Would someone please explain how to work around the DJI NFZ confusion?

[SNTDENIS]

I have flown a MP for years and have enjoyed the hell out of it; however, the fun is being drained away due to the unpredictable and, obviously, unavoidable DJI NFZ. I was driving along miles and miles of cow pastures and came across a beautiful meadow with a spectacular sunset about to happen. I was not within 20 miles of an airport or government safe house or a large group of people or area 52 or POTUS, but I was not allowed to take off due to a nfz.

Would someone please explain why I can get Clearance to fly near my house 5 miles from Tampa airport but not over cow dung in a remote meadow? Also, what can I do on the spot to work around these restrictions?

Thank you sincerely,

Denis(Soon to be an ex dji customer)

 

[Starz]

Good reason to look to the hack thread. I’ve been fortunate to have not been in your situation, but I’m sure it will happen soon enough.
Hope all works out in whatever direction you go.

 

[sar104]

I have flown a MP for years and have enjoyed the **** out of it; however, the fun is being drained away due to the unpredictable and, obviously, unavoidable DJI NFZ. I was driving along miles and miles of cow pastures and came across a beautiful meadow with a spectacular sunset about to happen. I was not within 20 miles of an airport or government safe house or a large group of people or area 52 or POTUS, but I was not allowed to take off due to a nfz.

Would someone please explain why I can get Clearance to fly near my house 5 miles from Tampa airport but not over cow dung in a remote meadow? Also, what can I do on the spot to work around these !!$%^^%$$***&&^&%%$ restrictions?

Thank you sincerely,

Denis(Soon to be an ex dji customer)

Not without knowing the location.

 

[Mr. Salty]

First I'd be curious why DJI would be telling you you were in an NFZ if you weren't. Can you share more details of where you were flying so we can look it up on DJI's GEO map to see what the problem was to begin with?

 

[brett8883]

I had this issue for the first time ever yesterday. I was flying along in a place I fly all the time. Yes I was high but I do this in this one place because it’s a narrow canyon with mountains on each side that are 5000’ above where I am on each side. I stay within 400’ of the walls and you can’t prove I was out of VLOS but anyway back to the story.



I was flying minding my own business and I get a message “ In NFZ auto-landing in 15...14...13... counts all the way down and then forces me into an auto-land that I could not cancel. It’s a good thing I was up as high as I was and I was able to get back.

You see me go out flying causally and I suddenly make a beeline back to home. That’s when I got the message and here is the moment it forces me into auto-land. You can see I’m in an auto-land not yet all the way back home with 41% battery left. I think that shows I wouldn’t have done this if my own free will.

It actually locked me out and I had to use Litchi to get her back up. Pissed me off like you wouldn’t believe. Made me miss a great sunset. Will be rooting later tonight and freeing myself from this Chinese leash.

At any rate anybody know what happened here? Anybody have this happen? There are no airports anywhere around as it’s an airplane death trap. Sorry @SNTDENIS I don’t mean to hijack your thread but maybe this will help you too.

 

[AMann]

You were flying into the Twin Peaks Wilderness Area east of Sandy, UT. I didn’t know it would shut you down like that, but be happy, the fines for doing it could have been much worse. Use sectional maps, or a site like VFRMap to check your location before flying- B4UFly does not always help.

 

[brett8883]

Were you east of Sandy, Ut? If so, you were flying into a wilderness area. Didn’t know it would shut you down like that, but be happy, the fines for doing it could have been much worse.
View attachment 65123

I appreciate you looking into this but inside that Canyon isn’t a Wilderness area. This is called Little Cottonwood Canyon and it’s a major recreational area. They have camp grounds, backcountry skiing and there are hiking trails all over the place. I overlaid my flight (crudely) onto your map and you can see the wilderness area ends at the top of those ridges and then starts again at the top of the other side.
I’ve set my home point in green, roughly my flight in blue and where I got the alert in red. I know it looks close but I think this map makes things look smaller then they are.

The dark brown is wilderness and the light brown is National forest land correct?

 

[AMann]

No, your plot is clearly in it just north of the canyon bottom. Your Mavic knew where it was

ArcGIS Web Application

 

[AMann]

The blue polygon with dots inside the lines is the wilderness boundary. Forest Service lands can be wilderness areas too.

 

[BerndM]

To avoid all the DJI NANNY garbage, several of my friends have purchased the Autel EVO.
No NFZ restrictions whatsoever. Period. And they say the EVO compares neck and neck with the Mavic Pro (1)
I still have an old DJI F450 with the NAZA FC and it doesn't know anything about NFZ's either.

 

[sar104]

The blue polygon with dots inside the lines is the wilderness boundary. Forest Service lands can be wilderness areas too.

The only problem is that wilderness areas are not NFZs in DJIs GEO system.

 

[AMann]

To avoid all the DJI NANNY garbage, several of my friends have purchased the Autel EVO.
No NFZ restrictions whatsoever. Period. And they say the EVO compares neck and neck with the Mavic Pro (1)
I still have an old DJI F450 with the NAZA FC and it doesn't know anything about NFZ's either.

Hope its worth it.

Anyways, OP- ignoring the illegal flying suggestions, this link helped keep me from doing the same mistake:

VFRMAP - Digital Aeronautical Charts

Also try Airmap app, it’s pretty good.

 

[AMann]

The only problem is that wilderness areas are not NFZs in DJIs GEO system.

Huh, like I said, I didn’t know they would do that, just noticed he was flying in it. Ok, carry on with other ideas...

 

[brett8883]

No, your plot is clearly in it just north of the canyon bottom. Your Mavic knew where it was

ArcGIS Web Application
View attachment 65129
View attachment 65130
View attachment 65131

Huh so I just clipped it? Interesting. Thanks for taking the time to look that up.

What I don’t get though is I use the B4UFly app which the FAA says is “the most up to date and best place to check if it’s ok to fly” and nothing on there. Says it’s class G airspace.

 

[BerndM]

It's one thing when our government types impose rules and restrictions on us but who gives DJI the right to stick their noses into something that they have zero authority to do.
So many of DJI's NFZs are NOT regarded as such by the FAA.
Imagine the outcry if the big auto makers decided, on their own, to limit all cars to an 85 mph speed limit.

 

[AMann]

I know, I was using B4UFly and flew in MOA’s out here in the desert

 

[brett8883]

Hope its worth it.

Anyways, OP- ignoring the illegal flying suggestions, this link helped keep me from doing the same mistake:

VFRMAP - Digital Aeronautical Charts

Also try Airmap app, it’s pretty good.

Thanks that’s a good resource, just bookmarked it. Now just have to learn what all this means

 

[brett8883]

It's one thing when our government types impose rules and restrictions on us but who gives DJI the right to stick their noses into something that they have zero authority to do.
So many of DJI's NFZs are NOT regarded as such by the FAA.
Imagine the outcry if the big auto makers decided, on their own, to limit all cars to an 85 mph speed limit.

I agree this is America, not China.

 

[AMann]

Thanks that’s a good resource, just bookmarked it. Now just have to learn what all this means

No problem, but according to what @sar104 just posted, that may not have been the issue. Perhaps you should upload the data file for them to see what happened in case there’s something faulty with it.

 

[sar104]

It's one thing when our government types impose rules and restrictions on us but who gives DJI the right to stick their noses into something that they have zero authority to do.
So many of DJI's NFZs are NOT regarded as such by the FAA.
Imagine the outcry if the big auto makers decided, on their own, to limit all cars to an 85 mph speed limit.

Yes - what would happen if cars had limiters?