No Airport Restricted Zone on DJI GEO Zone Map?
1646 1 2020-7-26
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MrTitan
lvl.4
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United Kingdom
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I've not used my Mavic for a while and I'm being asked to update the 'Fly Safe Database' when I connect via the DJI Go 4 App. Based on the Fly Safe Database that's currently installed my Mavic 2 thinks my house is just within an Enhanced Warning Zone (Airport).  I can fly as long as I tick the box to bare full responsibility for my flight, which is great as I can launch from my back garden and fly out over empty fields and away from the local town airport (a small airport that doesn't have much traffic).  I'm only in the enhanced area for an eighth of a mile or so and then there's no restirctions at all.

On one hand I want to update my Fly Safe Database to the most recent version but I'm less keen if it's going to ground my drone due to changes in the GEO positioning of any restirctions.  But that's where I'm totally stumped, because every map I look at for my area shows different results.

DJI's GEO Zones suggests there's no Restriction around Cambridge City Airport at all (when SURELY, there is), and only an Enhanced Warning Zone - which doesn't include my house on the Map, but I still get told I'm in one when I go to fly.

The DroneSafe.uk website (developed by NATS) shows all of my village (Fulbourn) as being in some sort of Restricted Zone, but it doesn't explain the restrictions, and it doesn't includes one of the flight paths for Cambridge City Airport that the DJI GEO Zones Map includes.

And the NOFLYDRONES website map is similar to the DroneSafe.uk map, but it DOES include both the Enhanced Warning Zones for two flight paths from Cambridge City Airport.  But it DOESN'T suggest that any of the highlighted area is an Enhanced Warning Zone as opposed to a Restricted Zone - which is clearly wrong as that's not how restirctions around airports work and I am taking off from within an Enhanced Warning Zone right now.

So, I'm unable to figure out what the outcome is going to be for whether or not I will or wont be able to continue taking off from my back garden if I update the Fly Safe Database.

Any ideas if there's any way to figure out exactly what will happen without taking the plunge and performing the update?

Thanks for reading (I get it's long but I hoped the info would properly explain my situation). :-)
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2020-7-26
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imperator_UK
lvl.1
Flight distance : 87356 ft
United Kingdom
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It would seem that DJI are wrong in their mapping.  I have all the updates - and they're frequent at the moment and it's still not right in the legal and illegal flight zones mapping.   This is a major issue as, up until now, I relied on my Mini2 knowing where it was and wasn't allowed to fly.

I live in Dundee and we have a small mostly recreational airport a mile or so from the city centre.  The CAA website (and all other websites) say there's a 5km blanket ban around that airport in all directions which effectively bans any flight in the west half of the city.  If you go on the DJI website maps there's no restrictions.  Not even over the runways themselves.  When you click in the type of drone you have it still shows nothing.  It does show RAF Leuchars which is a major base but not a circular NFZ just the runways.

I've flown plenty around the city - never within miles of the airport nor much higher than the tallest buildings but I always assumed it was okay because the otherwise comprehensive DJI website showed it was fine and plus the drone's own GPS didn't have an issue with it.   Seems that was TOTALLY illegal.  Having wrong information is way more dangerous than having no information as it gives a false sense of security and prevents people looking where they should - and thats the CAA website and not DJI
2021-3-15
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