Hi, trying to fly in class c airspace up to 200' which was approved via LAANC. I have a
Phantom 4 pro + and it won't let me take off because it thinks I'm in a no fly zone. Anyway to work around this? Thanks!
This happened to me last weekend. I lost the job, reference, great referral, and $600– wasted liability coverage for a job I couldn’t fly because of DJI.
I got a letter from the FAA approving what I planned to do :— fly a mission staying under 100 feet, a quarter mile distance.
I went to fly the mission. Everything was go until I tried to take off. Restricted airspace— ok, I know- but there was no place to enter my approval information. I called DJI customer service, and asked what to do. They told me to open their airspace app and request permission there. The app asked for my controller and drone serial numbers, and all that other fun stuff you fill out for a waiver.
10 minutes later, a text comes back saying rejected. I called again, and was asked for the reason why. The email said I have to submit the flight request through a web page, link given, instead of doing it through the app. Ok, I copied the link into another browser window that brought up the exact same page. I did everything and submitted it again. 10 minutes, and I get another rejection email.
This job was to record aerial images of a Caribbean festival— the client designed the setup of the entire operation, putting live musicians vendor tents, dance areas, food services, and pathways for people to walk around easily.
I tried for four hours to get that drone into the air. All the fields and flight parameters were correct. When I called the third time, I got a recording, Both operators are busy now, please sit on hold and listen to awful music,…… the better part of another hour goes by, things are winding down, people are leaving, and I could fly.
The FAA has the final word when it comes to waivers for flying in restricted airspace. I have asked DJI for compensation— this situation was of their making.
The next day I reached someone who said that instead of selecting a zone on a map designating where I wished to fly, I should have drawn around the area with a finger. This seems counterintuitive— most of the applications I know for requesting waivers start with a point on the map, then select a maximum distance you plan to fly from that point, and you get a circular radius to specify boundaries. You’re asked to enter a value less than 400, or a smaller value if the height limit is lower for that place.
This **** software problem ruined the job I was trying to do. DJI stepped in over the FAA with respect to this waiver.
I see someone else here has experienced the exact same thing.
Why, DJI?
It isn’t your place to overstep the FAA. They decide who can fly what, when, how and where— is that not right???
A reply with some tangible compensation for this debacle is in order, and I don’t mean the set of propellers one of your “supervisors” offered me.
Your support team was clueless. Passing the buck is all they did, and each time I was told that the next person would fix my problem, it was not true. Nobody knew what any other people has said, or was able to correct the false information I was given, every time!
Hours! Trying to take off! Hours! With my flight controls locked because DJI wants to play God— and ignore the FAA.
Who else has had their work ruined this way,
BY DJI!??!