Looking, No Joy. What Do I Need to Fly a Mavic Pro in a NFZ???

Khaos13 · Apr 17, 2021

I've searched these forums but can't seem to find a solution. I updated the firmware on my Mavic Pro by mistake. I was flying the drone for the first after 3 years of ownership. Neither my brother or I could ever get it to fly. We shipped it back and forth from Florida to NH to try to get it to work. Back in March I charged everything up and sat on my front step and tried it. It fired up! It flew! I was amazed! My eyes are that good but the controller kept asking me questions about restricted areas, etc. and I kept hitting "Ignore". I flew it about 2.5 hours and crashed it into some tree branches and it damaged the gimbal. The camera still worked, the image was clear, but I couldn't calibrate or control the gimbal. BUT IT STILL FLEW! That's when I screwed the pooch:

I uploaded the latest firmware (I think), V01.04.0500. After that, when I tried to fire it up, the controller said NFZ. I used Assistant 2 to go back to the earliest firmware I could, V01.04.0100 from 2017-12-15. No luck. Still NFZ.

Admittedly, I live within 3 miles of FLL, an international airport and Class C airspace.

Obviously, I'm new here and not well versed in drone culture. But I really like it!!!
What can I do to get flying again? NLD? Litchi?
I'll fix the gimbal later.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer. Right now it a $1000 paperweight.

sar104 · Apr 17, 2021

Independent of the DJI NFZ issue, it is illegal to fly in Class C airspace without authorization. If you are not in one of the zero altitude grids (see figure below) then you can get authorization via LAANC and fly legally by self-authorizing in the DJI flysafe system. If you are in a zero altitude grid then you will not be able to get authorization for recreational flight via LAANC.

Khaos13 · Apr 17, 2021

Roger that... zero feet grid. Can't get authorization. I just want to make it fly. 20 foot altitude, 100 foot distance. I KNOW it breaks the rules, but that should be MY decision. I had more freedom when I owned my own airplane and flew out of the same airport. There's got to be a way. Does NLD work?

sar104 · Apr 17, 2021

Khaos13 said:
Roger that... zero feet grid. Can't get authorization. I just want to make it fly. 20 foot altitude, 100 foot distance. I KNOW it breaks the rules, but that should be MY decision. I had more freedom when I owned my own airplane and flew out of the same airport. There's got to be a way. Does NLD work?

Since you are a pilot I suggest you call your local FSDO and ask them how best to break the law. Obviously that should be your decision, just like it was when you were flying a manned aircraft¡

Rich QR · Apr 17, 2021

Khaos13 said:
Roger that... zero feet grid. Can't get authorization. I just want to make it fly. 20 foot altitude, 100 foot distance. I KNOW it breaks the rules, but that should be MY decision. I had more freedom when I owned my own airplane and flew out of the same airport. There's got to be a way. Does NLD work?

Fly indoors. The FAA doesn't have jurisdiction over indoor airspace, so it's not against the rules. GPS will probably be blocked by the building, so it's unlikely to know about the restricted airspace.

Caution: be sure you're in a well-lighted area, and do NOT ignore any warnings or cautions. Your drone needs either visual positioning or GPS to maintain an automatic stable hover. It will lose GPS indoors. If it loses visual positioning, it will become much more difficult to handle, and a crash is a likely result.

ckoerner · Apr 17, 2021

OP, could you travel the distance to outside the zero altitude zone and fly?

CactusJackSlade · Apr 18, 2021

Khaos13 said:
Roger that... zero feet grid. Can't get authorization. I just want to make it fly. 20 foot altitude, 100 foot distance. I KNOW it breaks the rules, but that should be MY decision. I had more freedom when I owned my own airplane and flew out of the same airport. There's got to be a way. Does NLD work?

Sorry Khos13, although I understand your frustration but you are probably not going to get much info/sympathy here to break the law. What if you had a fly-away (I know they are very rare, but can happen) what would you tell the FAA? If you are hell bent on flying in a NFZ in your back yard you will need to get a different brand of drone that does not have geofencing.

Alex Baxter · Apr 18, 2021

Pardon me Khaos13, but you appear to have a very nonchalant attitude, did you fly your aircraft the same way?

Ralph thompson · Apr 18, 2021

Unfortunately, when u say “but that should be MY decision” it means u don’t understand the law, rather worrying since one assumes u have a license to fly yr drone. Although the law is intended to protect u, which may not bother u, but the law is also to protect other people from injury and property damage. So maybe u should be considerate to others & not operate yr drone in a no fly zone. I often operate in restricted areas with authorization from the authorities and with my $2m liability insurance, registered drone & operators license as collateral.

Dave Maine · Apr 18, 2021

No sympathy here. The rules are for everybody’s benefit. Get over it.

Dale D · Apr 18, 2021

sar104 said:
Independent of the DJI NFZ issue, it is illegal to fly in Class C airspace without authorization. If you are not in one of the zero altitude grids (see figure below) then you can get authorization via LAANC and fly legally by self-authorizing in the DJI flysafe system. If you are in a zero altitude grid then you will not be able to get authorization for recreational flight via LAANC.

View attachment 127615

Did you try to drive out of the no fly zone? Try a trip west out to Everglades area. I know that I was successful in getting the drone up about 65 feet within sight of FLL landing planes at the Guitar Hotel Hard Rock Hotel.

Dale
Miami

sar104 · Apr 18, 2021

Dale D said:
Did you try to drive out of the no fly zone? Try a trip west out to Everglades area. I know that I was successful in getting the drone up about 65 feet within sight of FLL landing planes at the Guitar Hotel Hard Rock Hotel.

Dale
Miami

The hotel is in a 100 ft grid, SW of KFLL, so that checks out...

Dale D · Apr 18, 2021

sar104 said:
The hotel is in a 100 ft grid, SW of KFLL, so that checks out...

View attachment 127635

Here is a 2.4 minute film taken from the Mac Donald's across the street. I could see FLL planes landing, but I only went up 64 feet.

Drbobk · Apr 18, 2021

Dale D said:
Here is a 2.4 minute film taken from the Mac Donald's across the street. I could see FLL planes landing, but I only went up 64 feet.

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Nice!

BigAl07 · Apr 18, 2021

Khaos13 said:
Roger that... zero feet grid. Can't get authorization. I just want to make it fly. 20 foot altitude, 100 foot distance. I KNOW it breaks the rules, but that should be MY decision. I had more freedom when I owned my own airplane and flew out of the same airport. There's got to be a way. Does NLD work?

Very interesting attitude and BRAVO for making such a bold statement on a public forum. I gotta say that's brilliant!!

Good luck with your endeavors and I sincerely hope you have a significant change of heart about your attitude. From a supposedly Aviator I would expect more but nothing surprises me in this day and time.

I look forward to hearing how your local FSDO reacts to your request on how best to bust the FARs with your UAS.

Here's the contact info to make it easier for you to reach out to them and share your rather "interesting" request:

South Florida FSDO-Contact the Office

www.faa.gov

South Florida FSDO-Contact the Office

Address:
2895 SW 145 AVE
Suite 120
Miramar, Florida 33027

Phone: (954) 641-6000
Email the Office
Fax: (954) 641-6040

Khaos13 · Apr 20, 2021

My car's supposed to be able to go 140 mph. I don't drive that fast but here in Florida 80 mph on the highway is the norm. Is it legal? People go out to dinner, or happy hour, drink wine or whatever and drive home. Is it legal? In a real airplane I'm only certified for VFR flight. Can I fly into clouds? My airplane had a max gross weight and CG limits. Can I carry an obese passenger in the back seat? Can he give me $100 for fuel? Sure. Is it legal? Can I fill my fuel tanks? Of course. But is it legal?
Can I fly my drone under the trees in my backyard? Absolutely not!!

sar104 · Apr 20, 2021

Khaos13 said:
My car's supposed to be able to go 140 mph. I don't drive that fast but here in Florida 80 mph on the highway is the norm. Is it legal? People go out to dinner, or happy hour, drink wine or whatever and drive home. Is it legal? In a real airplane I'm only certified for VFR flight. Can I fly into clouds? My airplane had a max gross weight and CG limits. Can I carry an obese passenger in the back seat? Can I fill my fuel tanks? Of course. But is it legal?
Can I fly my drone under the trees in my backyard? Absolutely not!

Are you saying that since you habitually break speed limits, drive under the influence, fly in IMC without being IFR-certified, and ignore your aircrafts operating limits, then you should be able to break the sUAS laws too?

Or did I misunderstand your post?

Conservative Nihilist · Apr 20, 2021

Chaos Theory13, I like your world view. Some associates of mine in the Sinaloa area of Mexico are looking for a few good pilots like you who understand that all laws are inherently subject to individual interpretation. You will be paid handsomely per successful trip across the border, but we will of course require details of all your living relatives and offspring, simply as an insurance policy just in case you forget the code of silence in the event that you are forced to land by a Coast Guard Blackhawk. Meet me at the strip club over on 6th and Main, to seal the deal.

Khaos13 · Apr 20, 2021

I never said that I break the law. I'm firmly believe in law and order. All I'm saying is that it is and always has been my choice to follow the rules. I'd love to hear your views on gun control. Maybe we could just geo fence everywhere but the gun range? Funny, I've got a friend from Mazatlan (Sinaloa) staying at my house right now. He's a USCG licensed captain as am I. Rules? Laws? You have NO idea.