What Happens With Our Flight Information?

[johndoedoes]

When I go into the DJI App I can see a little "Tower" icon on the top left side and see it shows EVERY flight I've ever taken.

It's really cool and I like looking through all the memories and stats...but does DJI share that with anyone?

I love the feature but don't want that information shared with anyone - any idea if it's just visible to me?

Thanks!

 

[Pharm]

I don't see a tower. I see only a triangular icon. When I click on it, it asks me to log in. I've never registered with DJI so I can't log in, so I guess they have no details of my flights.

 

[johndoedoes]

I don't see a tower. I see only a triangular icon. When I click on it, it asks me to log in. I've never registered with DJI so I can't log in, so I guess they have no details of my flights.

That's what I'm talking about!

Log in and all your flights will be there...scary but true.

 

[Sky Architect]

I think they only look at ithe if you send your phantom in for repair. There's way too many drones out there to keep track of everyday. I would say that they do store it on their servers because it is saved to your profiles but as long as you don't draw attention to yourself you should be fine. That's my opinion and I can't say for sure one way or the other because I don't work there.

 

[WWK888]

I don't see a tower. I see only a triangular icon. When I click on it, it asks me to log in. I've never registered with DJI so I can't log in, so I guess they have no details of my flights.

Don't you have to register your bird with DJI before you can fly it?


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[Sky Architect]

Don't you have to register your bird with DJI before you can fly it?


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Yes lol. I had to! In order to use GO anyways. Maybe they use litchi

 

[WWK888]

That is why I was asking Pharm. It is my understanding you have to register your bird before you can actually fly it and that is when your warranty period starts too I believe. Once you register it you are free to use other apps like Litchi but you would still need to go through the DJI Go app for updates.


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[johndoedoes]

So, I was flying today next to the side of a mountain (I guess the height setting wasn't locked in on my new drone) and it went a little higher than I wanted. I also had a warning on my screen that said I was near D Airspace - but it let me fly. I'm pretty sure DJI restricts flying when you're in a NFZ so I thought I was safe. I landed it shortly after without any issues since I didn't want to get in trouble.

Could I somehow get in trouble after my flight? That's why I'm asking about the flight log. I immediately updated the setting so I wouldn't go over any height limits (even when near a mountain) and I'm currently out of state and didn't know a small airport was 5 miles away.

Thanks

 

[Pharm]

The airspace issue might be a problem but I don't know. True, you shouldn't have been flying there but whether or not anything will come of it, who knows? Always check before flying. It's YOUR responsibility to make sure you're not flying in a restricted airspace.

The altitude is not a problem if you were flying up the side of a mountain. The recommendation of 400 ft max is above ground level. If you take off at the bottom of the mountain and halfway up the mountain you might be 30 ft above the ground but 370 ft above your takeoff point. If you're 400 ft above the ground on the side of the mountain at that same point you would be 770 ft above your takeoff point but still following the guidelines because you're 400 ft above the ground. Think of it this way: the 400 ft guideline means 400 ft above the ground directly beneath your AC.

 

[johndoedoes]

The airspace issue might be a problem but I don't know. The altitude is not a problem if you were flying up the side of a mountain. The recommendation of 400 ft max is above ground level. If you take off at the bottom of the mountain and halfway up the mountain you might be 30 ft above the ground but 370 ft above your takeoff point. If you're 400 ft above the ground on the side of the mountain, you would be 770 ft above your takeoff point but still following the guidelines because you're 400 ft above the ground. Think of it this way: the 400 ft guideline means 400 ft above the ground directly beneath your AC.

Thanks. I did take off from the ground (flat) but it would have hit the side of the mountain at that height, so ended up next to it. The mountain was about 400 feet high so I just gave up trying to go over it since I didn't want to get in trouble, crash or lose it.

Why would it notify me that I was near D airspace? I thought DJI set their software up so you couldn't fly in NFZ. I love DJI but I'd rather allow their App and Map to limit us so we don't fly anywhere we shouldn't.

 

[Pharm]

That is why I was asking Pharm. It is my understanding you have to register your bird before you can actually fly it and that is when your warranty period starts too I believe. Once you register it you are free to use other apps like Litchi but you would still need to go through the DJI Go app for updates.


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Apparently not, or at least not when I started. It IS possible I registered with DJI and have forgotten but when I click the "Forgot your password?" button and enter my email, it can't find me which is why I don't think I registered. I have only one email address that I've used for years. I also don't have anything written in my password book and I never fail to keep my info there.

 

[Pharm]

I don't think you'd be in trouble unless you were specifically being targeted. I don't think they have the manpower to look at every single flight of every pilot in hopes of finding violators. On the flipside, there could be software that flags certain airspace intrusions that could pop when one occurs, leading to closer scrutiny. For now, I wouldn't worry. If you're contacted, you'll know. In the future, check out the area on B4UFly or UAVForecast, etc. first so you don't make the same mistake again.

 

[WWK888]

Do you use the Go app for your updates?


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[Pharm]

Do you use the Go app for your updates?


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I don't update.

 

[Spooky Maxwell]

I would worry more about the NSA spying on you than DJI. I don't think that they are any kind of threat.

 

[johndoedoes]

So it looks like I wasn't in a No Fly Zone (I'm near one, but not in it) but instead in an Request Permission area? I'm reading a bit about it now and it says the area I'm in is considered "Request Permission".

Looks like I need to do that going forward, I had no idea this was an option, I thought the DJI App was able to limit everything with the GPS.

 

[joesetx]

I am assuming request permission requires you to contact the tower at the local airfield. Good luck getting permission from them. You just need to find a legal place to fly.

 

[johndoedoes]

I'm on vacation so luckily I don't have to deal with this where I live. I think I'm done taking any additional drone footage on this trip and will stick to my handheld GoPro

 

[9245]

I notice Go can be a little wierd and inconsistent sometimes. I almost always fly from the same exact spot, I'm far enough from any airports to not be in danger of entering restricted airspace, yet occasionally, and apparently at random, e app will give me a warning when I power the drone on that I am in class E airspace (I am not). Yet other times (almost always), in the same spot, it has no such warning. I don't know if it has anything to do with it but I noticed it hasn't given me that warning ever since I recalibrated the IMU. The app also warns me sometimes that I am flying near a power plant when I fly over a certain area, but the plant it is warning me about was imploded about a year or two ago, yet DJI still thinks it's there and warns me whenever I fly near the site.

The technology isn't perfect, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Meta4]

It's really cool and I like looking through all the memories and stats...but does DJI share that with anyone?
I love the feature but don't want that information shared with anyone - any idea if it's just visible to me?

DJI don't ever see your flight data unless you choose to upload (cloud icon) and share it with them.

Thanks. I did take off from the ground (flat) but it would have hit the side of the mountain at that height, so ended up next to it. The mountain was about 400 feet high so I just gave up trying to go over it since I didn't want to get in trouble, crash or lose it.

No-one cares if you fly more than 400 feet above your launch point.
What does matter is how high your Phantom is above the ground directly below it.
Even the FAA knows that the earth isn't pancake flat.

Why would it notify me that I was near D airspace? I thought DJI set their software up so you couldn't fly in NFZ.

The app is just a starting point and can't be relied on to have every NFZ in the world built in.

I definitely don't want to retroactively get it trouble, so is there any way I could?

Not for this ... you don't live in North Korea.