NFZ with permission - DJI says "no"

[cderoche]

Look I don't like the NFZ's and I really don't like DJI tightening the noose with every single update, but they are just looking after their best interests because they would rather have some people flying drones in the safe spaces than no one flying drones anywhere. Not trying to defend them because personally I hate it, but that is the reason they do it.

NOW, if you think DJI is bad then your going to blow your stack when you read this one; Police Push Tracking for Civilian Drones

I guess we can thank terrorists for some of the undue panic a civilian drone can cause, although I haven't even heard much about any terrorist using drones here. I'd still be a lot more concerned about the terrorist driving the van. Ask people in London.

 

[cderoche]

alanthebeast --- check page 3 of this thread --- tried that --- doesn't actually work.

it's a shame.

Yeah planning again I see. lol

 

[Murderer]

I am happy the community discovered how to help with this even if we can't talk about it here. I used to come here daily to read about everyone's experience and suggestions for a better understanding of the aircraft. Now that I have my FW 700 with unlocked NFZ; I'm able to work in areas I previously have not which is quite a relief. (I fly primarily in vacant retail spaces)

DJI makes a great product but their practices are failing them. Look at the newest directive from the US military and most owners opinions since FW 900. I see them in the future providing a solution that leads to sales again; even if they have to do a different version for US export. (ie NTSC/PAL)

IF YOU HAVE AN UNLOCKED AIRCRAFT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, FLY RESPONSIBLY!!! Even if you suspect there are no commercial flights in your area, because "I checked"; don't make the assumption there aren't any GA aircraft in the area as well.

 

[IndianaHoosiers]

i am super-heated up right now - and either need talked off the ledge - or - a mavic pro alternative. i am a part 107 licensed UAV PIC & professional videographer. i have permission from the airport tower to fly in their restricted airspace & i cannot launch because a chinese company wants to police my movements. i've spoken to the airport director, i've spoken to the tower - and now i have sent dji an email to jump through their hoops to fly in this space.

NOT flying in this space will cost me $23,000. needless to say the mavic pro is the last dji product i will purchase. btw - all my dji stuff will likely be for sale soon ... so keep an eye out for that.


sorry for the rant -- i really AM looking for a solution

This is a 2 minute fix...that's about anyone is allowed to say on this site because the mods all consider it a "hack" even though it nothing more than using the tools that are readily available and provided by the manufacturer (for free).

 

[GP-Mavic]

This may be an ignorant question but can't you simply switch to another app like Litchi?

 

[George747]

hi bunzik. yes, thanks --- i did that --- and yes, my problem is solved. i only posted again to alert others to an issue. even if you DO follow DJI's draconian "policy" - even if you DO have permission from the tower - unless you have a tower official willing to share their credit card or drivers license with a private (state owned) chinese company - you ain't flying unless you take the above drastic measures.

it's a real shame. i love my mavic, but for all this time & trouble, i could have rented a plane.

Where do i find more info on the dji being "state owned" comment?

 

[Dkotinsky]

I just bought a P4pro for that reason. It has old firmware from December in it. I can turn off fro system. It flies perfectly and litchi work perfectly. I will never update it.

 

[Fresh_Uni]

i believe my point is valid. i have permission from the tower. i don't believe i should need permission from a private corporation to do my job with a product i purchased.

if i buy a car & drive over the speed limit --- i'll get a ticket - but my car does not, and should not regulate my speed.

You're not driving your car remotely or taking it up in the air up to 500 meters.

 

[thomashall1993]

You are 100% correct. Don't sell me an apple and later turn it into a lemon. Even if the fine print says that they can, that's a very bad business practice, to constantly change a product for the worse over and over. I know when that time comes I hope someone has a better drone I probably won't buy another DJI, unless mods are still an option. Lots of guys on this forum drank the DJI Koolaid long ago, and will defend DJI to the end. Wouldn't be surprised at all if they worked for DJI. I know DJI has bribed some guys on here to stop talking about the mods and stuff. And it worked.

If you're not from USA I can maybe understand, but most of us folks from the US kinda like our freedom, with everything. Glad the gun manufacturers aren't like that. Well, you know that 15 round Glock 9mm you bought 10 years ago, just in case someone ever does something bad with a gun, we decided here at Glock to limit you to only one round per magazine. Oh, and before you can shoot, you have to get our permission. Just tell that burglar to hold tight.

Unless you live in California or one of those other gun control law happy states.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

alanthebeast --- check page 3 of this thread --- tried that --- doesn't actually work.

it's a shame.

Hmm, I did it via my iPhone back in April in real time.... took about 5 minutes. (class G airport (closed) however).

 

[cderoche]

Where do i find more info on the dji being "state owned" comment?

It would have to come from another place besides DJI tech support lol

 

[cderoche]

Where do i find more info on the dji being "state owned" comment?

List of government-owned companies of China - Wikipedia

This is probably the "official" list provided by China. I'd love to see the unofficial list.

 

[cderoche]

You're not driving your car remotely or taking it up in the air up to 500 meters.

Right, and terrorists used vehicles to plow over people on the London Bridge recently. Those were driven by people in the driver's seat. I'd rather be hit by a 1 lb drone than a 12,000 lb box truck.

 

[cderoche]

This is interesting....

A quote from Wikipedia


"On August 2017, United States Army banned using DJI drones and parts in army for security reasons.[5]"
DJI (company) - Wikipedia

See why here:
Army issues ban on DJI, Chinese drone maker, over cyber risks
A quote from the US Army:

"Security concerns pertaining to its products have persisted last year, however, after it was reported that DJI drones were surreptitiously sharing flight data with Chinese authorities."

Guess our US military doesn't trust them either.

Oh and I suppose that answers the other guy's question about whether or not DJI is Chinese state owned. Whatever semantics and wordplay you want to use, sounds like their at least in Big China's pocket for whatever.

 

[BigMic]

i believe my point is valid. i have permission from the tower. i don't believe i should need permission from a private corporation to do my job with a product i purchased.

if i buy a car & drive over the speed limit --- i'll get a ticket - but my car does not, and should not regulate my speed.

The tower can not grant you permission!
They can only acknowledge your presence and help you and other aircraft avoid each other.
Think of them more like the police officer guarding restricted area. Thye can not give you permission to enter. You must have "airspace authorization" granted by the FAA via their web portal, prior to to you flight. You submit your request on their website and receive authorization a few day later. Once you have this you can submit it to DJI and they will lift the NFZ. This has been my experience. As a part 107 UAS pilot you should know this information. Or hire a real commercial pilot to do this part of your $23,000 job!

I do work inside class C airspace fairly regularly and have had no issue when I go through the proper protocols. Best of luck to you.

 

[Riteguy]

You know the limitations before buying. I also find it hard to believe a professional videographer would use a mavic.
Countless idiots were and are routinely ignoring no fly zones and other rules. This means DJI has to police it or regulation will be far far stricter.
Nobody forced you to buy DJI and nobody is forcing you to use DJI. You agreed to their terms and conditions.

So we punish the good people along with the bad? Not a good answer...

 

[frogs]

I can't tell just yet if this is a 'handwriting on the wall' moment or not. A p______ match between the US and DJI will not go well for me as an owner of a Mavic. I'm thinking about what to do to protect my investment. I wonder about downloading the re-flash programs mentioned (I followed the many internet links to articles this week after the WT piece) just to maybe save one operating system as backup but not convert. I worry if DJI withdraws support nothing will fly. Stop looking where the drone went, follow the money

 

[csbrown]

I have a Mavic and a Spark. I live 1+ miles from a hospital. Until the last update, I was in a "yellow zone". I had to agree to their warning every day or so. Very annoying. Not a problem now, for some reason I am now in a red zone and can't fly in my own backyard! I filed my exception request and have yet to hear back.

But here is the funny thing. I work in Information Security and keep up with all things hacker related. DJI just got nabbed for installing software which appears to allow an update without the user's permission. They didn't explain why it was there, but they say they are removing it. Also, an Information Security Analyst has proof that encrypted data is being sent back to China. The reason is also unknown. This is the hypocrisy I see every day from Russia and China. They claim all good intentions as a smoke screen for other things.

BTW: I was Head of Information Security for Kaspersky Labs .... ;-)

 

[csbrown]

So we punish the good people along with the bad? Not a good answer...

Yeah, I knew the limitations. I had a Spark that I used to hover over my pond and take photos. I was in a yellow zone. I bought a Mavic and before I got to try it, my zone was changed to red. Now, neither will take off. I support No-Fly zones, people do dumb things. But unless tectonic plates are shifting and my house was moved closer to the hospital, someone has made a mistake.

The question is this, do all companies use the same coordinates and boundaries for no fly zones? What you want is the drone with the most accurate location detection. I would guess that drone manufacturer of less expensive drones would have to add some number as a safety for margin of error.

 

[rodolpholemos]

I think that you're targeting the wrong people... Government and military are grounding your drone, not the company that makes and sells it. Any company that would want to sell their products to any country must follow their rules, or they may be banned from there. Banks, online shops, aviation companies, you and your pets (or who have pets) must follow government rules. If you're not satisfied with the rules, do something to change them. Go after the politician that can help you, go to the television, make your case and try to change. There is too much new advanced technology nowadays and its perverted use makes everybody afraid of its capacity to harm people. This, unfortunately, leads us to forbidden everything until we can find a way to control the damages that could be caused by them. The technology is evolving much faster than our capacity to deal with them. That's just my point... I'm sure there are plenty of another points.