fansfcfd4e3a
lvl.1
Flight distance : 18865 ft
United States
Offline
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Why am I having to jump through more hoops to fly a DJI drone than the FAA requires?
I’ve been a certificated private pilot for 17 years (yes, longer than consumer UAVs have been around), I’m regularly at airports, perform search and rescue functions and training, and work with community youth in STEM learning functions. I was very disappointed to learn that when I was about to give a demo of the Mavic, my local UNCONTROLLED airfield is comsidered a NFZ by DJI down to the surface, although the FAA does not restrict flight beyond requiring permission from the airport manager. Instead, I need to request that DJI unlock my flight EACH time that I intend to fly, instead of relying on a UAV pilot to follow FAA rules?
I don’t feel any safer as a people-plane pilot by this practice, I’m more concerned with the operators who are flying their UAV’s out of LOS, and at nonlegal altitudes, which DJI allows.
There should be a mechanism in place to allow FAA-Certificated UAS pilots to unlock areas on a long-term basis. Aren't all flights being tracked by DJI, anyway? DJI would surely provide this data in the event of an incident.
Flying near an airfield doesn't necessarily mean flying into the approach path of manned aircraft!
Not that DJI would ever be concerned with whether or not I endorse their product, I cannot recommend DJI to anyone comparing UAV products, until we have some common-sense rules.
World Leader in camera drones? Why does the Self-Unlock site require that I select From a long list of drone types and then enter my controller number? Doesn't DJI already have this data for my drone from my account? I had to sign in to use the site! Yeah, okay, MAYBE I could be flying someone else's UAV, but that should be in a selectionfor "other".
And why does the map always center on DC? No one is going to get an authorization there! Why isn't it intelligent enough to use my current location?
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