aburkefl@gmail. Posted at 2016-1-7 14:11
You *can* fly without the app, but you'll have no video feed. So you would be flying "blind."
Ther ...

When a new SDK is released that includes the GEO, ALL 3rd party apps will need to update to use that..

sploodge Posted at 2016-1-7 10:09
When a new SDK is released that includes the GEO, ALL 3rd party apps will need to update to use th ...

I suspected that might be the case.
Thanks Sploodge.

Art - N4PJ
Leesburg, FL

sploodge Posted at 2016-1-7 10:08
Yes been using it since day 1.. My main concern is not being able to authorize zones "offline". Whe ...

Even Splooge gets my main concern.  Forcing you to have an internet connection (i.e. cell service or wifi) is going to be VERY restrictive, especially if these yellow zones (which I currently think many are outrageous to have to ask permission for) are as vast in number as they currently appear to be.

Flight Raptor Posted at 2016-1-7 20:54
Even Splooge gets my main concern.  Forcing you to have an internet connection (i.e. cell service  ...

Of-course I get the concern regarding the need for a data connection when using the App. I live in the back end of nowhere in North Wales and 3G is very limited in almost all areas I fly in ( leasure and business )..

I ( and others ) have raised this concern so its in DJI's hands to try and resolve it. Its not a big ask to not have cell data coverage being a must, especially as they made pains to always mention that a data connection is not needed to fly the P3.

It's unfortunate they've decided to do this after people have spent their money.  I'm really not happy they can enforce their own "laws".  It won't be a big problem for me, just an inconvenience, but I don't remember voting DJI into power.  There should be a choice, it shouldn't be forced upon people in different countries unless each government approves it & makes it law.

This is my advice to everyone.

Pick your Device you fly with, make sure that device never touches a wifi or cellular signal again and do not update. Essentially block any communication to the app/drone and be happy flying the way you are now. Period.

sifu128 Posted at 2016-1-7 08:35
I know the forced update will come at some point, it always happens. This firmware will be publish ...

I did a bit of legwork and Just spoke to someone in Consumer Affairs Victoria (which is the Consumer protection Agency in Australia/vic)

Basically DJI cannot legally "Force" you to update. You have to Agree to any update.  - you automatically agree to the update if you do it/use it.

Take the the example of Microsoft. They would like everybody to be on Windows 10..... They want that so badly that they are even giving it away for free!..., BUT they can't force you to do it.

What's even more frightening is that if you agree to the update to 1.07x then you Give Away Your Legal Rights to   "undisturbed possession, of those goods, so no one has a right to take the goods away or prevent you from using them" because you agree to an update that does just that!


I'm sure the laws in other countries are similar..

Just my 2cents.

The problem is DJI  just has to pull all their firmware's down leaving the last one (1.7) stating that as of such date we no longer support version 1.6 and you are boned. Once they start selling newer models with 1.7 you are screwed too and " on " forced against your will (if you want to stay with this product). I wonder how long 1.6 and other firmwares will be listed on the site for once 1.7 is publically released. Other way to screw you is for the latest version of their software to check for firmware 1.7 and tell you sorry, you need to upgrade if you want to fly your drone. In the end you can bitch all you want, upgrade and give all your rights away to fly, or dont fly and have an expensive paper weight.

sifu128 Posted at 2016-1-8 09:14
The problem is DJI  just has to pull all their firmware's down leaving the last one (1.7) stating th ...

If that happens - and DJI Stuff-Up on their implementation of GeoFence (which they seem to be doing right now) then I suspect that DJI WILL have a lot of angry/dissatisfied customers who will be activly looking at other options.

By "other options" I dont just mean other Drone Manufacturers, but Bispoke platforms as well.

Currently DJI is the market leader, and thats why they can flex a bit of muscle, but let other Drone manufacturers catch up (and some are already) and you'll see some shift in policy as soon as they realise they are not making their forecast sales figures.

I use my P3 primarly for photography, and today there are at least 2 other serious platforms I can look at! - very soon there will be more!

Also - If i find that I cant fly where I need to, and when I want to, then ill be looking to put my kit up for sale.  - Just rememer that, that effectivly means a lost sale for DJI and a gained Sale for a competitor. - I suspect many may follow...if DJI dont get their act on Geofence right!

dji-p3p1 Posted at 2016-1-8 06:48
If that happens - I suspect that DJI WILL have a lot of angry/dissatisfied customers who will be ac ...

I highly doubt they will care, they got all of our money already. Every big corporation does this, Microsoft, HP, Apple, Dell, etc. This whole thing came about because one jackass who worked for the government crashes his friends drone on the white house lawn and its blown up to a big pile of shit.

Folks, a found something really ugly in 1.6 and 1.7. If You want details please read it:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2576764

sifu128 Posted at 2016-1-8 09:53
I highly doubt they will care, they got all of our money already. Every big corporation does this,  ...

They "Had" our money when we bought the P3 a few months ago........ BUT a Successful Business Needs to ensure They HAVE Our money In The Future as well. - i.e future customers and sales to sustain a Growing business..!

Do you think they will survive even another 2 years if they Don’t take out a New Phantom/Inspire version that people will want to buy within the next 6 months/1 year?

The question is will customers flock-in to buy the new platform, or Do we as consumers have a choice....... If DJI Stuff-Up then they are going to see a decline in sales, which will hopefully make them look at things differently.

Highly Successful Businesses can go down Overnight if they get things wrong! in a compatitive world - Look at what happened to one time world leaders like Blackberry and Nokia, Ericsson! - All these companies once had a great product. They thought they knew what the customer wanted, BUT didnt listen and Failed to implement what the customer Actually wanted. - Customers stopped buying, result = Boom! Business went down.... Simple!

To be Honest - I have a Vested Interest in ensuring that DJI DONT Stuff-up!   .... all because I have invested a lot of money in their current platform, and More Importantly because i think they have a GREAT product that works really well right now.....,  but with how Geofence is being implemented, they are going about it the wrong way...,

.....And Currently DJI Dont seem to be Listening to the Concerns of their customers, and what the customers Actually want!..... Now do you see History repeating itself?

I am NOT Against GeoFencing... I think it makes the hobby we love so much safer, and may help to alleviate the perceived "Bad Image" that Drones suffer from. It will also appease the authorities (CAA, FAA etc..) and release the pressure that DJI may be under from them.

HOWEVER - There can be a BAD implementation or GOOD implementation of a GREAT thing... And currently I think GeoFence is being BADLY implemented by DJI, on a Great Idea and Fantastic Product Line-up!

dji-p3p1 Posted at 2016-1-8 07:29
They "Had" our money when we bought theP3 a few months ago........ BUT a Successful Business Needs  ...

Said perfectly!

I won't be upgrading.  And if they disable the app I guess I'll be flying without video or telemetry, I used to be pretty good at flying the smaller quads that way.
I may make a mistake and fly a few hundred feet higher than I want to, or I may even fly into a "no fly" zone.  Oh well...

.I just bought my p3 like 3 months ago...I'm in Canada and while these rules might not be coming here at the same time as U.S. and EU, I'm seriously upset. I live in Montreal and almost half the city is in a authorization zone..which F'ing doesn't make any sense...all suburbs around me are ALL authorization zones...WT-F is wrong with DJI.  On top of that authorizations are temporary which is a total cluster F. they like to sneak in small restrictions slowly every firmware to screw the users and never give an official statements in anything. Typical Asian mentality. I'm Asian too so there!
All these authorization zones are total BS. it was a mistake to buy a dji product and I won't be making the same mistake again. I just talked two of my buddies out of buying a P3 after I told them what's coming, so there, at lease dji isn't getting those $2k from them...hopefully more people will realize this and go with some other manufacturer.

To add to my Post #52 above...,

One of the Key Reasons why the Phantom 3 product line-up has been So Successful is the ability of a user to take it out of the box, Simple Set-up, and Get Flying in less then 15 minutes - Boxed to Air!

I read this in Product Reviews Again, And Again, in Publications as the Most Attractive Feature.

This coupled with the fact that when I get on Location to shoot Video, I can Unpack it from my case, do all pre/post flight checks get it running up in the air and be Confident in doing a Photo/Video Shoot in less then 5 minutes. (especially important when timing is of the essence - And it almost always is on Location).

With the way GeoFence is currently being implemented, DJI is Destroying one of the the BEST Features they have in their Products..... The ability to get up and go Spontaniously!

Please DJI  -  It Does Not Have To Be That Way!

I say it again! : There can be a BAD implementation or GOOD implementation of a GREAT thing... And currently I think GeoFence is being BADLY implemented, on a Good Idea and Great Product Line-up!

sploodge Posted at 2016-1-8 08:14
Of-course I get the concern regarding the need for a data connection when using the App. I live in  ...

Sploodge, Et All,

A Good Implementation of GeoFence is SIMPLE - Its not that hard to get over the issue if you dont have Cellular/WiFi Network connection, and keep us users Happy at the same time!

Like i suggested in one of my other posts, This Is the Behaviour of How DJI Should be doing A Better Implementation Of GeoFence:

·   Authenticate yourself First time on the Go App using Credit card, Phone Number etc.. - OneTime Authentication per UAV/Serial Number when you first load the app. (authentication is then stored, and only changed if required - Like change in Phone number or CC Details) - i.e. you dont need to Authenticate again unless your details change.

·   Keep all RED No-Fly Zones as they are. I think we would all agree they are there for a very good reason. (airports, Mil Installations, Stadiums, other high sensitive areasetc..)

·   Keep all GREEN Areas as they are. (No Contention here - I think we all agree with the current behaviour)

·   Configure the YELLOW zones, so that you can only fly in them, after ticking a check box Accepting a warning/message that you are flying in a yellow zone and your flight will be logged.  - A bit Like in the current Go App when you try to fly above 120m/400ft. – Don’t StopThe Flight if the user has accepted.

·   If you accept the Check Box in a Yellow zone then In the background get the Go App to send Auto ping/Auto Authorization to the Server to mark that you/your P3 is/has been flying in that location. (Cache the ping/Auto Authentication, if a Cellular Network is Not available at the time, to send it later*.) But DON’T stop the Flight.

Key Here is Not Stopping The Flight unless for a Very Good reason. (i.e Unless you are in a red Zone, like right next to an Airport, or in/near other sensertive area, etc.)

*This also simply resolves the issue of people not having a device that supports Cellular Data, as the Authorization, flight log is sent as soon as they connect to WiFi.

dji-p3p1 Posted at 2016-1-7 20:31
Sploodge, Et All,

A Good Implementation of GeoFence is SIMPLE - Its not that hard to get over the  ...

"A Good Implementation of GeoFence is SIMPLE"

I look at this a different way.

I spend a good deal of money on a product that was marketed to work in a certain way. There have been no laws or official regulations implemented between the time of my purchase and now. However, the manufacturer has unilaterally decided to materially change the way the product functions.

I take exception to that.

A good implementation is for items sold going forward. Mark it on the package/product literature so people can make an informed purchase. People are buying these things right now with no clue that the way it work could substantially change as soon as next week.

This is not about what is a good idea or bad idea. If I was looking to buy a quad today I probably wouldn't. I certainly would not have purchased a Phantom. It's not that geofencing is good or bad... I simply would have chosen to not be bothered with a product that implemented the system.

If the government made rules or required such a fundamental change, that's one thing. That is NOT the case in the US. These authorization zones are purely determined by DJI and the authorization system has NO official weight. Authorization does not give you any more or less "right" to fly in a particular area. If you are legally prohibited from being there, a DJI "authorization" doesn't allow you there. If you are allowed to be there, a DJI authorization should be necessary in the first place.

The argument that this system will prevent upcoming regulations is - with all due respect - complete fantasy. One day, the FAA will wake up and implement rules. A foreign company having some silly mapping system isn't going to change a thing. If authorization is what the FAA wants, they will set it up (or contract it out) themselves. A government agency is not going to "trust" a toy manufacturer to self-regulate its airspace. Especially a foreign company.

This geofence system will, IMO, just be a double-whammy of rules. We will have a flaky authorization/tracking system forced on us and then the FAA will add rule on top of that. Those rules will very likely lead to more red and yellow zones being added.

I don't know if it is a cultural thing or an age thing. Maybe I am just too jaded from seeing how regulations and bureaucracy get out of control. I am still amazed at how many people are so willing and ready to lay down and take this (along with FAA registration) - going so far as to support it.

It is an age old story. Manufacture a crisis and use it to create more restrictions. It is solving a problem that doesn't exist.

I probably won't go through the trouble of selling my Phantom. With he current outlook, I can guarantee I will never buy another or spend any more money on this hobby. I fly in the middle of nowhere - yet there are several authorization zones around me. Every one of them is in an area with spotty or no cell service. Fortunately my own property is not (yet) in an red or yellow zone. However, these scheme effectively limits my to that one small area for flights. It just isn't worth the trouble.

Remember that is is very easy to be safe and "legal" without registration or authorization. It is also very easy to be dangerous with registration and authorization. These do nothing except give the FAA and DJI a large database of credit card numbers which can be stolen.

jrm11 Posted at 2016-1-8 13:04
"A Good Implementation of GeoFence is SIMPLE"

I look at this a different way.

I Agree with everything you say, you make some good points..., However i'm talking Not about whether GeoFencing should be done or not, Which, i think, is what you are saying....,

If I was God, or if I had the "Men-In-Black" Flashy thing - i'd Scrub the Thought of Geofencing from Humanities Mind. :-)

But Im Not God..., and I dont have the flashy thing.....So.,

...  if Geofencing were to become Inevitable, and I think It will.., and DJI Currently is Hell-Bent on doing it, irrespective whether they have be comply with any regulation or not...,   then How can it be done, Intelligently (and Not a Knee Jerk Reaction) so as to impact us Least whilst still achieving the objective it set to achieve., and protecting DJI's future sales.........Hence my Constructive Suggestions, in the post above, of how it could be "simply implemented" whilst preserving the afore mentioned aims.

I wish someone from within DJI that matters would chime in. For some reason I feel that all of these very valid concerns will just fall on deaf ears.

I haven't had the chance to fly my P3P yet, but the more I read about geo fencing and DJI forcing us into this crap I am starting to regret I spent over $1400 on this product and accessories. DJI should be on the side of the consumers that bought into the company that's motto is "The future of possible." Now it's starting to sound like "The future of impossible" to fly anywhere. With all the technological advances DJI has made why can't they monitor all of their quads and hit the kill switch on some idiot that's not following safety regulations? That would be better than having the majority of us law abiding rc pilots that practice safety whenever we fly pay for the baboons that don't follow the rules and safety guidelines.

ChicagoKid23 Posted at 2016-1-8 15:42
I haven't had the chance to fly my P3P yet, but the more I read about geo fencing and DJI forcing us ...

> DJI should be on the side of the consumers that bought into the company that's motto is "The future of possible." Now it's starting to sound like "The future of impossible" to fly anywhere.



Hahahahahaha! - Nice One ChicagoKid.   

Here's a the Logo, made for you, when the New Fimware kicks in that prevents you from flying in Yellow Non-Cell areas.

I like to look at things being half full, but I can't help myself be drawn into reading good and bad news. Here's a link to a thread where an experienced phantom pilot is having issues with the beta 1.7 fw http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2576764

I have faith that DJI being the premier innovator in the drone sector will do what's right for safety and privacy at the same time keeping their customers HAPPY!

ChicagoKid23 Posted at 2016-1-8 16:26
I like to look at things being half full, but I can't help myself be drawn into reading good and bad ...

Yes - Seems Like that 1.07 Beta Link you put is Just The Start Of All The Trouble and Issues the will result in the way GeoFence is being BADLY Implemented.

I don't think DJI yet Realise how many complaints, Support issues and Tickets are going to be raised, and how many Thousands of Pilots are going to be Grounded!

They should start diverting all their Staff to man Service Desks instead of doing Sales and Other jobs......., Because Sales Will Fall and Complaints Will Drastically Rise...

I think we should all just be grateful that the Muppet that is implementing this can have no influence on our driving licenses - commercial suicide.

sinbad_uk@ntlwo Posted at 2016-1-8 18:57
I think we should all just be grateful that the Muppet that is implementing this can have no influen ...

Whilst that may be true - I don't blame DJI into looking to Implement GeoFence - I think they are really concerned about potential lawsuits if an inexperienced pilot did something silly. (and we all know there are plenty running around Scott-free) Besides I would not be surprised if they have been singled out by the authorities (CAA, FAA etc..) and are under pressure to provide some sort of solution even if there is no legal reason to comply.

With FW 1.07.x and the way GeoFence is being implemented, in my humble opinion, Here is the Fundamental reason why I think that DJI is implementing Geofence Badly.

In > FW1.07.x:
- The Focus is on Grounding the P3 BEFORE finding a reason why it CAN Fly!.

Most of the reasons we have seen so far dont make Any Sense. i.e Kite flying club that use an area only on Sunday making an area ~3 kms on all sides a permanent zone yellow, all day everyday.


They should be looking at implementing GeoFence from a different angle:

- The way GeoFence should be implemented is: - Letting the P3 Fly UNLESS there is a GOOD REASON to Ground it!

I would like to see Ford take on this mentality, make all Ford owners request permission from them before they can drive their cars. I know one thing if I had money invested in DJI I would take it out immediately and stay well clear of them. there is no difference what so ever, a car can be just as dangerous.

sinbad_uk@ntlwo Posted at 2016-1-8 08:48
I would like to see Ford take on this mentality, make all Ford owners request permission from them b ...

It is not about needing permission to drive, but to use it on a public road. You and the vehicle have to be licensed as well as have an MOT. No different. You can always drive in and out of your garage ;)

I think it is unreasonable to beat up DJI. On the contrary, it is innovative and a very clever use of available technology and will mature in time with useful feedback. I suspect they are only leading the way being possibly the largest global supplier of quadcopters to ordinary citizens like me. This is most likely not about DJI, but about government driven safe use of a new fast growing drone technology and ensuring ordinary citizen are safe guarded from things dropping out of the sky on them as well as ensuring existing air traffic is respected. Personally I see very little evidence of responsible use looking at youtube footage. These machines are hardly toys and if that is what you want, get those midget machines and fly them in the kitchen until you get tired and flog it on ebay. Have you seen how many 5min enthuisiasts there are selling after two or three flights only? Do I want them to be throwing things irresponsibly about in the air?

ejrossouw Posted at 2016-1-8 10:23
It is not about needing permission to drive, but to use it on a public road. You and the vehicle h ...

I do apologies I obviously  misunderstood it then. I thought only a total incompetent Muppet with commercial espionage in mind  would make it so you can not take off without permission.

"...  if Geofencing were to become Inevitable, and I think It will.., and DJI Currently is Hell-Bent on doing it, irrespective whether they have be comply with any regulation or not...,   then How can it be done, Intelligently (and Not a Knee Jerk Reaction) so as to impact us Least whilst still achieving the objective it set to achieve., and protecting DJI's future sales.........Hence my Constructive Suggestions, in the post above, of how it could be "simply implemented" whilst preserving the afore mentioned aims."

Good point. However, I don't see it as necessarily inevitable. It doesn't seem to be at the top of the FAA list. This is a DJI initiative. As you state, they seem hell-bent on doing it. It materially changes the way the product works, is not required by any state or federal regulation. The implementation as it currently exists is overly burdensome. I think a;; of our "constructive" suggestions fall on deaf ears. They have their idea and they are moving ahead with it - customers be damned.

The idea, process and implementation all point yo DJI taking a draconian approach. It only points to the thy system being worse in the future. Once you are locked into the geofence system, they can alter the zones at will and for any reason. This is not an FAA (or any country) system where zones are decided by a democratic process. It is no different than two kids sitting in their mom's basement and deciding "hey, let's make that zone red today." I'm being facetious, but I think you see my point about the arbitrary nature of the system as designed.


"I haven't had the chance to fly my P3P yet, but the more I read about geo fencing and DJI forcing us into this crap I am starting to regret I spent over $1400 on this product and accessories."

You are not alone. I think the future of this hobby looks bleak.


"DJI should be on the side of the consumers that bought into the company"

Exactly. This is a highly consumer-unfriendly move. They aren't just rollin over for the governments, they are showing the governments they are willing to go way beyond any regulations that are being considered.


"Whilst that may be true - I don't blame DJI into looking to Implement GeoFence - I think they are really concerned about potential lawsuits "

Unfortunately, nothing avoids lawsuits. A woman won a suit against McDonald's because her hot coffee was hot.  I would argue that such a system has the potential to create MORE lawsuits. "But DJI authorized me to fly there, so it MUST be okay, right?" It doesn't matter what you do. You can't fix stupid.


"It is not about needing permission to drive, but to use it on a public road. You and the vehicle have to be licensed as well as have an MOT. No different. You can always drive in and out of your garage ;"

Very different than vehicle registration. That was used be some to justify the FAA registration process. The analogy doesn't hold, but is especially not valid here. First, it is the government that sets the rules of the road, not Ford or Toyota. Further, many types of recreational vehicles do not need to be registered or require a license to operate. ATVS, farm machinery... all such more dangerous than a P3. In most places you don't need a registration or license to operate a vehicle on private property. Many of us have private property to fly that is much larger than a driveway. In the US at least (stemming from a concept in British, or possibly Roman law)
you do own the airspace above your property. Yes, court cases have ruled that over a certain altitude that space is "public," but they still agree you own a certain amount of it.  At the end of the day, this is a private (foreign) company regulating both private and public airspace. They can change the rules at will, without prior notice.


DJI makes a great product. The technology is amazing and it has made this hobby possible for many people. I am surprised that they would shoot themselves (and the industry) in the foot like this.

Agreed, DJI are not making up zones, those zones already exist. Effectively all they are doing is ensuring you know about them. If you have a problem with the location or size of the zones you probably need to talk to your local aviation authority or government official and have them change them. That’s not to say there may not be the odd mistake in the DJI system just that it is unlikely.

Of course pre-authorisation is a really stupid idea on the part of DJI. Personally I frequently go out not knowing exactly where I am going to fly and many of the locations I choose have no mobile network coverage. So if this functionality is enforced as-is it will lead me to look into hacking the firmware to remove the “feature”. One of the other posters had the right idea, off-line (in app) authorisation of restricted zones, with logging the information to their servers at a later date - much more acceptable.

BTW, you can bet all other commercial manufactures will implementing similar “feature sets” so I don’t think threating to changing suppliers will save you in the long run – you really need to start petitioning your local government official and press/media as to the stupidity of the “rules”. I hate to say it but joining the local flying club and petitioning in-force is probably a good idea.

Of course it would help if some of the pilots tried to be a bit more responsible in their flying habits (you know how I talking too)!

jrm11 Posted at 2016-1-8 20:59
"...  if Geofencing were to become Inevitable, and I think It will.., and DJI Currently is Hell-Bent ...

Jrm11.
Nice post!.. I like the way you think!
It's a bit late on my side of the world right now, so I'll respond tomorrow morning.

Just an idea. Would it be possible for DJI to allow a user to define a boxed area that has multiple yellow zones that would give the user the ability to move within the boxed area without requesting multiple areas? The box size would have to be limited to say a 20 or 40 mile size but it would allow the user to move take off points a considerable distance without having to request again. For me, I can travel a 100 miles in a day and enter 4 or 5 yellow zones. If I file one request for that whole area, I could do it at home with wi-fi and not worry about a zone I might have missed.

disneysw Posted at 2016-1-8 08:42
Agreed, DJI are not making up zones, those zones already exist. Effectively all they are doing is en ...

"Agreed, DJI are not making up zones, those zones already exist. Effectively all they are doing is ensuring you know about them. If you have a problem with the location or size of the zones you probably need to talk to your local aviation authority or government official and have them change them. That’s not to say there may not be the odd mistake in the DJI system just that it is unlikely. ?

I'm not sure we can agree on that. DJI many be basing their zones on the rules of individual countries - more likely available aeronautical charts.. The zones may often align with official zones. They, however, in no way are official.  The zones (currently) are not specified by any governmental entity. They may be accurate, they may be inaccurate. They are random - DJI made them up (probably based on factual data) but they are my no means legitimate. You can talk to your local government all day long - it can have no effect on the DJI zones. These zones may be more or less restrictive than actual zones. Zones may exist where they should not and many not exist where they should. This is a private program - not an official program.

"BTW, you can bet all other commercial manufactures will implementing similar “feature sets” so I don’t think threating to changing suppliers will save you in the long run – you really need to start petitioning your local government official and press/media as to the stupidity of the “rules”. "

Which will simply compound the problem. Manufacturer "A" will have one set of restrictions which will not be exactly the same as manufacturer "B." Manufacturers "C" will come along and, to entice more sales, will have less restrictions than the others. It is likely to be a mess. Your drone will fly 50 ft ahead and fall to the ground. The guy next to you will fly 45 feet and hover. The guy next to him will fly for 100 ft and keep going.

Changing suppliers will not help = agreed. Petitioning the government? A waste of time. Again, they didn't ask for this and they are not coordinating it - they are not involved at all. May as well ask the government to tell Rice Krispies to fire "Pop" because he is annoying. They are not going to get involved in a private company's program (unless it breaks the law). Which leads to...

The fact - and a big part of the problem - is there are NO RULES (in the US). The FAA has been playing circle-jerk for years on this. They can't come up with rules. If there were clear guidelines, we wouldn't be in this situation. Bureaucratic twits who wouldn't be able to hold a job at the McDonalds drive-thru if forced into the public sector. Due to their complete lack of guidance, the private sector is now in idiot mode trying to guess where this is going... thus, a ridiculous geofence implementation.


"I hate to say it but joining the local flying club and petitioning in-force is probably a good idea."

You are halfway there. START a local flying club is the better idea. The local clubs are usually AMA dinosaurs. Apologies for the generalization, but they hate us drone flyers. They blame us for the registration process and believe we are responsible for all the negative attention being brought to their hobby. AMA is a big part of the reason we have required registration - they recommended it to the FAA (although they wanted their RC flyers excluded). Sorry to state it, but beware the AMA. They are NOT our friends in this battle. AMA would be thrilled if we were legilated out of the sky. "Their" sky, where the "real" hobbyist pilots fly. Be careful going down that road - it may not lead where you think.

"Of course it would help if some of the pilots tried to be a bit more responsible in their flying habits (you know how I talking too)!"

True. However, you can't fix stupid. People do dumb thing with cars, bikes, ATVs, guns, RC planes, knives, trees, chainsaws, garden hoses... you name it. There have been serious injuries and fatalities with RC planes. All the regulation in the world will not change that. We are the victims of a perfect storm... the "drone" explosion happened at a time when the media was looking for a new "scary" thing and the military/government was using "drones" to spy and blow things up. That allowed the media to conflate the different flying machines to create a public scare.

I guess the end result is the same, but I do take exception to people perpetuating this myth that some large number of flyers are unsafe. The "problem" is manufactured and overstated. Is has  been proven that the FAA reports were "doctored" to over-inflate the numbers. This is a political witch hunt.

While I applaude DJI to pave a possible way in making drones safer, I don't think this way of implementing Geofencing is right towards the customers. I'm all in for making drones safer, but to have a commercial drone maker forcefully pushing these firmwares/softwares into existing customers drones, forcing the pilot to ask permission of a commercial actor in the market for flying is not right. I guess you can skip installing the firmware/software, but who knows what DJI will say if you have an failure with your drone half a year later? "Oh, you had an old firmware installed... Sorry, can't help you."

There is a lot of talk in EU, and then also in every individual country, about what laws should apply to drones. (Granted, some things are obvious, like it's not allowed to fly in restricted airspace). But it is not just  about the flying but also about what laws should be applied for photographing/filming with drones, and every country has it's opinion and also their government departments that should be contacted before flying with drones. Right now in Sweden they are legally attacking drone flyers saying that a drone camera is equal to a permanently fixed surveillance camera(!)

Right now DJI is just forcing itself on, trying to show the market that they are leading the way. But as not laws and regulations are the same in every country, it is not right for a commercial drone maker to make these decisions. When I fly I have to follow the rules in my country. I have to contact my closest airport if I can fly, I should not have to ask permission via a commercial drone makers software!

I got an invitation to RPAS CivOps 2016. DJI will be there, and I'm tempted to go.

I can see it being a major problem in Europe, for me anyway.

My iPad doesn't have data roaming, which basically means as soon as I leave the uk, the only internet connection I can get, is via wifi. I was under the impression it not possible to get data roaming sims for the iPad

keelbyfish@yaho Posted at 2016-1-9 09:47
I can see it being a major problem in Europe, for me anyway.

My iPad doesn't have data roaming, whi ...

Yes it is (or at least here have Ipad Air wifi&cellular it works. I went to a holiday in Spain in November and only called my operator to set the data roaming for a month.

Tried to open ( a hour ago) the geofencing map at dji website  (http://www.dji.com/flysafe/no-fly) and it is still loading.. Any info about it?

sudiste Posted at 2016-1-5 12:30
Has this version been pulled from the download section?

So we don't see it because its in BETA?