I am looking to buy a drone and I am thinking about the Mavic Pro, but when I read around many people say it's capped at 4-500 meters. This does not fit my demand when buying a drone, because I am going for the skies. Can you remove this cap or is it even a cap there?

You're serious?

I think that you better read up on EU and Norway drone laws.  

then dont waste your time on DJI drone.

Get a plane and fly around!

it is jackasses like you that pose a danger. If you want to go for the skies as you say, go to flight school and learn how to fly a real airplane.

Why is everyone reacting so rudly. Maybe the guy is climbing a really high mountain and wants to fly his drone from the peak. You guys need to relax lol

Asainz320 Posted at 2017-7-11 21:35
Why is everyone reacting so rudly. Maybe the guy is climbing a really high mountain and wants to fly his drone from the peak. You guys need to relax lol

and he can do that without a problem.

Asainz320 Posted at 2017-7-11 21:35
Why is everyone reacting so rudly. Maybe the guy is climbing a really high mountain and wants to fly his drone from the peak. You guys need to relax lol

+1 on why is everyone being so rude.

Yes, remind him about European rules and guidelines for sure, no need to be an a** about it.

But.... max height if from take off, not sea level. So if you take off 600m up a mountain your max height is from there. So you may reach 720m above sea level but still only be legal as you are still only 120m above ground (regarded as legal limit in most countries I believe?)

I don't think anyone is being rude. You CAN reach greater heights, and some YouTube videos show how it's done. The subtle point that those nasty RUDE posters are making is, "WHY?". Frankly, once you get into the lofty clouds, you'll have expended so much battery, you'll have to come back down. There's less air up there, so your props will have to work harder to get there, hence your battery's limitation. The other point is, all you'll see up there are clouds, the first layer probably, and then what? No scenery, no birds, and maybe, just maybe, your drone will collide with an airplane, because you don't see it in time, and you are going too slow to get out of the way, and in the process endanger people's lives, and giving the activity more negative press. So, to the reactive, and over-sensitive naysayers, the OP asked a dumb and immature question, so he needs to give his head a shake, which is what they did...

Why would like to fly higher than legal limits? I just don't get it...

The aircraft will fly to a max altitude of 500m from the altitude you took off from, though there is an upper limit of 5000m above sea level. This information can be found on the DJI Mavic Pro page under Specifications: http://www.dji.com/mavic/info#specs

There are certain applications where it is not against the law to fly higher than 500m. One would be to fly up a 3000m mountain. As in most countries you are allowed to fly 100m above ground you would not be breaking any rules, if you flew up the mountain. However with a 500m limit this is only possible in a limited way.

OP seems to have other scenarios in mind though.

if this is a serious post then I don't think a Mavic is what you need.  With the correct permissions, permits and qualifications you MAY be legal and safe to do this but I would not use a Mavic for regular use over 500m (take off alt.)
Chances are you will get up to 300m the wind will be 4 times at ground level and whisk you drone miles away in a couple of seconds.   I had a worrying few moments the other day when gusts at 100m started pushing my Mavic backwards in sport mode at full wack, I can only imagine what it would be like at 500m.

If you are serious about filming over 500m then there are plenty of better ways of doing this than a Mavic but many of them are not unmanned.

Here, where I live is a mountain place. Another day I took off at an altitude of 1333 meters. Ten meters higher than the ground the wind is “crashing” my Mavic. It is impossible to maintain control all the time.
So, if you are serious about your purposes, I do believe you should listen to these guys here, very carefully. Even the rude ones.
Cheers.

You meant flying from your current position that is at an altitude higher than 500m? The Mavic will not care, you can even take off from an altitude relative to sea level of 2000m and up.

Your flight "ceiling" is limited and softcoded to 500m max tho.

This limit of 500 meters removing very easy and free.
Also you can activate force FCC mode for your Mavic in Europe.
But breaking the height limit is not safe

You can fly the Mavic pretty high. The Mavic has been flown abover Everest basecamp which is 18,000+ feet. I have flown well over 14,000 feet here in Colorado.

That  500 meters limit is over take of elevation f (and can be removed if you do some searching, although I'd advise against that).

Ok thats a good point, the 500m limit is from the take off height and not sea level. Maybe this is something we could have explained to the OP before "ASSUMING" he wants to break the law. Lets try to keep the forums educational instead of insulting the people that come here for help. If the intention was indeed to break the law lets explain why it is such a bad idea to do so. Lets point out the consequences of breaking these laws that are set in place for a reason. There's no need to be so aggressive towards someone new that doesn't know about the hobby. We can try to teach others so we can all have a great time flying. The way I see it is that if any time someone has a question that we know is breaking a law and we start barking at them for not knowing (there was a point we didn't know as well), then people will simply stop coming to the forums for advice and will definitely fly without having a better knowledge of the laws. Just my two cents.

Reality is Mavic is capable of flying as high as 4.1 miles, however there is a limiter on Mavic at 500 meters, your countries height limit is likely to be 120 meters.

If your intention is to fly higher than 500 meters unless you have your authorities permission, then all I can say is your a fool, and reason people might be discourteous to you is mainly the fact that your question sounds outrageous is lacking in information, and it just sounds like some cowboy trying to have a laugh and take the pi*s.

500m is from your home point (the point from where you start to fly) ...so you dont need to be worry on that ...you can go  and ski...

Looks like a troll post to me, wanting a reaction from people and to all the naysayers regarding telling this guy off I don't agree with you one bit, I am actually heartened by everyone's attitude regarding doing the wrong thing! it's the sort of attitude we all need to have to idiots doing things wrong or asking stupid questions and making statements about doing the wrong thing, this oh the poor guy he maybe doesn't know we should be kind to him and wrap him in cotton wool and stroke his head .....BUGGER THAT !!! in this day and age with the amount of information on the net and the negative high profile that Drones, unfortunately, have ( thanks, media sensation jerk reporters ) there is no excuse anymore claiming ignorance stupid reckless behavior is not on plain and simple 50 lashes I say! , ok so maybe that's a tiny bit over the top but you catch my drift!

ROGAT Posted at 2017-7-12 09:02
Looks like a troll post to me, wanting a reaction from people and to all the naysayers regarding telling this guy off I don't agree with you one bit, I am actually heartened by everyone's attitude regarding doing the wrong thing! it's the sort of attitude we all need to have to idiots doing things wrong or asking stupid questions and making statements about doing the wrong thing, this oh the poor guy he maybe doesn't know we should be kind to him and wrap him in cotton wool and stroke his head .....BUGGER THAT !!! in this day and age with the amount of information on the net and the negative high profile that Drones, unfortunately, have ( thanks, media sensation jerk reporters ) there is no excuse anymore claiming ignorance stupid reckless behavior is not on plain and simple 50 lashes I say! , ok so maybe that's a tiny bit over the top but you catch my drift!

I agree... the OP hasn't posted anything since his original psot.

you guys took the troll bait and ran with it.

ROGAT Posted at 2017-7-12 09:02
Looks like a troll post to me, wanting a reaction from people and to all the naysayers regarding telling this guy off I don't agree with you one bit, I am actually heartened by everyone's attitude regarding doing the wrong thing! it's the sort of attitude we all need to have to idiots doing things wrong or asking stupid questions and making statements about doing the wrong thing, this oh the poor guy he maybe doesn't know we should be kind to him and wrap him in cotton wool and stroke his head .....BUGGER THAT !!! in this day and age with the amount of information on the net and the negative high profile that Drones, unfortunately, have ( thanks, media sensation jerk reporters ) there is no excuse anymore claiming ignorance stupid reckless behavior is not on plain and simple 50 lashes I say! , ok so maybe that's a tiny bit over the top but you catch my drift!

Agree it's a troll post. Trollish name and no history on the forum.  Probably a fake IP address.

Tho, it is quite fun to see the drone police get on their high horse

No this is not a fake post I am serious about it, I will use flight radar to check that there aren't any flights nearby and I will only fly in areas I know the airspace. There arent really much flight traffic where I live and going high up in the air and getting the sunset/sunrise would be nice, and just fly over the skies overall. But for some reason people on this forum can't handle questions like this it seems like, but thanks to the people who answered seriously. And from what I understand you can remove the 500 meter cap pretty easy?

Google is your friend.

Please Dont Posted at 2017-7-12 17:03
No this is not a fake post I am serious about it, I will use flight radar to check that there aren't any flights nearby and I will only fly in areas I know the airspace. There arent really much flight traffic where I live and going high up in the air and getting the sunset/sunrise would be nice, and just fly over the skies overall. But for some reason people on this forum can't handle questions like this it seems like, but thanks to the people who answered seriously. And from what I understand you can remove the 500 meter cap pretty easy?

Have you considered maybe a fixed wing? The problem with multirotors in general is they don't want to fly. That's why we have all these fancy electronics to keep us balanced in the air. Flight times suffer as a result of there being nothing to naturally keep us aloft. The Mavic isn't really a "roaming the skies" kind of bird. It sounds like you'd be better suited to a fixed wing aircraft with an FPV camera and some sort of HD cam on board. I've seen flight times in excess of an hour, and with the correct setup a lot, lot more.

Check out the Volantex Ranger EX and the Skywalker. You might find that something like this fits your use case better.

ephektz Posted at 2017-7-12 19:25
Have you considered maybe a fixed wing? The problem with multirotors in general is they don't want to fly. That's why we have all these fancy electronics to keep us balanced in the air. Flight times suffer as a result of there being nothing to naturally keep us aloft. The Mavic isn't really a "roaming the skies" kind of bird. It sounds like you'd be better suited to a fixed wing aircraft with an FPV camera and some sort of HD cam on board. I've seen flight times in excess of an hour, and with the correct setup a lot, lot more.

Check out the Volantex Ranger EX and the Skywalker. You might find that something like this fits your use case better.

I will check out other brands too, but I saw a video on youtube where a guy flew 4000 meters up with the mavic. I won't only use it for hights, range is also important since I will be flying after cruise ships and for long distances. And I like that dji has automatic return home thing and also the dji goggles.

You may not fly above cloud, and beyond line of sight, irrespective of whether it was over 500m or 120m.

It apply not to to DJI, but to any UAVs.

I would like to take some photo above cloud, however it may not be possible without braking law or putting someone's life at great risk.

Please Dont Posted at 2017-7-12 17:03
No this is not a fake post I am serious about it, I will use flight radar to check that there aren't any flights nearby and I will only fly in areas I know the airspace. There arent really much flight traffic where I live and going high up in the air and getting the sunset/sunrise would be nice, and just fly over the skies overall. But for some reason people on this forum can't handle questions like this it seems like, but thanks to the people who answered seriously. And from what I understand you can remove the 500 meter cap pretty easy?

Because of what you want to do with your drone is unsafe, and it puts our hobby at risk. That's why some people here can't handle your question.

My mavic flys past 500 meters altitude!.

Please Dont Posted at 2017-7-13 05:38
I will check out other brands too, but I saw a video on youtube where a guy flew 4000 meters up with the mavic. I won't only use it for hights, range is also important since I will be flying after cruise ships and for long distances. And I like that dji has automatic return home thing and also the dji goggles.

You are asking questions about stuff which is illegal, your openly saying that you are going to fly illegally, and to do this you want others to help you on your way. If some have said your thick or stupid or both well they would be right.
Either that or your looking for attention, my advice is if your going to do something illegal don't broadcast it..

Please Dont Posted at 2017-7-13 05:38
I will check out other brands too, but I saw a video on youtube where a guy flew 4000 meters up with the mavic. I won't only use it for hights, range is also important since I will be flying after cruise ships and for long distances. And I like that dji has automatic return home thing and also the dji goggles.

The biggest limiting factor with the Mavic for your use case is it really *isn't* meant for long range or high altitudes. Just because it can do these things doesn't mean it's suited for it. The Mavic excels at being a portable, take anywhere UAV. At higher altitudes you are going to experience more turbulence, which smaller multi' aren't suited for, and unless you want to shell out large amounts of money very few multirotors are suited for long distance.

Consider 10 minutes up and out, and ten minutes down and back. That will be your average safe flight window. It's only going to take you one time of flying out and up with the wind to lose your Mavic on the return journey if it has to battle winds. Fly over water and make this mistake and you've just wasted a thousand bucks.

For about the same price of the Mavic you can get an FPV fixed wing with loiter, RTH, auto land, waypoint, and pretty much every feature you've listed as wanting to do. The biggest difference will be it won't hover (but at high altitude that won't matter,) and it won't say DJI on it.

I am going off the assumption that you intend to jump through the hoops to get the proper clearances, certifications, and training time to do this safely.

Please Dont Posted at 2017-7-12 17:03
No this is not a fake post I am serious about it, I will use flight radar to check that there aren't any flights nearby and I will only fly in areas I know the airspace. There arent really much flight traffic where I live and going high up in the air and getting the sunset/sunrise would be nice, and just fly over the skies overall. But for some reason people on this forum can't handle questions like this it seems like, but thanks to the people who answered seriously. And from what I understand you can remove the 500 meter cap pretty easy?

It is true, you can change the ceiling limit!, it's not legal but it can be done. Google it!, and it does work as I've seen it first hand! TODAY.

Please Dont Posted at 2017-7-12 17:03
No this is not a fake post I am serious about it, I will use flight radar to check that there aren't any flights nearby and I will only fly in areas I know the airspace. There arent really much flight traffic where I live and going high up in the air and getting the sunset/sunrise would be nice, and just fly over the skies overall. But for some reason people on this forum can't handle questions like this it seems like, but thanks to the people who answered seriously. And from what I understand you can remove the 500 meter cap pretty easy?

Dude, please listen. I used to live in The Netherlands before i moved to NZ, but often flew in Norway, Denmark and Sweden with a single engine piston airplane. If you are at 4000ft, and i'm flying at 2000ft, by the time you hear me (quiet JetA1 engine) you won't have time enough to bring it down, as i'm flying with 140kts. This thing WILL kill me when it comes through the canopy. Please, please don't. Please adhere to the rules. Because other pilots rely om them to stay safe an go home at the end of the day.

I had this problem earlier today. I was flying a drone up a mountain to get a closer look at an old rock slide. I was already at about 6,000 feet when I took off and flew over to the side of the mountain. As I climbed alongside it, I got stuck at the 500 meter limit and it wouldn't go any further. Which of course meant I could not do what I set out to do.

I suppose there is a reason there are other forums out...

DronePix Posted at 2017-7-13 06:22
You may not fly above cloud, and beyond line of sight, irrespective of whether it was over 500m or 120m.

It apply not to to DJI, but to any UAVs.

DronePix. You are correct, but this law only apples to Australia.

When I fly (for example) offshore oil rigs in the Timor Sea there are much fewer restrictions and the employer dictates what shots they require and also take full responsibility. it's in the contract.

* hex *

DocAraxá Posted at 2017-7-12 03:07
Here, where I live is a mountain place. Another day I took off at an altitude of 1333 meters. Ten meters higher than the ground the wind is “crashing” my Mavic. It is impossible to maintain control all the time.
So, if you are serious about your purposes, I do believe you should listen to these guys here, very carefully. Even the rude ones.
Cheers.

Hey, i have been flying on high mountains. The wind is not always strong at these heights, you have to check the conditions. I have been flying at >1300m above sea with zero wind.

As for the 500m limit, i think it makes sense. There are situation where you start at 300m above sea, but you fly along terrain or above structure with a height of +100m, then you are legally allowed to fly at a height of 200m relative to your start position. Also the total limit of 5.000m will cover even the higher mountain tops here in the alps. Thats ok.

One critique could be that one could very well obtain a special permission for rising much above the relative 500m limit from the airspace control tower. But with DJI there would be no official option to actually fly so high.

Unfortunately there would be many more people abusing this option, than those legally benefiting from it. And for use "standard users" it brings only disadvantages. I never need to fly that high, but i fear a total ban of drones due to continuous abuse.