DJI's zones are ABSURD. I fly along a river in class E airspace with a 700 foot harddeck. The FAA doesnt care about my flying in this area, but DJI restricts me from flying in them. Its sad that DJI feels the need to operate these geofencing. I can request an instant approval to unlock this zone. It should be a warning that I have to acknowledge. I have no problems with a reminder or alert like this to make me aware of areas around me. However thats where it should end. Let me acknowledge and take responsibility for my flight.
Agreed! I live in South Florida which is a horrible overlapping maze of restrictions between airports, national parks, a security sensitive areas. FAA/ LAANC is fine the DJI over reach (my opinion) with their geofencing restrictions is something I will be avoiding shortly. I am do for an upgrade/new drone and Autel is high on the list.
The flight range for the Autel Evo 2 Pro is awesome! I was able to fly power lines beyond corners, over hills, and get two miles away. Could not do this with A2s or Mavic 2 Pro. Saved me alot of time moving to cover more distance. Also, Autel smart (?) controller is wonderful!
Just got my first dji drone. Now I may return this mini 3. I know I am close to a restricted area, but it is literally 100 feet from my house. I have flown my exo drones many times. All I want to do is fly high enough to inspect my gutters. 15 feet off the ground. I guess I will return this one and let me decide where to fly.
Laaanc approvel is 1 thing. Them blocking me from flying in a blue zone is ridiculous. I know I can fly there. Everybody flies there. Very annoying. I understand why DJI is super strict. They don't want the government banning them. The unlock process should be easier. We assume the risk when we fly.
Since LAANC is already needed for every proper drone flight anyway, I wish LAANC and DJI would have a simple two-point authorization deal where the FAA sends the pilot a unique code to copy/paste into the DJI app in order to take off. Geofencing by the manufacturer is just too clunky and unreliable for flight planning. Rant over. Great video though, super helpful.
@@luismartinez-my1nk it literally takes seconds to do. It’s basically confirmation from the FAA that your flight plan is legal. If you just don’t give a f*ck and habitually fly in controlled airspace without LAANC, you’re just asking to get fined one day.
@@peterwonaprize What are you talking about? You said: LAANC is already needed for every proper drone flight anyway". Authorization is ONLY required in CONTROLLED airspace. I don't break FAA regulations; in fact, I teach an FAA exam prep class to public safety agencies, been flying UAS since 2015, and airplanes since 1969. (hold an FAA commercial rating).
@@luismartinez-my1nk so you’re agreeing that LAANC is required in controlled airspace. If you’re in uncontrolled airspace, yes you don’t need LAANC authorization. But even in uncontrolled airspace I’d still check with LAANC maps anyway to be 100% sure there’s no TFR’s in the area, which does happen occasionally (at least where I live). My point still stands that pilots should check FAA data first, and shouldn’t rely solely on manufacturer geofencing.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. This is the only Comprehensive and clear instructions on how to proceed through the entire process. ADDITIONAL TIP: I was having problems downloading the unlock file to my controller even after connecting it to the wi-fi. Turns out I was no longer logged into my DJI account but it wasn't obvious. I was getting a server error instead of a prompt to log in.
This has been the absolute worst process for using LAANC authorized missions. It used to be much simpler and this is so ridiculous. You kill your aircraft batteries just taking so long getting unlocked.
It's crazy. In my area (Bridge City, TX), DJI imposes a restriction over a power plant - HUH? There's no FAA restriction over power plants, and DJI completely ignores the Class E airport to the north. And then, even more confusingly, imposes restrictions over a ton of residential and light commercial areas for no particular reason. It puts a restriction on one side of the Neches River, but not the other, and no restriction over the two bridges that cross the Neches. It's just flat ridiculous.
I applied and have approval from DJI to fly in a restrictive zone. I completed the process connecting my RC controller and importing my license to the drone. I understand that I have to turn off my GEO button under the "Safety" tab to take off while not in a restrictive zone. My question is this, my drone will take off in a non restricted area but within 200 feet it enters a no fly zone. When I get the warning do I then go to the "Safety" tab and "unlock" using my approval; license? I hope I'm making sense. I'm trying to fly over a beach area but when about half way I enter a no fly zone. There is a small airport about 3 miles away. I just want to make sure that my drone will come back. Thanks for reading.
I have had to unlock geo zones about 5 times and have struggled with it every time. After the request is approved, can you go through the process of unlocking on the controller at your house and then go to the location to fly or do you have to be at your flight location to unlock it?
Great video with clear and concise explanations. Thanks for making this. When I first started flying I found this process incredibly confusing, but you did a really good job of making it understandable.
I was going to buy a Mavic 3 after having used a Mini 3 for a few months now. I never ran into a restricted zone problem until today. They can kiss that money goodbye lol. I'll be looking into what alternatives I can find, up for suggestions!
The bottom line is more and more restrictions. Getting more and more difficult to fly in any metro area. Fly in rural areas. And the video you just showed is probably beyond VLOS. It is impossible to be in 100% compliance. But the question is this. Does the FAA need to actually see you in real time?
First time came across the issue , I was in authorization zone but my mobile internet is lost. It never happened to me. Idk who stopped my net such that I wont fly there lol. I left the area and after a while, I got my net back. Funny but I’m going to try there again to see what’s stopping me.
Outstanding demonstration on understanding and unlocking Geofencing with DJI drones! It took me a while to be comfortable with this unlocking process but it does get easier over time. Surely, it is NOT my favorite thing to do! It does have pros and cons because it can keep an ignorant person out of trouble because the drone just will not take off at all in a restricted zone without DJI clearance. However, the lesser zones that allow take off becomes the pilots responsibility or could be an expensive headache. By the way... I am against the upcoming Remote ID regulation coming in September but I will not be breaking any rules. Thanks for sharing.
Haven't been able to complete the process and have turned down 3 jobs. Lately, if my client is paying enough, I just pay to go up quickly in a helicopter and get the job done, not making much money, and move on and my client is happy... My own country says ok but another one says no. Insane.
This video is so helpful. I’m in a same situation here in New Jersey. I’m with a couple miles of Somerset airport. It’s an uncontrolled field, but planes are flying around here all the time. Actually I have about 150 hours out of that airport flying a couple of their Cherokees. I’m gonna have to go over and over and over again to check out what you did here but it’s absolutely perfect for my scenario. FYI, about six months a friend of mine is gonna be moving to St. George.
Quick question on FAA approval. I’m planning an upcoming flight in a small Class D airport. I’ve reached out to the airport manager and he said it’s fine, and that he will issue a NOTAM for the day of the flight. My question…is there further FAA approval required? I don’t have anything in writing as of yet to upload to the DJI unlock process, until the NOTAM is issued.
It’s annoying I get authorization and my drone gets delayed for a few minutes This actually pisses me off because I got the drone so I could get sunrises and sunsets
at 8:55 in this video I don't get the Import to Aircraft, I still get "Aircraft Disconnected" even thou I have done everything from an update firmware to connecting to WIFI and Bluetooth at home and out in the field. Anyone else have this issue?
Great video Ken! Nice work. That's going to help a lot of people. IMO DJI should provide full geofencing waivers to those with a 107...but that's me. ;-)
I wish I saw this video a few weeks ago when I had FAA approval to fly in an area and my drone would not take off! I was so confused. Thank you for this explanation. New subscriber 👍
Great video, I have a mini 3 pro. I live in an authorization zone. I go to my fly safe site and unlock it, but it only gives me I believe 48 hrs. I have to keep going back to unlock the zone. Do you know a way I can get it unlocked for a longer period of time? If you can help, that would be great ,Thanks
I have a mini 3 pro.anf had this experience, yes it was in a restricted zone and I was going to fly inside a very large shed used to house a model railway Thought I could get some good aerial shots and thought I'm not flying illegal as I'm no outdoors. Well it did take off and ran for a few minutes but then got a warning saying restricted zone and the drone would land in it slowed a count down and it was 97 second and counting down
I ‘guess’..or SUPPOSE you could file this under personal opinion. I think it’s BOGUS..BIG-time, that a FOREIGN entity, a foreign MANUFACTURER of virtually any product, unless government sanctioned or has in place some form of government influence (OUTSIDE of what they ALREADY do), a voluntary policy of this magnitude WITH THIS AMOUNT OF “interference”..or again influence. This is FAA territory. Basically DJI has become an “arm” of a governmental agency from OUTSIDE our country..even being at the SAME time, a completely separate but albeit “unofficial” adversary untrustworthy by AT LEAST half of our government! The ‘questionable’ politicians that the OTHER HALF cannot trust. What a conundrum for the rest of us…
And just an FYI. The faa won't punish you if you accidentally break a regulation. Unless you force an aircraft to avoid you or you do other dangerous things. Always double check. I fly near an uncontrolled airport. There's no laanc approval needed yet dji will stop me Unless I unlock the zone. Always double-check on an FAA approved website.
Ken , YOU ARE a typical lawbreaker, a rebellious! MATURE, MAN ! What do you want to achieve? If you're Yankee guy , I understand as only Yankees don't give a crap on any laws !! but if you're not, then shame on yourself!
My DJI app has a search bar, “before you fly” pop up, quick transfer, and service buttons stuck on my Home Screen and I can’t access my gallery because of it. I have a Mavic Air 2 and had the controller that uses my phone as the screen. How can I get rid of this?
Great tutorial. But how do I get FAA approval? I'm just a hobbyist trying to practice my flying, and to video sunsets. I've flown other drones in this same area. But my new DJI is telling me I'm in an unauthorized zone. There is a hospital a mile away, but I'm not in the red zone. Weird and frustrating.
I've spent about 3 hours today trying to fly in an authorization zone for which I have been approved. Problem is that even though the licenses show up on my controller there is no button for "import to aircraft." I'm doing this from home with WiFi. If you can help it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
thanks, but if you are like me and still fly with DJI FPV drones, none of this works as easy as you made it. I had been flying with a db120 module, along with guidance from FAA limitation maps, all was good. like a dumb ass i updated the firmware, which added the remoteID function and now i have too many hoops to jump to. what commercial pilot has that much time? ill just use my home builts with a module, until DJI gets with the program. great video though.
Dji is the most popular drone manufacturer. Our politicians like to pick on DJI in ways they don't pick on other drone manufacturers. I understand why they are doing what they are doing, but it's too strict.
Under devices it is saying the dji mini 4 pro does not support this unlocking type. Can I not unlock a custom zone with a mini 4 pro? Or am I doing something wrong?
This is almost convincing me to not get the rc with the screen. I don't have a way to make a wifi hot spot and don't see a way to justify spending more money to make my life more difficult. Even if you can do all of this from home beforehand how can you ever be sure that the location you're heading to isn't mislabeled in the geofencing? Should you just go through the entire process every time?
This is so handy thanks, I'm in the UK but I'm sure it still applies for everything else, I just need to work out how to get CAA approval (our version of FAA).
I am confused about something. Tomorrow I have a job in a blue authorization zone due to it being close to an executive airport. Do I have to submit an unlock request online beforehand like I would for a restricted zone or is this a case where I just have to provide my phone number via the app and get a code to unlock?
Hey Quick Question, How did you obtain the Approval from the FAA to be able to screenshot it and upload it to the application for flight approval on the FlySafe App
Ive got my GEO zone approved via app, but wont come up on my rc controller to sync into aircraft even when i have internet says "no unlocking licenses"
Hi I would like to thank you for your video on unlocking Geozon. I am a licensed UAS pilot and this topic is important to me Thanks Robert Czech Republic
Thank you for a very informative video. Just one question. When unlocking a DJI Authorisation Zone what is the answer to the question have you got authorisation, when the zone you wish to unlock is outside the published CAA’s (or FAA’s) airport restriction? By the way, I am not in Utah.
i need to unlock the 500m altitude limit on my mini 3, is that possible? I often fly in the mountains and loose signal after a few hundred meters because the mountains are so big.
Thank you so much for the well done video and VERY informative subject matter. AND what could be complicated/confusing subject matter laid out in a very fluid and understandable way.. Thanks again..Well Done..
I have an issue with an "uncontrolled airport" so no tower. FAA has no boundaries noted on the FAA Data map and stated we just need to follow Part 107 (i believe they said Zone G). Will the Fly Safe Unlock Request still work in this instance?
This is a great video and I'm especially glad you mentioned wake turbulence. But as an airline pilot, I want to clarify one point about that. The degree of wake turbulence is not a function of the power source of the airplane. All fixed wing airplanes produce wake turbulence, whether powered by jet engines or propellers. The larger the aircraft, the greater the wake turbulence. There are some very large propeller driven aircraft that can produce wake turbulence just as great as a passenger jet. The military C-130 is one such aircraft that operates at both military and civilian airports. When legally operating underneath a flight path, drone pilots should be aware of any large aircraft passing overhead, not just jet aircraft.
I live in a blue geo zone and have permission but some days I forget to unlock it before I leave where I have wifi do I have to do this every day before flight? I cannot figure out how to unlock these zones If I do not take off in them first and get permission
In Europe is hard to do preplanning, because you have no idea if the wind in that day will be good to fly or not. The weather is changing from hour to hour sometimes.
Super video explaining a complex process. What a chore is all I can say. I live in the SF Bay area and things are pretty locked down here, which will no doubt impact my drone purchase choice: Mini 3 Pro vs. Nano+. This brings up the general topic of the geofenced DJI world vs the non-fenced world of Autel, which matters to me for doing work. Several months ago, your review of those 2 drones was quite good, but I understand that Autel has pushed out additional firmware updates that appear to be cleaning up the Nano+'s rough spots. In particular, are you aware of improved flight tracking and stability? I also noticed that there seemed to be spurious camera and/or drone movements, have those been improved? TIA, SBardley
Excellent video! I wish I'd known they made it this complicated before I had a gig in a geofenced area, and had to scrap the shot because I couldn't figure it out in the field with just controller and phone.
Nice rational explanation on the process. It might be worth mentioning that DJI uses a different theory from the FAA for creating its restricted zones. It is based on aircraft flight paths on and off the runways. DJI restricts where the aircraft are most likely to be in the approaches to a particular airport. They did not choose the zones just to give us a hard time. The FAA chose the easier means to create zones - in most cases just draw circles.
So, what happens if my 24hours permitted to fly in NFZ just ended and the from is on the air? Let's said, yesterday at 14:00 hours I get my fly approve and next day at 13:45 I start fly but at 14:00 the drone still 300 meters far flying coming home?
