Today, I had a little excitement with the drone, which is related to this topic in my opinion. I flew the drone without any zone warning. Probably not connected to any satellite at first. After about 5 minutes, when I took the drone about 100 meters forward and 50 meters high (which was when the drone began to see the satellites), it began to warn of a "landing". Then the drone continued to land without moving it up or down with the remote. Luckily, it let me move left and right, and I was able to land without hitting the tree branches. If I had lost control completely or if I had brought the drone over the lake, for example, the drone would have taken off and committed suicide. I think there are many aspects of the DJI fly application that need to be improved, which makes me disinclined to use it.Note: The area where I was flying is the blue area.

djiuser_gpYPteASnSny Posted at 11-25 16:02
Today, I had a little excitement with the drone, which is related to this topic in my opinion. I flew the drone without any zone warning. Probably not connected to any satellite at first. After about 5 minutes, when I took the drone about 100 meters forward and 50 meters high (which was when the drone began to see the satellites), it began to warn of a "landing". Then the drone continued to land without moving it up or down with the remote. Luckily, it let me move left and right, and I was able to land without hitting the tree branches. If I had lost control completely or if I had brought the drone over the lake, for example, the drone would have taken off and committed suicide. I think there are many aspects of the DJI fly application that need to be improved, which makes me disinclined to use it.Note: The area where I was flying is the blue area.

Yeah that is by design. I tested it at my house (in an authorization zone) by starting up in the house and immediately taking off. When I flew it outside, as soon as it got enough sats locked it went into that 99 second warning mode where you have directional control but no up.

Yeap that is another huge flaw in the design. what happens if he flew the MM over the water and this happens? Down to the water...

Alan E Posted at 11-25 16:18
Yeah that is by design. I tested it at my house (in an authorization zone) by starting up in the house and immediately taking off. When I flew it outside, as soon as it got enough sats locked it went into that 99 second warning mode where you have directional control but no up.

Yes, this is yet another reason why it is very important to wait for GPS to get locked in before launching.  Not waiting for a good GPS lock significantly increases the risk of a negative outcome.

MuratA Posted at 11-25 17:56
Yeap that is another huge flaw in the design. what happens if he flew the MM over the water and this happens? Down to the water...

In my opinion, it is up to the user to ensure they are in a proper flying environment.  I personally don't think you should ever launch a GPS based drone without a solid lock on a GPS location.  

However, if you do launch it in the wrong location, you definitely should heed the message and get it back to a safe landing zone ASAP.

This part isn't necessarily specific to the Mini.  Other DJI drones do a relatively similar procedure if you launch in an authorization zone before a GPS location is established.  

KlooGee Posted at 11-25 18:23
In my opinion, it is up to the user to ensure they are in a proper flying environment.  I personally don't think you should ever launch a GPS based drone without a solid lock on a GPS location.  

However, if you do launch it in the wrong location, you definitely should heed the message and get it back to a safe landing zone ASAP.

Yep, I completely agree with this! You know that you took of by cheating, so you should be prepared for that situation to happen.

Now I'm interested if it behaves like in critically low battery landing procedure, can you push the throttle stick up to slow down its descending in this situation?

The new version of the app still doesnt fix the restrictions, i still have the POTUS and therefore i still cant fly. What happens if i email DJI This is one of the worst companies i ever dealt with so far. Probably my last product from them

The Mini will be my first drone, sorry for newbie question.  In the illustration, there are gray, red, blue and yellow zones.  Which can a non-part 107 pilot operate in with no issue, which can you operate if you have your part 107 ticket?

AFAIK the DJI flight restrictions are not related to any license, they are controlled by the software regardless of that, with one exception. This is how it works from what I know:

Red zones - Can't take of nor fly into if you have taken of out of the zone. You can request restriction to be removed from local authority, send DJI copy of it if you get the permision and you can fly int the zone untill the permision is valid.
Blue zones - You can't take of unless you complete procedure described in the original post at this thread and you would need to acknoledge that you fly on your own responsibility every time you are about to take off. DISCLAIMER: This is what causes the problem with Mavic Mini. This feature is currently missing from Fly App
Orange zones - Never experienced it in person, but it should behave the same as in blue ones
Gray zones - You can fly but you will have altitude limit


So as I see it now, from all the zones that have some kind of restrictions, gray ones are the only ones you are about to fly. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong about anything

MuratA Posted at 11-26 06:53
The new version of the app still doesnt fix the restrictions, i still have the POTUS and therefore i still cant fly. What happens if i email DJI  This is one of the worst companies i ever dealt with so far. Probably my last product from them

If you have the POTUS in town and have a VIP TFR, then you probably shouldn't be flying there anyways, regardless of it DJI allows your drone to take off or not.
Oh and like I mentioned, DJI Support has said the unlock capability will be released via a firmware update in late December.

_danilo Posted at 11-26 07:57
AFAIK the DJI flight restrictions are not related to any license, they are controlled by the software regardless of that, with one exception. This is how it works from what I know:

Red zones - Can't take of nor fly into if you have taken of out of the zone. You can request restriction to be removed from local authority, send DJI copy of it if you get the permision and you can fly int the zone untill the permision is valid.

DJI uses the term "license" pretty loosely.  When you apply for an unlock of a blue authorization zone, an "unlock license" is pushed to your drone that unlocks that particular zone.

In that terminology, the "license" isn't anything you get from a government agency, its just the terminology that DJI uses.

KlooGee Posted at 11-26 08:17
DJI uses the term "license" pretty loosely.  When you apply for an unlock of a blue authorization zone, an "unlock license" is pushed to your drone that unlocks that particular zone.

In that terminology, the "license" isn't anything you get from a government agency, its just the terminology that DJI uses.

I was referring to licenses issued by government when I said that they are not related to DJI zone restrictions, but yes, you are correct about DJI "licenses".

I have some other question. Do You guys have some type of law thats prohibits adding drone footage on social media if you do not have drone pilot license ?

KlooGee Posted at 11-26 08:14
If you have the POTUS in town and have a VIP TFR, then you probably shouldn't be flying there anyways, regardless of it DJI allows your drone to take off or not.
Oh and like I mentioned, DJI Support has said the unlock capability will be released via a firmware update in late December.

My friend POTUS is 72 of miles away from me.  I am in Miami he is coming to Palm beach. The problem is the Blue circle radius is massive.  I am trying to fly in my backyard and i cant thats the main issue. I also believe no software is perfect but advertising and selling a product with a feature that doesnt exist is completely wrong. DJI tells me Fly and i cant.  In december i do know a software release will fix this but this should have been released with product. I am just not finding this ethical thats all

gruszon188 Posted at 11-26 10:48
I have some other question. Do You guys have some type of law thats prohibits adding drone footage on social media if you do not have drone pilot license ?

No, not here in the US.  The FAA only cares about the intent of the flight at the time of the flight.  They don't have any say on what is done with the content after the fact.  However, how you use the footage could potentially be used as evidence of one's intent for a given flight.

MuratA Posted at 11-26 11:06
My friend POTUS is 72 of miles away from me.  I am in Miami he is coming to Palm beach. The problem is the Blue circle radius is massive.  I am trying to fly in my backyard and i cant thats the main issue. I also believe no software is perfect but advertising and selling a product with a feature that doesnt exist is completely wrong. DJI tells me Fly and i cant.  In december i do know a software release will fix this but this should have been released with product. I am just not finding this ethical thats all

I completely understand, the presidential TFR's are way too broad.  It has affected me on multiple occasions as well.  It has also messed up some of my paying jobs.  But it is the FAA that is putting them in place, not just DJI.

Having said that, it is very unfortunate DJI didn't have the ability to unlock with the release of the Mini.  Coming from the IT industry, I completely understand that not all features can always be implemented in a given time frame.  However, for me, I think the part DJI should have done better is to communicate that this feature would not be available at the time of purchase.  It shouldn't be up to the users to find the issue and make everybody else aware of it.  Any good business that cares about its customers will communicate proactively.

KlooGee Posted at 11-26 11:24
I completely understand, the presidential TFR's are way too broad.  It has affected me on multiple occasions as well.  It has also messed up some of my paying jobs.  But it is the FAA that is putting them in place, not just DJI.

Having said that, it is very unfortunate DJI didn't have the ability to unlock with the release of the Mini.  Coming from the IT industry, I completely understand that not all features can always be implemented in a given time frame.  However, for me, I think the part DJI should have done better is to communicate that this feature would not be available at the time of purchase.  It shouldn't be up to the users to find the issue and make everybody else aware of it.  Any good business that cares about its customers will communicate proactively.

Yeap thats the issue, if i had the feature this would be ok. I can still get permission and fly in the backyard. I am in IT industry as well and i know no software is perfect since there is Human factor.
Well we cant do much and hope  that  DJI can release a patch quick.  Hopefully fellow pilots will see this thread and make a decision maybe hold till release. Trying to fly without GPS is very risky and can cause damage to surroundings and drone itself.
cheers

KlooGee Posted at 11-26 11:19
No, not here in the US.  The FAA only cares about the intent of the flight at the time of the flight.  They don't have any say on what is done with the content after the fact.  However, how you use the footage could potentially be used as evidence of one's intent for a given flight.

In Poland, the law prohibits the use of such recordings in social media because thanks to it I could generate earnings. Despite on YouTube without reaching 1k subscribers and I can't enable monetization on videos..

KlooGee Posted at 11-26 11:24
I completely understand, the presidential TFR's are way too broad.  It has affected me on multiple occasions as well.  It has also messed up some of my paying jobs.  But it is the FAA that is putting them in place, not just DJI.

Having said that, it is very unfortunate DJI didn't have the ability to unlock with the release of the Mini.  Coming from the IT industry, I completely understand that not all features can always be implemented in a given time frame.  However, for me, I think the part DJI should have done better is to communicate that this feature would not be available at the time of purchase.  It shouldn't be up to the users to find the issue and make everybody else aware of it.  Any good business that cares about its customers will communicate proactively.

They simply wanted it at that time-frame, because business analysis team said so, and so they've had it...of course it's absolutely unacceptable to inform potential customers that this is unpolished/finished product    

Hopefully the amount of users reporting issues will make the FW much better but I have a feeling we are all beta testers.

_danilo Posted at 11-26 07:57
AFAIK the DJI flight restrictions are not related to any license, they are controlled by the software regardless of that, with one exception. This is how it works from what I know:

Red zones - Can't take of nor fly into if you have taken of out of the zone. You can request restriction to be removed from local authority, send DJI copy of it if you get the permision and you can fly int the zone untill the permision is valid.

You can fly with MINI in orange zones

I have all the DJI drones from I2 on down and am very familiar with authorization zones and unlocking....also waiting eagerly for MM firmware update BUT TODAY WHILE I WAS IN HOUSTON TEXAS TRYING TO FLY MY MINI, AFTER MULTIPLE FLIGHT LOCKOUTS BASED ON A NEARBY HOSPITAL HELIPORT, i WAS SUDDENLY ABLE TO CLICK "AUTHORIZE" AND IT SAID AUTHORIZATION SUCCESSFUL AND i COULD FLY !!!! i DID A SHORT FLIGHT, CHANGED BATTERY , BUT THE NEXT AUTHORIZATION ATTEMPT FAILED AS BEFORE...EITHER IT WAS A GLITCH THAT I WAS ABLE TO FLY... OR HOPEFULLY THIS SHOWS THEY REALLY ARE WORKING ON IT.

marktottymy Posted at 11-29 13:21
I have all the DJI drones from I2 on down and am very familiar with authorization zones and unlocking....also waiting eagerly for MM firmware update BUT TODAY WHILE I WAS IN HOUSTON TEXAS TRYING TO FLY MY MINI, AFTER MULTIPLE FLIGHT LOCKOUTS BASED ON A NEARBY HOSPITAL HELIPORT, i WAS SUDDENLY ABLE TO CLICK "AUTHORIZE" AND IT SAID AUTHORIZATION SUCCESSFUL AND i COULD FLY !!!! i DID A SHORT FLIGHT, CHANGED BATTERY , BUT THE NEXT AUTHORIZATION ATTEMPT FAILED AS BEFORE...EITHER IT WAS A GLITCH THAT I WAS ABLE TO FLY... OR HOPEFULLY THIS SHOWS THEY REALLY ARE WORKING ON IT.

I check that! And I've got the same results ..  Drone connect to satellites, and I could take off in authorization zone.. But, I've landed and next thing was Geo zones indicator.. I didn't touch MM like a week, so maybe they testing some things

TOTALLY DISRESPECTFUL,i will never again waste money with DJI. I HATE THE TOTAL DISREGARD THEY TREAT US WITH!

I MISSED SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF THEIR FAULTY GLITCHES, NO FLIGHT ZONE?
FCUK YOU DJI

it says a lot of the company the fact that there is ABSOLUTELLY NO MENTION OF A PHONE NUMBER ON THEIR FUCKING APP YOU CAN CALL.
YOU NEED TO GOOGLE IT AND THEN THEY SAY oh, we are so sorry for your inconvenience.

FUCKING CHINESE CROOKS.
I HOPE YOUR COUNTRY KILL YOU AND CHARGE THE BULLET TO YOUR FAMILIES

pauloeua@gmail.com Posted at 12-2 22:38
TOTALLY DISRESPECTFUL,i will never again waste money with DJI. I HATE THE TOTAL DISREGARD THEY TREAT US WITH!

I MISSED SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF THEIR FAULTY GLITCHES, NO FLIGHT ZONE?

Oh man....I dont like a lot of things too and I can understand your problems with DJI, but you have to control your emotions and language....

Any news? I didnt know this before buying

realpilot Posted at 12-14 05:51
Any news? I didnt know this before buying

Late December was the last word. We are all eagerly awaiting it's release!!!

As others have mentioned, I'm pretty sure we are the Beta- Tester group for the Mavic Mini.  They wanted it out early to create buzz for Christmas/other end of year Holidays and they wanted a group flying it prior to the holidays to work out the bugs, so when someone unwraps their present under the tree, it comes out working well.  Really wish they would have been more clear about this.  I think most of us would have been fine if they had said, official release is December 20th or whatever date, but we are having a special pre-sale starting in November for beta-testers.  As a beta tester you will help us fine tune the launch firmware.  Maybe you get 10% off or a free battery or something.  Clear and concise information like that would have made this rollout much smoother.

Maver32 Posted at 12-14 09:20
As others have mentioned, I'm pretty sure we are the Beta- Tester group for the Mavic Mini.  They wanted it out early to create buzz for Christmas/other end of year Holidays and they wanted a group flying it prior to the holidays to work out the bugs, so when someone unwraps their present under the tree, it comes out working well.  Really wish they would have been more clear about this.  I think most of us would have been fine if they had said, official release is December 20th or whatever date, but we are having a special pre-sale starting in November for beta-testers.  As a beta tester you will help us fine tune the launch firmware.  Maybe you get 10% off or a free battery or something.  Clear and concise information like that would have made this rollout much smoother.

You would think that would help for the rational among us, but we all know the internet isn't rational!  There probably would have been an even bigger outcry over DJI wanting us to pay them to be beta testers, Lol!

realpilot Posted at 12-14 05:51
Any news? I didnt know this before buying

As JodyB mentioned, I haven't heard anything different from DJI from their initial estimate of "late December."  

Anyway - how can this" in-app take-off" lockout affect manual app-less takeoff?
Talking about putting controller sticks to the bottom corners mirrored (inner or outer should be fine) and connecting the phone later?
Will the phone detect, that you are airborne in the restricted area and start force landing of the drone or something? (Asking out of curiosity, even though there are no airports anywhere near where i live)

Gu5s Posted at 12-14 13:03
Anyway - how can this" in-app take-off" lockout affect manual without any app takeoff?
Talking about putting controller sticks to the bottom corners mirrored (inner or outer should be fine) and connecting the phone later?
Will the phone detect, that you are airborne in the restricted area and start force landing of the drone or something? (Asking out of curiosity, even though there are no airports anywhere near where i live)

The geofencing is built into the drone itself.  It isn't dependent on the phone being connected.

Even if the Mini is not in the Autorisation List, the unlock process lists the controller; The question is: will it work if I obtain the unlock from my Minis remote but selecting from the list another drone... like the spark? I did this already and now when I'm connected to the drone it doesn't say authorisation zona any-more; Any change it wakes up when I'm in the air? Somebody tried this?

Hi DJI,

Can you give us a date when this new firmware will be release?

R

Dont say late of December. At least give us a date!

So disappointed.
I bought it Day one and fly only 2 MINUTES !!
250 Bucks by minutes !!!
We are mid december and no news about new firmware.
My home and my job are in blue zone.
For my first dji, it's a nice first expérience.
My parrot flies like a charm.
Too late for returning it.
A nice brick at 500 euro.

My zone.
Edit :impossible to add pic from mobile...

djiuser_6SEUqjdrUzua Posted at 12-15 03:56
Dont say late of December. At least give us a date!

I've not know DJI to every provide an exact date for an update.  In fact, the fact they actually gave us "late December" is actually significantly more info than they usually provide.

djiuser_XBldct9YCbvU Posted at 12-15 12:16
So disappointed.
I bought it Day one and fly only 2 MINUTES !!
250 Bucks by minutes !!!

I think I've mentioned this earlier in this thread, but in my opinion, I've found my drones as a great excuse to get out and explore other areas of my community and region from a different perspective than I've ever had before.  

I know its a bummer to not be able to fly in some of the areas you would like to fly, but use it as an excuse to get out and go explore.  I personally find it much more interesting and fun to go explore the areas I may not normally get out to see.

Cheers!

I don't understand why it lets you unlock a flight path zone anyway. It's dangerous, there are planes flying around that area you can see one take off behind him low to the ground. Why do they allow it with the Go4 app? Like when you send it off for approval and do your number etc, are you basically giving all your details so in the case of an emergency where you have caused an accident you can be traced back? The no fly zones are there for a reason.