Hi!  I know this is a topic well covered, but alas, here I am, a very prospective Mavic Pro owner, looking to figure out a still unanswered topic before I purchase.  I've done plenty of reading, I assure you, but am looking for somone that may have some hands-on experience.

I am the General Manager of a large performance venue in New York City (Manhattan; just off of Union Square).  One of my hurdles, where I've developed an interest in drone use, is to make use of a small, lightweight craft to assist with reaching a very elevated catwalk and lighting grid.  My intended use for a Mavic Pro is indoors only, allowing me to fly the craft to my lighting grid and stream live video of potential wiring anomalies, rather than crawling on a catwalk that I cannot reach comfortably.  This would only be used in an empty venue, obviously without any public, and well below ceiling level.

I am concerned about the "No Fly Zone" rules that I know exist in New York City.  With the latest Mavic Pro firmware, I am a bit deterred in thinking that I may not be able to bring my Mavic airborne as Manhattan is technically a "No Fly Zone," though my use would not be outdoors at all (but GPS-wise, I would appear in Manhattan).  I've reviewed the DJI No Fly Zone website, which does not indicate an Authorization or Restriced Zone in the area.  I suppose my question is; has anyone attempted to fly their drone indoors in Manhattan and succeeded, or will I be disappointed with not being able to go airborne because of my physical location and latest firmware limitations?

I'm unclear if the new Mavic firmware pulls its data from that very DJI No Fly Zone website, or another website.  I'm also unclear what the limitation would be if I could not fly in my building; I understand there may be height and distance prohibitions (though these do not seem well publicized), and also live streaming prohibitions, which would be a deal breaker as I'd need to see the video feed, even if I could only fly 30m up)

Any thoughts?  Thanks!

(Please save the indoor drone conversation for another thread; this is strictly to understand if the Mavic Pro is a viable purchase based on my physical proximity and use case)

Do you know if you are in a red nfz ? If in green or yellow zones you can check a couple of boxes when prompted and still fly which I have personally done but have no experience in a red zone but I don't think you can fly in a red zone.

Scott Ferguson Posted at 2017-9-6 15:11
Do you know if you are in a red nfz ? If in green or yellow zones you can check a couple of boxes when prompted and still fly which I have personally done but have no experience in a red zone but I don't think you can fly in a red zone.

According to the DJI No Fly Zone website, I am not in a red zone (the only red zones appear surrounding the three major NYC airports).  Assuming that the Mavic itself has data matching that of the DJI No Fly Zone website, I believe I'd be in good shape, then?

WalterLewis881 Posted at 2017-9-6 15:09
According to the DJI No Fly Zone website, I am not in a red zone (the only red zones appear surrounding the three major NYC airports).  Assuming that the Mavic itself has data matching that of the DJI No Fly Zone website, I believe I'd be in good shape, then?

I would think so. I normally fly into a yellow zone and get a couple question boxes to check mark and can continue flying

Scott Ferguson Posted at 2017-9-6 15:13
I would think so. I normally fly into a yellow zone and get a couple question boxes to check mark and can continue flying

Thanks for your reply.  That does somewhat put my mind at ease and does not completely deter me from the DJI community, which I'd like to be a part of.

Should anyone else read, anyone have experience specifically in Manhattan?

Confirmed the yellow zone thing, I've had to do so several times.
Another possible issue you need be aware of is the lack of intentional 'atti' mode in the mavic.  It will try to lock GPS primarily, but if it can't, you will be in 'attitude' mode which, if GPS keeps coming in and out, could be less than desireable.  How's GPS reception in the building of which you speak?
Heh... Here is what I was saying...

If your building blocks GPS signals then NFZ concerns are irrelevant as the Mavic won't know where it is. However, with a weak or nonexistent GPS signal you'll have height limitations which may prevent your intended use; from the manual, v1.6, pg. 51:

Height is restricted to 16 feet (5 meters) when the GPS signal is weak and Downward Vision System is activated.
Height is restricted to 98 feet (30 meters) when the GPS signal is weak and Downward Vision System is inactivated.

Without GPS or the Downward Vision System operating, I think the Mavic will not hover in-place, which may make it difficult to meet your use case even if the height upper-limit is sufficient. The downlink video feed won't be a problem.

Not in Manhattan, so this is for what it may be worth... I do live just inside of a red, true NFZ. If I take the drone outside, I can't even start the motors. If I stay inside (without a GSP signal) I can fly. As soon as I get close to a window or skylight, I get the 'entering NFZ - landing in 10 seconds' message (not the exact message, but you get the idea). As far as the yellow zones - as others have mentioned - you just acknowledge the message and continue to fly. Something worth considering for indoor flight without GPS - the drone will not be stable in any shape or form... It will drift and even move on it's own accord. If you are in a confined area, the optical sensors will also limit your movement and even stop your movement when you get too close to anything it sees. I suppose you could turn the sensors off. With or without GPS in an indoor environment I would say the prop guards are a must as the will be the only barrier between a bump and a potential crash.

Thanks for all of the replies.  Very helpful information.  The building internally has some GPS repeaters (we broadcast concerts live and use them for time of day and timecode burn-in), though not sure if they will impact the Mavic.  I will say that GPS on my iPhone works like a champ inside, so that may be a tell-tale sign.  All of this information is very helpful.

In the end, I was really curious to know if anyone knew where the Mavic pulls its NFZ data from.  If the DJI NFZ website is an accurate representation, then I'm sold.  If there are other sources, I'm concerned that my experience will vary from what's expected.

WalterLewis881 Posted at 2017-9-6 17:03
Thanks for all of the replies.  Very helpful information.  The building internally has some GPS repeaters (we broadcast concerts live and use them for time of day and timecode burn-in), though not sure if they will impact the Mavic.  I will say that GPS on my iPhone works like a champ inside, so that may be a tell-tale sign.  All of this information is very helpful.

In the end, I was really curious to know if anyone knew where the Mavic pulls its NFZ data from.  If the DJI NFZ website is an accurate representation, then I'm sold.  If there are other sources, I'm concerned that my experience will vary from what's expected.

Huh, interesting, you might be alright then. My understanding is the map at http://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map is canonical, changes made to that map's database are pushed out to DJI products in the field, and you may use the online map to unlock areas ahead of flights. Even if you were inside a NFZ you should be able to apply for an unlocking exemption for indoor flight, though you'd periodically have to reapply -- I believe the longest period an unlock is granted is 90 days.

WalterLewis881 Posted at 2017-9-6 17:03
Thanks for all of the replies.  Very helpful information.  The building internally has some GPS repeaters (we broadcast concerts live and use them for time of day and timecode burn-in), though not sure if they will impact the Mavic.  I will say that GPS on my iPhone works like a champ inside, so that may be a tell-tale sign.  All of this information is very helpful.

In the end, I was really curious to know if anyone knew where the Mavic pulls its NFZ data from.  If the DJI NFZ website is an accurate representation, then I'm sold.  If there are other sources, I'm concerned that my experience will vary from what's expected.

GPS signal will help the Mavic to locate the current location whether it is in NFZ. I would recommend you to contact the Flysafe Team via flysafe@dji.com for further assistance.