Hello,

I recently purchased a Mavic Mini and tested it out in my home, everything went great. It was a cool little drone but I went to test it out in front of my home and to my surprise in the app it tells me I can't take off. I do some more investigation and it seems as if I need to do a DJI self unlock (something I was unaware of before purchasing the drone). The problem is I live in a blue authorization zone inside of a red restricted zone? Is it possible to fly in this situation? I reached out to DJI but their answer confused me so I'm back here. I really want to fly my drone but if I can't fly it in my own neighborhood let alone my own home then I have no use for this drone and will have to take it back. I'm attaching a screenshot for reference, the hand is my neighborhood. Any help would is appreciated. Thank you.

A J Posted at 9-30 06:16
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I understand what the zones mean but the blue authorization is in the red. I received a response from DJI that I need authorization, which I don't understand. Who do I need authorization from? I registered myself on the FAA website and that's all I'm aware of. I'm asking will it be possible to fly my drone in my neighborhood, and if so how do I get authorization.

marcusmcflyy Posted at 9-30 06:31
I understand what the zones mean but the blue authorization is in the red. I received a response from DJI that I need authorization, which I don't understand. Who do I need authorization from? I registered myself on the FAA website and that's all I'm aware of. I'm asking will it be possible to fly my drone in my neighborhood, and if so how do I get authorization.

If your take off position is within 5 miles of the nearest airport then you will need authorisation from air traffic control at that airport. Without that authorisation you will, I believe, be committing a criminal offence. There are far more laws, rules and regulations regarding the flight of UAV's than registering yourself with the FAA - which you didn't actually need to do as your drone weighs less than 250g as you said you recently bought a Mavic Mini. Of course registration will be required if you also own a Mavic Air 2 (as in your avatar) as that weighs 570g.

Literally every where is becoming NFZ zones slowly, where do we fly

Suren Posted at 9-30 09:40
Literally every where is becoming NFZ zones slowly, where do we fly

Under the Radar.....

Blériot53 Posted at 9-30 10:07
Under the Radar.....

Hacking time

Hello there marcusmcflyy. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. For us to be able to assist you with regards to this matter. Kindly please send an email to our DJI flysafe department at flysafe@dji.com for us to be able to assist you further. Thank you.

I purchased a Mavic 2 Pro a couple of years ago. Unfortunately my home is situated right next to a small executive airport, but I could fly on my own property as long as I got permission from DJI to fly in the restricted zone surrounding my house. The NFZ geometry has changed since then, and now I can't fly on my property.

In my opinion, amateur drone operators are being squeezed out of this hobby, in favour of those willing to purchase advanced training and licenses. Unless you live near a wilderness area, where flying is permitted with few restrictions, you pretty well are stuck on the ground, along with your expensive drone equipment. I wanted to purchase several drones models for my photography interests, but considering the legal handcuffing, that is now out of the question. This hobby has become far too restrictive for casual flyers to enjoy. Unfortunately the law makers have no way of determining if you are a responsible flyer or not, so we all get painted with the same brush.

DJI will continue to appease authorities with their built-in NFZ assistance… fewer drone accidents means fewer restrictions and bad press right? The paradox is, once the word spreads to the buying public that there are numerous, bothersome flying restrictions, sales will probably drop automatically. Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. Who’s going to spend hard earned cash on something they can’t legally use?

A parting shot. DJI’s Mini and Air ads are somewhat misleading because they promote fun family flying and photography, without mentioning the good possibility of NZF restrictions in your area. Check out your neighbourhood before you buy.

Unfortunately in many hobbies, the bad actions of a few often have bad consequences on all of us.
I am fortunate that at my house, I am about a quarter mile outside the Class D airspace for a general aviation airport (where BTW I have hundreds of takes and landings in fixed wing aircraft).  I have to check the three boxes for every flight, but at least I can fly.  However in my city, I can't take off or land on any city property or facility.  So I can't go over to a local park and fly, nor technically can I take off or land from the sidewalk or street in front of my house, but I can use my front lawn or driveway.  And there are no restrictions on flying OVER city property.  This is all good for me since one of the intended uses of my drone is to shoot video of the music synchronized Christmas light show that I run at my house every year.  To a large extent, I will be shooting from above the street in front of the house.

waltwblady.com Posted at 10-3 07:24
I purchased a Mavic 2 Pro a couple of years ago. Unfortunately my home is situated right next to an airport, but I could fly on my own property as long as I got permission from DJI to fly in the restricted zone surrounding my house. The NFZ geometry has changed since then, and now I can't fly on my property.

In my opinion, amateur drone operators are being squeezed out of this hobby, in favour of those willing to purchase advanced training and licenses. Unless you live near a wilderness area, where flying is permitted with few restrictions, you pretty well are stuck on the ground, along with your expensive drone equipment. I wanted to purchase several drones models for my photography interests, but considering the legal handcuffing, that is now out of the question. This hobby has become far too restrictive for casual flyers to enjoy. Unfortunately the law makers have no way of determining if you are a responsible flyer or not, so we all get painted with the same brush.

I agree, if DJI is going to restrict their drones, they should advertise it on the box or on the website. It’s costing people money.