New Owner - Verification Codes ?

[Honest Gaza]

Hi All. Purchased a Mavic Mini at the beginning of the Year and a little confused as to the "allowed" use of the Drone.
I don't wish to do anything illegal, just wanting to understand what is legal / illegal.

My Son is building a house at a new estate near Oran Park (Sydney). Being a vacant area, I thought it would be a good place to learn to fly. On turning on the MM with DJI Fly App, I received a warning about possibly being near an airport. The App then gave the option of seeking an Authorisation Code (don't quote me on the actual term)..and following the instructions, I then received a "Verification Code" via Text Message.

It came from TAOVIP => [DJI] Your verification code is XXXXXX, valid within 5 minutes.

I entered the code and proceeded to fly my drone around my Son's site.

After this experience (and a little research), I then downloaded the 'OpenSky' App and from what I can tell, it was just asking me to 'Fly with caution'.

Last week I was up the coast a bit (Forster), and again tried to fly my MM while no-one was around. However, once again I received a similar message about requesting an authorisation code. The 'OpenSky' App had an orange exclamation mark next to 'Heliports' and a message about landing if aircraft were operating in the area.

I would like to know what was happening and if I was doing anything wrong ? Is it standard procedure to request authorisation codes and then use these to fly my drone....or should I be shutting down the drone straight away ?

 

[slup]

What legally regulates you is the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) ... it's only them that have the authority over the Australian airspace.

With that said ... it exists a lot of 3:rd party sources (apps) that forward their info, but it can be outdated or miss vital information. So if using sources like that, be aware of that the info you see there can be wrong. This also mean that looking into different sources can show conflicting info.

What actually makes your craft not be able to take off or force you to request some sort of verification is the DJI Fly Safe map uploaded in your craft ... again a 3:rd party source, which can be wrong or not accurate enough.

The DJI fly safe map can be viewed on the web here --> Geo Zone Map - Fly Safe - DJI

 

[Meta4]

I would like to know what was happening and if I was doing anything wrong ?

Sydney has some crowded airspace and some parts of Oran Park are no-fly zones as they are in the approach/depart path for Camden Airport.
But other areas nearby are fine for flying.
This website recommended by CASA might help make it easier to see where flying is OK.

*Hint*
If you use the site at night for planning, you have to go to the clock icon on the right side of the screen and put in a daylight time or it just tells you that you can't fly anywhere

 

[Repaid1]

As mentioned DJI and it's system is what allows or doesn't allow you to fly physically, so best to check their system first.

DJI FlySafe

www.dji.com

Here is from their online site (link Above) for area you listed.

 

[Honest Gaza]

This website recommended by CASA might help make it easier to see where flying is OK.

Which Website....can't see a link ?

The 'OpenSky' App that I used was a recommendation from the CASA Website.

 

[Honest Gaza]

Thanks all for the replies. Can I assume that the 'verification codes' are a moot point and should be ignored as a process to authorise flights ?

 

[Meta4]

Which Website....can't see a link ?

The 'OpenSky' App that I used was a recommendation from the CASA Website.

Sorry ... here it is:

ok2fly

The drone app from AvSoft Australia. Fly your drone safely and with confidence.

ok2fly.com.au

 

[bushie]

Thanks all for the replies. Can I assume that the 'verification codes' are a moot point and should be ignored as a process to authorise flights ?

Absolutely. DJI have no authority to issue any form of clearance. The only ones in Australia who can do that is Air Services. You need to learn how to use one of the programs recommended by CASA and use ONLY that. Learn the different types of airspace and what it allows.

 

[Honest Gaza]

DJI have no authority to issue any form of clearance. The only ones in Australia who can do that is Air Services. You need to learn how to use one of the programs recommended by CASA and use ONLY that

Ok...that's where I'm getting confused.

The 'OpenSky' App was recommended on the CASA Website...so I thought that would be ok to use...yes ?

Additionally, I sort of froze (panicked) at the point that DJI Fly was asking about Authority Codes. If I had completely ignored this, would the App still have let me fly (assuming it was safe to do so according to 'OpenSky' or similar) ?

 

[bushie]

Ok...that's where I'm getting confused.

The 'OpenSky' App was recommended on the CASA Website...so I thought that would be ok to use...yes ?

Additionally, I sort of froze (panicked) at the point that DJI Fly was asking about Authority Codes. If I had completely ignored this, would the App still have let me fly (assuming it was safe to do so according to 'OpenSky' or similar) ?

I am not sure. Never had it happen but I normally fly in areas well away from controlled airspace.

 

[Kilrah]

Additionally, I sort of froze (panicked) at the point that DJI Fly was asking about Authority Codes. If I had completely ignored this, would the App still have let me fly (assuming it was safe to do so according to 'OpenSky' or similar) ?

No.

1) You have to check for yourself that you're allowed to fly there from official sources
2) If DJI has an authorization zone there you have to use their unlock or you can't take off.

 

[Honest Gaza]

No.

1) You have to check for yourself that you're allowed to fly there from official sources
2) If DJI has an authorization zone there you have to use their unlock or you can't take off.

So if I am understanding this correctly :

Official Source (from CASA Website) may have different outcome/interpretation than DJI Fly App...and sometimes for the better.

IF DJI FLY App says no, but the CASA Approved App indicates yes (safe to fly), then proceed with DJI Authorisation process to allow flight to occur.

Of course if CASA Approved App indicates no...then NO it is.

Is this correct ?

 

[Kilrah]

Yep.