not unlock my drone. So, I had to fly 200' lower than I needed and had permission to fly, to to get the video I needed. What's to stop DJI in late September from just flipping a switch that makes all older DJI drones without RID, inoperable? Can't or won't happen.?
DJI and other companies will not "flip a switch" and ground the non-compliant. Why would they? And how would they know if it's compliant or not? § 89.115 states that we have the option of an RID module, which will not be tied to the drone operating system. So how would a drone manufacturer justify bricking a perfectly legal drone? They would have some severe legal ramifications if they did that.

Not going to happen.
I don't want to bet on that when a client is willing to pay us $15,000 for a video that is supposed to have many drone shots in it and I go fly but the drone won't work with a message from DJI saying, "not RID compliant."
See above...
I agree with Drone U...let me attach something to our drone that broadcasts it's location but not my location. Hey, I live in Texas, everyone has a gun, or two or three....
That already exists, and is mandated by law. The RID module does not broadcast the pilot location. It simply broadcasts where the drone launched from.

Paul is wrong in this video. Dead wrong. And he's putting Drone U in a very precarious position. He already has a pretty poor reputation in this industry. This just makes it ever worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Torque
The drone flight won't be affected. It's up to the person flying to decide if they are compliant or not.
Coudn't DJI just keep the drone from taking off? I haven't updated the firmware on my M3P that activated RID because of that and there are some updates I would really like to have.
 
Coudn't DJI just keep the drone from taking off? I haven't updated the firmware on my M3P that activated RID because of that and there are some updates I would really like to have.
No, why would they? They'd alienate a huge part of their customer base. And it would have to be made for those drones only flown in the US. Also, how would the handle those drones that use a module.

There is nothing wrong with updating your drone, if that's your worry. And legally, you have to anyway at midnight on 9.15.23. So just do it.

DJI (or any other drone manufacturer) will not brick non-compliant drones. And the FAA isn't going to make them do that.
 
No, why would they? They'd alienate a huge part of their customer base. And it would have to be made for those drones only flown in the US. Also, how would the handle those drones that use a module.

There is nothing wrong with updating your drone, if that's your worry. And legally, you have to anyway at midnight on 9.15.23. So just do it.

DJI (or any other drone manufacturer) will not brick non-compliant drones. And the FAA isn't going to make them do that.
I haven't kept up with the RID rules but don't I need to have cell service so I can broadcast. I live in New Mexico where cell service is sketchy where I fly. I have no intention to comply but will follow most of the rules. VLOS I break almost every time. Other than that I don't fly crazy high or far and never over people. As a backup I do have an Autel which will let you fly anywhere but other than that kind of a POS. Props are in the shot and not very smooth movements.
 
I haven't kept up with the RID rules but don't I need to have cell service so I can broadcast. I live in New Mexico where cell service is sketchy where I fly. I have no intention to comply but will follow most of the rules. VLOS I break almost every time. Other than that I don't fly crazy high or far and never over people. As a backup I do have an Autel which will let you fly anywhere but other than that kind of a POS. Props are in the shot and not very smooth movements.
Cell service isn't required for RID. The drone will broadcast itself via wifi or Bluetooth. This is one of the reasons networked RID didn't make it into the Final Rule. It may be a requirement down the road for long range BVLOS though.

If you don't have a compliant drone, you'll need to get a module in order to comply. If you plan to.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
131,242
Messages
1,561,196
Members
160,193
Latest member
Pocki