Let this guy know how misleading he is...

[BigAl07]

Better than no arbiter at all. By that I mean not checking official sources at all.
Flysafe database often includes TFRs if the TFR is published far enough in advance. I'm sure many of us are guilty of overlooking those. I don't think Airmap or Kittyhawk account for those.

I can't say for Airmap but Kittyhawk definitely DOES! Unfortunately it's a "Layer" that can be turned OFF but by default TFR's are ON. Kittyhawk does a great job of giving the UAS operator more than enough information to make a Go, No-Go decision fairly quickly and easily.

Understanding TFRs & UAS Operations Aloft

Kittyhawk provides the different types of TFRs, how TFRs affect drone operations, & how to minimize inconvenience while flying safely & compliantly.

kittyhawk.io

 

[DanMan32]

I guess I should switch to KH, particularly now hearing about AM authorization issues. There was an aspect of AM that I preferred than with KM but can't quite remember. I think it was how the facility map grids looked.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

I don't have 30 minutes to listen to this video. Where does he say this? I have no problem reaching out to him, but I do want to assume.

Here is the link to that part of the video. I did leave a comment that he might reiterate about "fly wherever you want" even though he says in the same sentence that it's up to the pilot to be responsible.... my issue is, when that kid gets his new drone for Christmas and they take it out, most likely they will not have a clue as to rules/reg's. Generally his videos seem pretty good.

 

[Gr8fulTed]

I watched his videos extensively before I bought my first drone... which was a bust. What he does not say in any of the videos that I watched that, with many brands/models if you break it there is nowhere in the US to repair it and it either gets shipped to China for $50-$60 US, not including return shipping if required plus the cost of repairs, not to mention the huge amount of time you'll be without a drone as it crosses the Pacific- twice.

My experience with drone repair is quite different. When I contacted DJI a few years ago for some repair work on the drone I had back then, they directed me to a guy who does stellar work on them that was in the major metropolitain area closest to me. Worked out great!

 

[Skybuyer]

My experience with drone repair is quite different. When I contacted DJI a few years ago for some repair work on the drone I had back then, they directed me to a guy who does stellar work on them that was in the major metropolitain area closest to me. Worked out great!

Perhaps I wasn't clear in stating my point. There are a lot of places that can repair drones IF THEY HAVE THE PARTS. The problem is that the parts for many of these cheap Chinese drones don't exist outside of China. DJI is an exception because parts are readily available for private repair facilities in the US and elsewhere.

 

[shb]

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Check out the reviews by “Captain Drone”, who is telling viewers that certain drone models have “no flight restrictions” or “you can fly this wherever you want”. Further, he disses DJI because they have drones that won’t allow you to take off. I’ve already given him my two cents worth. Join me in letting CaptainDrone how wrong he is. He should not be spreading wrong info to anyone, most especially those new to the hobby.

Are you the Brian that commented on his video? I just started watching the video. When he says the zino has no flight restrictions, he means built into it's software. Not that it isn't subject to the laws where you are flying it.

 

[socaldronezone]

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Check out the reviews by “Captain Drone”, who is telling viewers that certain drone models have “no flight restrictions” or “you can fly this wherever you want”. Further, he disses DJI because they have drones that won’t allow you to take off. I’ve already given him my two cents worth. Join me in letting CaptainDrone how wrong he is. He should not be spreading wrong info to anyone, most especially those new to the hobby.

I don't think he's trying to communicate people should fly wherever they want. To me, it seems like he's only comparing features & functionality. In that sense, it is true the Skydio 2 may be launched from any location - whether its restricted or not is a different topic. He's merely making the point that it can be done. I see your point as well for new pilots flying in places they shouldn't - but I don't think his video is about what people should or shouldn't do - rules/ethics, etc...
It is also true that DJI has geofencing and won't allow for takeoff without prior authorization/unlocking and even if unlocking/authorization is granted, there are reported cases of the drone still not taking off.

It's important to separate functions/features from behavior. Ultimately, every new pilot is responsible for their actions and it's on them to familiarize themselves with the rules.

 

[Ben Anderson]

MA2 is my first and only drone. I was glad for the geo fencing on two recent occasions. In one I arrived at night at a hotel and decided to fly in the morning. DJI said No and when I looked at the map I was just off the departure end of a lightly used municipal airport. In another location DJI said it was an Enhanced Warning Zone and I had to click OK. But when I looked at B4UFly I was required to apply for an automatic LAANC. I have a PPL and have no interest in flying my drone anywhere near aircraft. Although not perfect, geo fencing is helpful for everyone, but especially those who don't understand the NAS.

 

[Dizzy1971]

Which is perfectly correct, those drones don't prevent you from doing so.
Doesn't mean you're allowed to, just that they're not going to prevent you.

It's totally relevant given that when the drone has mechanisms to prevent you from flying it always also gets some things wrong and doesn't let you fly in zones where you're actually allowed to.

You make a good point, DJI maps are awfully inaccurate when it comes to no fly zones. Where I live,I’m always getting warnings about no fly when I’m flying out in the foothills. In Alberta we have PLUAs public land use areas, where we can basically do whatever outdoor activity we want as long as we’re Not infringing on other folks ...anyways,DJI is always warning I can’t fly there and I know for a fact that I can. It’s just irritating. DJI being Wrong about their geofencing is just stupidity. If they can’t get it right then they shouldn’t have it.

 

[Pryllwyd]

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Check out the reviews by “Captain Drone”, who is telling viewers that certain drone models have “no flight restrictions” or “you can fly this wherever you want”. Further, he disses DJI because they have drones that won’t allow you to take off. I’ve already given him my two cents worth. Join me in letting CaptainDrone how wrong he is. He should not be spreading wrong info to anyone, most especially those new to the hobby.

A lot of the drones he has reviewed recently are cheap Chinese nock offs that are more like TOYS which don’t have restrictions maybe ?

 

[Macinfo]

You make a good point, DJI maps are awfully inaccurate when it comes to no fly zones. Where I live,I’m always getting warnings about no fly when I’m flying out in the foothills. In Alberta we have PLUAs public land use areas, where we can basically do whatever outdoor activity we want as long as we’re Not infringing on other folks ...anyways,DJI is always warning I can’t fly there and I know for a fact that I can. It’s just irritating. DJI being Wrong about their geofencing is just stupidity. If they can’t get it right then they shouldn’t have it.

The maps are probably the one's built into your devices, the restriction data that DJI may provide, may also be from some other source... So not sure if blaming DJI will really solve anything. Could be wrong. All DJI probably does is incorporate the restriction data to keep you and others safe and to follow laws or ordinances.

Not sure why the area you are saying is super safe to fly is being flagged, do other apps like Kittyhawk or AirMap show those areas as clear?

Ultimately. this thread was more or less about drones that don't have to follow the rules and a YouTuber that perhaps some feel did not editorialize enough as to the seriousness of flying where you should not just because you can.

DJI for good or bad, tries to prevent you from flying in places you should not, and lets you ask permission if its possible. Not sure what else they can do. As I noted, there are other apps you can check to see if your are flying in places that are restricted and you don't think they are. If the data is indeed wrong, then perhaps you need to find out how that can be fixed.

 

[GH02050]

I personally could care less what anyone says on their youtube channel. Relax, & go fly your choice of bird.

 

[dougiefresh27]

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Check out the reviews by “Captain Drone”, who is telling viewers that certain drone models have “no flight restrictions” or “you can fly this wherever you want”. Further, he disses DJI because they have drones that won’t allow you to take off. I’ve already given him my two cents worth. Join me in letting CaptainDrone how wrong he is. He should not be spreading wrong info to anyone, most especially those new to the hobby.

I didn't have 36 minutes to listen to see if he says that but the "no flight restrictions" probably relates to non DJI type drones that don't have the hardware or software to identify geofences, NFZ's and so on. I have always found Steve to be very good and accurate but would be interested what he says to your comments.

 

[DrBoost]

I don't think he's misleading at all. And the lack of restrictions built into Autel drones is what drove me to sell my Mavic and get an Evo. Best drone move I ever made. Autel will warn you that you are in restricted air space. You have to acknowledge that through the app.
After that Autel leaves the responsibility for the flight where it belongs, on the pilot. DJI is the only company that is more controlling of the product that YOU OWN than Apple is.
I own a Phantom 4 Pro and use that for certain jobs where I can't use the EVO. Here's a fairly typical experience:
I had a job to fly in Class C airspace.
I filed for a waiver with the FAA and got the waiver.
I arrived on site and contacted the tower. They reviewed my flight plan, verified my waiver, and gave me the go ahead.
(This is where, had I been using my EVO I would have put the sticks in and down and started my mission).
The P4P would not take off because I was in class C airspace.
The app would not accept my information to unlock MY drone.
I spent the next 45 minutes on the phone with DJI customer service to get them to unlock MY drone. To be clear, I spent 45 minutes trying to get a chinese company to unlock MY drone so I could fly in United States airspace because DJI wouldn't authorize ME to fly MY drone after the FAA AND the team in the tower gave me authorization to be in that air space. The airspace that the Chinese do not have jurisdiction or control over.
That is where DJI oversteps their bounds. They do not control the airspace, and should not control the drone that I OWN.

 

[DoomMeister]

Better than no arbiter at all. By that I mean not checking official sources at all.
Flysafe database often includes TFRs if the TFR is published far enough in advance. I'm sure many of us are guilty of overlooking those. I don't think Airmap or Kittyhawk account for those.

I know AirMap does show TFR’s. I see them all the time in FL when Mar a Lago is inhabited by POTUS.

Get the same prior to launches at the Cape and sports events at stadiums.

 

[Richiebricker]

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Check out the reviews by “Captain Drone”, who is telling viewers that certain drone models have “no flight restrictions” or “you can fly this wherever you want”. Further, he disses DJI because they have drones that won’t allow you to take off. I’ve already given him my two cents worth. Join me in letting CaptainDrone how wrong he is. He should not be spreading wrong info to anyone, most especially those new to the hobby.

Cheaper drones, like under $500 almost always let ya start em up anywhere cuz they dont have that kind of comunications. There are big parts of Los Angeles where DJI wont fly because of the Airport(s). I see on this forum from time to time LA peeps upset they cant fly there new $1200 drone. So hes not dissen DJI but rather giving the info we need when making these important purchases and is always recomending DJI. His review of the Mavic Air convinced me and I bought one. I think he owns almost every DJI drone and still films with an Inspire.
I dont see what the wrong info is?

 

[DanMan32]

For me it was just the initial wording which could have been improved. I'm sure the impression one might get from it was unintentional.

 

[CaptSheffield]

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Check out the reviews by “Captain Drone”, who is telling viewers that certain drone models have “no flight restrictions” or “you can fly this wherever you want”. Further, he disses DJI because they have drones that won’t allow you to take off. I’ve already given him my two cents worth. Join me in letting CaptainDrone how wrong he is. He should not be spreading wrong info to anyone, most especially those new to the hobby.

Do you remember which video it was? He's usually very good about things and I can't imagine him encouraging ppl to flout the laws.

 

[shaneb50]

I like Captain Drone [emoji106][emoji846] he does a great job and he has very helpful information and makes good reviews. He knows there are places and laws that prevent drones from flying.etc.

 

[Papabri]

I like Captain Drone [emoji106][emoji846] he does a great job and he has very helpful information and makes good reviews. He knows there are places and laws that prevent drones from flying.etc.

Of course. The problem is when he makes statements like, "You can fly this wherever you want to", and a beginner hears that, the beginner is likely do do just that - fly it wherever he wants to - and that can end up getting him in hot water and causing an unnecessary detriment to the public's acceptance of drones in general.