DJI, please stop punishing good pilots by placing limits on every aspect of the Phantom piloting experience.  The 500 meter vertical limit I can understand, but even if you limit the Phantom to only 50 meters in any direction, up, down, left, right, forward, backward, the ignorant pilots who are going to crash it into a building, hit a baby with it, fly it under a bridge, or slam it into a crowd of people are still going to exist.  So what is the point of the limitations?  The core issue of INEXPERIENCED PILOTS is still going to be the same.  The limitations accomplish nothing except to make good pilots want to buy other Quad Copters that don't have limitations like this.   

Example:
After a long wait and much anticipation and excitement I found the new v1.4.0010 FW features a HUGE failure, namely the 500 meter limit on the Way-Points feature and ended up rolling back to 1.3.20.  This 500 meter limitation renders the WP feature absolutely useless in any real world application where you would use something like this.  You'd be lucky to go around the block with this.  Why put in features that can't be used for any real world applications?

Please stop punisihng us pilots who know better than to fly where we shouldn't and spend time improving on our flying skills so we can fly safe.  It seems the more we ask for, the more you take away.  That is the opposite of how to attract and maintain loyal customers.

Duey have right.

You just cant punish 99,9% of clients for 0,1% of idiots. Idiot will always do something stupid, even if you block everything, idiot will take Your drone and throw into somebody.

Maybe an 'advanced option/menu' with a big red warning screen when user try to enable will be a compromise.

And if someone want to do something bad with full premeditation, he will do that, even if you block some functions. He just get a custom drone. And a proffesional users also, because DJI products will be limited too much.

If You DJI want to prevent incidents, add a warnings screens and information brochure. In most cases when someone doing something stupid, he doing it because he do not know he should not, and big red warning is enough in that case.

Kyokushin Posted at 2015-10-1 07:29
Duey have right.

You just cant punish 99,9% of clients for 0,1% of idiots. Idiot will always do som ...

unfortunately the .1% of the idiots in this country is enough to make a change for the 99.9%

Take a look at our current congress as a great example.

Are we sure that the limit isn't 500m between points, not total distance? If it's between points, just click a few more WPs. Let me know what you find.

I think the simplified WPs are just in the code so that 3rd party vendors can expand on using them.  I am testing a mapping program where in I define the corners, the app defines the flight path and all the WPs.
I take off, switch to "F" upload the mission, press go and the Phantom flies fully autonomously.  Most importantly I can do all the mission planning ahead of time and just call them up in the field.
Eventually there will be all kinds of specialty apps.

Rnfaust Posted at 2015-10-1 22:44
Are we sure that the limit isn't 500m between points, not total distance? If it's between points, ju ...

500 meters from home point.

duey101 Posted at 2015-10-1 17:44
500 meters from home point.

First, I have to say that I love my P3P and I thank DJI for creating such a marvel
Secondly, i agree with some customers, 500m horizontal limit in waypoint mode is too short, its half the distance (1km) permitted in France by Civil Aviation Security Services (DSAC, Scenario S2)
Minima are problematic too: you cant engage POI under 10m high, you cant fligh lower than 3,5m approx in auto mode, you cant go under 5m distance limit from POI, 5m minimum between 2 waypoints, maxi speed  too slow  in waypoints mode, etc...
Opposite, 500m altitude limitation seems OK for me...

As P3P is a flying cam, and not the most dangerous one,, we need to go closer to the ground and closer to the POI

Please DJI, kill these limits, if you're afraid to be sued  in case of crash and/or accident, take legal advice, write a disclaimer, we 'll sign it and will have more freedom to create
Thank you in advance !
M

Software or legislation will never stop stupid.

Idiocracy (the movie) is a horror film, not a comedy.

Recommendation - Warn, disclaim and let idiots pay for their own lawyers.  The automated protections indicate that YOU'RE taking responsibility for us.  We already have mothers.  Make us get our own lawyers.  (I guess that is implying I am an idiot.  Fair enough.)

sjstanfield@ca. Posted at 2015-10-1 10:26
unfortunately the .1% of the idiots in this country is enough to make a change for the 99.9%

Take ...

A man to that

hummingbird.uav Posted at 2015-10-1 11:02
I think the simplified WPs are just in the code so that 3rd party vendors can expand on using them.  ...

Would that be Linchet?

The 1.05.11 beta version out September 25 allows waypoints uploaded from and missions started from the ground.

2.  Support uploading waypoints and executing flight mission when aircraft is on the ground.
3. The Waypoint Trace Length(The distance from the first waypoint to the last one) increased
from 10k.  To 30k.

That is what is written in the beta release notes  10 k?  To 30k?  Decimals were forgotten?

Really I plan my mission waypoints right now with the simulator on ios device, then I flight them with the P3 ... fast&easy.

Hi if you need to fly higher than 500m you can dowload Litchi app from google play. (only android devices) and there is no limit of alttidute (max 6000m.a.s.l) I'm using this somtiemes when want to take photo higher than 500m but alwas be sure they are no aircrafts nearly

matiwerner14@gm Posted at 2015-10-1 16:40
Hi if you need to fly higher than 500m you can dowload Litchi app from google play. (only android de ...

Don't give ideas to people lol, litchi is OPEN SEASON in all aspects, BUT i did not go and waypoint mission out of bounds or go up high 1000 feet next to an airport!

DJI needs to wake up stop being our guardian, because i am grown up and can take care of myself and my own affairs.

Kyokushin Posted at 2015-10-1 20:29
Duey have right.

You just cant punish 99,9% of clients for 0,1% of idiots. Idiot will always do som ...

My grand-dad once said......and I still live by those words........."You can't fix stupid".......

Gotta agree with Duey.  Prosecute the idiots and allow responsible people reasonable use.

hummingbird.uav Posted at 2015-10-1 17:02
I think the simplified WPs are just in the code so that 3rd party vendors can expand on using them.  ...

What is the name of this program?

Willie Wonka Posted at 2015-10-2 07:09
Don't give ideas to people lol, litchi is OPEN SEASON in all aspects, BUT i did not go and waypoin ...

There is a social and moral responsibility that DJI has to consider - safety. There is also a brand they have to protect - the DJI brand. I don't know how much DJI is valued, but if their product ends up hurting/maiming/killing someone, it can financially cripple them. Look at the Volkswagon emission scandal - multi billion loss.

Secondly, DJI is so successful that it has become a household name. If you mention the word drone, everyone has the connotations of the white 4 armed phantom. What did you think when you heard a drone crash at the tennis recently? - I bet first thought was a phantom.

If you want to break records, heights, distances, speeds etc, go build your own put your own company label on it.

Sir Edward K Posted at 2015-10-1 20:04
The 1.05.11 beta version out September 25 allows waypoints uploaded from and missions started from t ...

Thanks for the info - but as a beta-tester, aren't you supposed to keep stumm (quiet) on future / possible implementations / developments ?

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-2 02:55
Thanks for the info - but as a beta-tester, aren't you supposed to keep stumm (quiet) on future /  ...

I am not a beta tester, never said I was and the pdf document was right there in plain sight for all to see.

quanthonytrang Posted at 2015-10-2 01:54
There is a social and moral responsibility that DJI has to consider - safety. There is also a bran ...

Limiting is fine to limit (pun intended), but actually some of the limits that they imposed on the waypoints are ridiculous.  Like limiting you to a total mission run of 500 Meter including the distance from home point to first way point.  Heck the first thing I tried to do was 3 waypoints and I could not do it because the mission length exceeded the 500 Meter total limit and I was not even close to being 500 Meters away from the Home Point (see picture).  I live and fly around corn fields and could not even fly a square loop around me which would at no point would have been 500 Meters away from the home point but the total length of mission restriction makes it useless.  So in my opinion they took it too far and I think they know it as I think they are changing some of those limits to be more reasonable as was seen the in the information about the newest release.

Sir Edward K Posted at 2015-10-2 10:13
I am not a beta tester, never said I was and the pdf document was right there in plain sight for a ...

Thanks for the info - didn't see any pdf.

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-2 04:56
Thanks for the info - didn't see any pdf.

I cannot put the link here as it changes it.  Sorry.

Sir Edward K Posted at 2015-10-2 17:59
This is what I read http://download.dji-innovations.com/downloads/dev/MobileSDK/en/Release_note_Fi ...

What’s New:
1. Once the firmware is updated, the current version 1.05.0011 could only be rolled back to
the 1.04.0010(latest public firmware), the downgrade to the 1.04.0005 (dev previous
firmware) couldn’t be accomplished due to the structure of the firmware.
2. Support uploading waypoints and executing flight mission when aircraft is on the ground.
3. The Waypoint Trace Length(The distance from the first waypoint to the last one) increased
from 10km to 30km.
4. The Mission Length(Waypoint Trace Length plus the distance between the current position to
the first waypoint and the distance between the last waypoint to the Home point) increased
from 15km to 40km.
5. Disallow activate Home Lock or Course Lock while the aircraft is still on the ground. Exit
Home Lock or Course lock as soon as the aircraft is landed.
6. Removed wind compensation while using control stick to control the horizontal movement of
the aircraft.

Sir Edward K Posted at 2015-10-2 03:32
Limiting is fine to limit (pun intended), but actually some of the limits that they imposed on the  ...

If you look at the image I previously posted the path length is 3.5km.  Its using the existing firmware but MapsMadeEasy to plan the mission.  Don't think new firmware is required for greater WP distances just an updated GO app.

hummingbird.uav Posted at 2015-10-2 09:14
If you look at the image I previously posted the path length is 3.5km.  Its using the existing fir ...

Yes I know,  The GO app is the limiting factor.   I want to use it in the GO App.  Can't even fly around the rural block with waypoints in the GO app.  That is why I bought an android device so I could use it with Litchi.  We will see when they release the new GO App for iOS

quanthonytrang Posted at 2015-10-2 02:54
There is a social and moral responsibility that DJI has to consider - safety. There is also a bran ...

I will sure do so build my own if this company decides to backstab me like this, and i will sure not going to use there controller.