Will You Upgrade to New GEO Firmware/App?

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I have 100% no problem with no-fly zones and I registered my P3S with the FAA, but this new beta firmware/app that DJI is testing seems a bit over-the top. Why do they feel they need to micro-manage their drone users? If anything happens, it's on the pilot - not the drone maker.

There is now the need to unlock via a registered account if you want to fly in a questionable area. I live in the middle of Iowa, so there are few restrictions except municipal airports (which I never even *think* of flying close to - the biggest danger for me is low-flying civilian planes and crop-dusters which might only be 30ft off the ground).

How long until they start geofencing from the home point, so we can only, say, fly 200M away? Is this a legitimate concern?
 
You have to remember that there are "pilots" out there that are not like us, who know the rules and have safety in mind. I think they should Geofence most airports so idiots can't get close enough to a passenger jet and kill my family. Other than that, I say let us be.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
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Agree with Shimien, but maybe we should also have a fencing method for real pilots from flying below 1000 ft above residential (unless emergency) as the rules state, and 500 AGL rural.

We get low flyers once in a while that shouldn't be as low as they are over the neighborhood. Plane Finder is a great app...you can spot them, get their tail #, and report them.
 
I have 100% no problem with no-fly zones and I registered my P3S with the FAA, but this new beta firmware/app that DJI is testing seems a bit over-the top. Why do they feel they need to micro-manage their drone users? If anything happens, it's on the pilot - not the drone maker.
Phantoms have had geofencing since the P2 days.
DJI is testing a new system to provide less restriction rather than more.
It will take them a while to iron out all the bugs - that why they are testing.

How long until they start geofencing from the home point, so we can only, say, fly 200M away? Is this a legitimate concern?
There's no indication that DJI would ever do that.
The P3 can fly miles away from you and DJI have not made any effort to limit that (despite the gloom and doom predictions of some forum members)
 
You guys might not think DJI is making "Progress" if you lived someplace like Portland, where the No-Fly "Authorization" Zones have multiplied about 10 times in the last 2 weeks.

Here's Airmap's view of the Portland area on Tuesday. This is what DJI's zones looked like a couple weeks ago:

image.jpeg


Here' what I found on DJI's NFZ authorization page Tuesday, when I was preparing a presentation for a local airport advisory committee:

image.jpeg


They've gone from 9 to about 90 NFZs. Almost all of the additions are actual private airports on somebody's little farm, just barely large enough to mow a 1200 foot strip in a field, that only one airplane (at most) uses. Most of them haven't actually been used for years. A lot of them were there, showing on sectional charts, when I was learning to fly 50 years ago.

They are still listed because nobody wants to lose the right to have a private airport on their land, which could reduce their property value.

In this mess, there are many places where these "airport" NFZs are stacked 4-6 deep. There's a new NFZ over my house due to a private seaplane base, 4.5 miles away on the river, that's basically just a dock out front of a guys house. Once in a while, in the summer, there might be a seaplane there. Never seen one anywhere near my house though. Good luck contacting the tower or airport manager at any of these.

One more picture for you:

image.jpeg


The brown grass strip next to the road is Meyer Riverside Airpark. DJI has decided that this major airport requires me to get "authorized" to fly in a park 4.7 miles away that I use for testing.

Good thing I took screen shots of the map on Tuesday. Since then DJI won't even let me look at the map unless I agree to their new 5459 word "DJI Go App Terms of Use". I won't click on the agree button. Technically, I would be violating the terms just by posting the above screen shot of the NFZ map. That gives DJI the right to terminate my account or block my use of the Service/Go App. I would actually be agreeing that DJI can "terminate your access to the Service at any time for any reason or no reason ...without notice" (paragraph 6).

All this goes far beyond typical CYA license agreements.

The way NFZs are being implemented in my area bears no relation to any FAA requirement or recommendation. You couldn't even make a halfway reasonable case that National Airspace is being made the slightest bit safer.
 
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You guys might not think DJI is making "Progress" if you lived someplace like Portland, where the No-Fly "Authorization" Zones have multiplied about 10 times in the last 2 weeks.

Here's Airmap's view of the Portland area on Tuesday. This is what DJI's zones looked like a couple weeks ago:

View attachment 42490

Here' what I found on DJI's NFZ authorization page Tuesday, when I was preparing a presentation for a local airport advisory committee:

View attachment 42491

They've gone from 9 to about 90 NFZs. Almost all of the additions are actual private airports on somebody's little farm, just barely large enough to mow a 1200 foot strip in a field, that only one airplane (at most) uses. Most of them haven't actually been used for years. A lot of them were there, showing on sectional charts, when I was learning to fly 50 years ago.

They are still listed because nobody wants to lose the right to have a private airport on their land, which could reduce their property value.

In this mess, there are many places where these "airport" NFZs are stacked 4-6 deep. There's a new NFZ over my house due to a private seaplane base, 4.5 miles away on the river, that's basically just a dock out front of a guys house. Once in a while, in the summer, there might be a seaplane there. Never seen one anywhere near my house though. Good luck contacting the tower or airport manager at any of these.

One more picture for you:

View attachment 42492

The brown grass strip next to the road is Meyer Riverside Airpark. DJI has decided that this major airport requires me to get "authorized" to fly in a park 4.7 miles away that I use for testing.

Good thing I took screen shots of the map on Tuesday. Since then DJI won't even let me look at the map unless I agree to their new 5459 word "DJI Go App Terms of Use". I won't click on the agree button. Technically, I would be violating the terms just by posting the above screen shot of the NFZ map. That gives DJI the right to terminate my account or block my use of the Service/Go App. I would actually be agreeing that DJI can "terminate your access to the Service at any time for any reason or no reason ...without notice" (paragraph 6).

All this goes far beyond typical CYA license agreements.

The way NFZs are being implemented in my area bears no relation to any FAA requirement or recommendation. You couldn't even make a halfway reasonable case that National Airspace is being made the slightest bit safer.

This is insane - thank you very much for sharing. As I noted above, I live in rural Iowa and there are a good number of farmers with private airstrips. Additionally many of the towns around me have a municipal airport, but I'm probably 10 miles away from the closest.

I'm a bit scared to try the beta as I fear the entire map will just be yellow... Hopefully DJI is listening to complaints and fixes this problem before it gets worse.
 
I'm a bit scared to try the beta as I fear the entire map will just be yellow... Hopefully DJI is listening to complaints and fixes this problem before it gets worse.
Why would you want to get involved in the beta test?
Everyone knows it's all over the place and not want DJI want to implement.
Just enjoy what you've got and wait patiently.
nobody is forcing anyone to get involved.
 
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Why would you want to get involved in the beta test?
Everyone knows it's all over the place and not want DJI want to implement.
Just enjoy what you've got and wait patiently.
nobody is forcing anyone to get involved.

Same reason I do any beta test - to get a glimpse of the future and give my feedback.
 

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