DJI has abandoned professionals

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Opinion: DJI has abandoned professionals

I agree 100% with this writer. DJI is not the FAA, they are not the air-police. Their firmware/flight software inaccurately implements "NFZs" and "TFRs" - it prevents a pilot from taking his/her craft off in areas in which the pilot is authorized, and there is no way to test if this error will be present at a particular site at a particular time prior to that time in that place.

We can't effectively sue them over it (check the ToS you "sign" when using the drone, arbitration and mediation only) so all we can do is complain. Via forums such as this and their own, and with our wallets. As SOON as I can find a UAS that performs as well as a Phantom 4 at a similar price point that does not employ a "Geo" system - I'm outta here. My loyalty ended the day they prevented me from using the product I purchased when I wanted to, where I wanted to (legally) and provide no option to remedy the situation. For the 3rd time in as many weeks I've gone to a location where either I've flown before or is in the middle of NO flight restrictions of any kind, and been told that I cannot take off and not offered any option to override it. My $1500 brick sat there flashing as the embarrassment in front of a client fell entirely upon me.

DJI needs not to fix, but to entirely remove their big brother Geo system. It's not their job, it's not their role, it's not their responsibility. Their responsibility should be to their paying customers. Pilots, not aircraft manufacturers, are responsible for where an aircraft GOES.

In My Humble Opinion...
 
Well that incident must have tested your patience and restraint, I would have been absolutely wild while trying to remain professional. Your experience is starting to occur over here as a number of posters are finding themselves blocked from either flying as a hobbyist or professionally with no way of overriding the restrictions in a timely manner.
CASA (your FAA) has released a 'can I fly there' app which you can check prior to venturing out. I live in the middle of a massive forest that has an airport 30 klms away and only impacts on me during the fire season with small spotter planes etc. Next to my location is a warning not to exceed 45 mtrs high due to a small airport. News to me, so I jumped on my trail bike and had a look, turns out to be an old dirt strip used during the war and overgrown with trees. To rescind that warning in the app involves either the owner (long gone/dead) or the local council to contact CASA and effect the change. The latter is not interested and neither am I.
I suspect DJI is taking the preemptive step of consolidating their market presence by appearing to appeal to their biggest market by being sincere and proactive.
You are right, it's none of their business, otherwise my 145 kW superbike would have a governor on it. It doesn't and I'm generally regarded with more contempt by the public than when I'm out flying.
 
Not so bad in my country (Czech Republic), because we are a tiny country, which nobody cares about. But the EU prepares new common law, in other words repression - and I'm sure the situation will be as bad as in the USA in a short time.
 
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Opinion: DJI has abandoned professionals

I agree 100% with this writer. DJI is not the FAA, they are not the air-police. Their firmware/flight software inaccurately implements "NFZs" and "TFRs" - it prevents a pilot from taking his/her craft off in areas in which the pilot is authorized, and there is no way to test if this error will be present at a particular site at a particular time prior to that time in that place.

We can't effectively sue them over it (check the ToS you "sign" when using the drone, arbitration and mediation only) so all we can do is complain. Via forums such as this and their own, and with our wallets. As SOON as I can find a UAS that performs as well as a Phantom 4 at a similar price point that does not employ a "Geo" system - I'm outta here. My loyalty ended the day they prevented me from using the product I purchased when I wanted to, where I wanted to (legally) and provide no option to remedy the situation. For the 3rd time in as many weeks I've gone to a location where either I've flown before or is in the middle of NO flight restrictions of any kind, and been told that I cannot take off and not offered any option to override it. My $1500 brick sat there flashing as the embarrassment in front of a client fell entirely upon me.

DJI needs not to fix, but to entirely remove their big brother Geo system. It's not their job, it's not their role, it's not their responsibility. Their responsibility should be to their paying customers. Pilots, not aircraft manufacturers, are responsible for where an aircraft GOES.

In My Humble Opinion...
This is why I no longer connect to the net.
It was good of DJI to warn us in advance so I coul6turn it off.
 
My understanding it's this, DJI is doing business around the world they need to act accordingly to the country's government in each region. They don't care about who purchases their products or what their clients opinions are but what the government or politicians opinions are in the country they doing business with.
 
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But those governments or politicians haven't spent a dime on DJI products! And, at least here in the US, have never asked DJI to implement any of the geo fencing. And there are still lots of options (e.g. Any of the Syma birds) out there without it. Sure they aren't as sophisticated as my Phantoms, but they have just as much potential to cause a problem if improperly flown. I stopped updating when DJI started get fencing so I don't have to contend with the problem and can fly perfectly legal. But, I won't even consider buying one of the newer birds such as the 4 since they would probably come with the newer, more restrictive programming.
 
In my experiences, the FAA website, the FAA app, the DJI website itself indicated no restriction - yet there I stood, again, in front of a client at the designated job time, unable to perform my contracted job. And for no good reason other then someone in China decided it.

No government in the free world (including everywhere DJI sells to) has asked DJI to implement this, they are not liable for your actions or inactions. They are not helping anyone by doing this (because people WILL (some already are) bypassing it). The only people Geo hurts are legit users who paid for what is now a brick.

I'm not asking for it to be fixed, I want it gone. It doesn't belong.
 
Sorry guys. I have to ask and I am wondering if people on the other side of the fence with a different brand is experiencing the same issues with the drone company (pick any topic/issues). Is it any green on the other side of the fence? Anyone???
 
It's not a question of DJI needing to do nothing and leaving everything up to the terrible FAA... it's a question of DJI fixing the GEO system. It started out working just fine and was far better than anything the FAA has done. But it's gotten terrible. I was flying within 5 miles of an airport and, for the first time, a window popped up over the entire display requiring me to check to boxes and agreeing to.... something. I could not take the time to read the display as my drone was up in the air and I needed to pay attention to it. I checked the two boxes and 2 seconds later... window pops up again. It kept doing this until I landed. Again, I could not see the display when this happened.

I agree 100% with DJI implementing GEO mapping. However, they DO need to fix their system.
 
It's not a question of DJI needing to do nothing and leaving everything up to the terrible FAA... it's a question of DJI fixing the GEO system. It started out working just fine and was far better than anything the FAA has done. But it's gotten terrible. I was flying within 5 miles of an airport and, for the first time, a window popped up over the entire display requiring me to check to boxes and agreeing to.... something. I could not take the time to read the display as my drone was up in the air and I needed to pay attention to it. I checked the two boxes and 2 seconds later... window pops up again. It kept doing this until I landed. Again, I could not see the display when this happened.

I agree 100% with DJI implementing GEO mapping. However, they DO need to fix their system.

I get this in my own yard, rebooting the AC gets rid of the looping messages. Mines funny because I have a 0-6500ft restricted area to the south that's a really odd shape, DJIs warning and restriction zones only come in circles. There solution was to put a circle that covers from the centre to the two extreme corners the result is a BIG circle covering three time the area of the actual NFZ. It does need a fix especially if they going to lock our aircraft anymore, I checked charts before I got mine and have clear airspace 1 mile south, half a mile east, and 5-6 miles north/west. I wouldn't have bought it if my yard and the woods to the NW really was a NFZ.
 
The issue isn't the Geo system or DJI being the air police. It's once again DJI's crap programming and software implementation. A functioning Geo system would be great as it would keep idiots from being idiots, since the FAA doesn't care to enforce the laws so people don't care to follow the laws.
 
Can somebody update me on what's going on here? I have yet to experience any issues with the Geo system, and I've flown within 5 miles of an airport under Part 107 with no problems. I just get some notification, click that I take responsibility or whatever, and away I go. Is it the newest firmware that's grounding you? I have yet to install it.
 
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Hey guys, I'm brand new here, and just bought a phantom 3 pro with the hopes of doing a little professional work on the side. This is really discouraging that these restrictions are in place by DJI. Thanks for the info.
 
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I am not sure how DJI expects to implement a workable world wide geofence when they have their hands full with just keeping their birds flyable. Just with firmware and software updates and programming they are having issues. Plus maintaining their own video editing suite.

Millions of pieces of information regarding rules, regulations, laws, bylaws, orders etc. that change constantly have to be sifted through and then deployed to every device that DJI sells. Even if it was only a monthly update - that would be an incredible task and really it needs to be updated hourly to be effective and trusted.

You can't even depend on the FAA (or Transport Canada or whoever the governing bodies are in your country) most of the time to give accurate information and DJI thinks they can do it for the entire world? Good luck.

I think they need to review what their goals are and redefine how they are going to accomplish them.
 
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Can somebody update me on what's going on here? I have yet to experience any issues with the Geo system, and I've flown within 5 miles of an airport under Part 107 with no problems. I just get some notification, click that I take responsibility or whatever, and away I go. Is it the newest firmware that's grounding you? I have yet to install it.

Your AC must be on a older firmware prior to 6/2017 update. Depending on the model you have there are 2 updates that many have installed including me that have giving nothing but headaches.
 
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The issue isn't the Geo system or DJI being the air police. It's once again DJI's crap programming and software implementation. A functioning Geo system would be great as it would keep idiots from being idiots, since the FAA doesn't care to enforce the laws so people don't care to follow the laws.

It it's not DJIs place to be the replacement air police. They are not the FAA they don't have the background, the skills, the knowledge base, the databases or the authority. DJI makes mistakes and it bricks our aircraft. FAA makes a mistake and we still fly, pilot makes a mistake and it's the pilots fault. Pilots, as humans, are always the best judge how to handle a situation. As a broken record I'll say again, we don't need to debate the technical, the legal says they aren't the air police and have no right to ground MY aircraft. For precedent: show me any aircraft that has a similar system? Wanna know why? It's a bad idea that no one asked for and no one wants.

This reminds me of gunlocks of obtrusive gun laws. Every serious gun owner I know finds them restrictive and sometimes even offensive and fights them -- yet here are some that are ok with it, these are the same who welcome Geo. Why? They think laws and rules are what keep criminals from doing wrong and ruining the image of their hobby/sport. Criminals ignore laws and bypass locks. People have already found hacks to bypass Geo (I'll be using one) because they need to. So, what benefit is the system now? The "bad" people are still being "bad" despite your attempt at policing, all you did was make life harder for those trying to be legit.

Scrap Geo, we don't want it and it isn't needed.
 
I am not sure how DJI expects to implement a workable world wide geofence when they have their hands full with just keeping their birds flyable. Just with firmware and software updates and programming they are having issues. Plus maintaining their own video editing suite.

Millions of pieces of information regarding rules, regulations, laws, bylaws, orders etc. that change constantly have to be sifted through and then deployed to every device that DJI sells. Even if it was only a monthly update - that would be an incredible task and really it needs to be updated hourly to be effective and trusted.

You can't even depend on the FAA (or Transport Canada or whoever the governing bodies are in your country) most of the time to give accurate information and DJI thinks they can do it for the entire world? Good luck.

I think they need to review what their goals are and redefine how they are going to accomplish them.

And what if you can't get an Internet connection every time you try to take off somewhere at some time and need the latest update of the database to ease some TFR or NFZ update? Bricked.

Laws change in Mongolia, how quick will DJI be on it? But your filming project for National Geographic is now screwed. President was going to be somewhere but changed plans and the TFR is lifted, how quick will DJI respond? Meanwhile, you got a brick with flashing lights instead of doing your commercial mapping gig or real estate fly over.

DJI should focus on building and keeping safely flying some of the best drones out there. They should improve their firmware upgrade process and fix the **** tilted horizon problem instead of introducing more ways to ground people's aircraft!
 
But those governments or politicians haven't spent a dime on DJI products! And, at least here in the US, have never asked DJI to implement any of the geo fencing. And there are still lots of options (e.g. Any of the Syma birds) out there without it. Sure they aren't as sophisticated as my Phantoms, but they have just as much potential to cause a problem if improperly flown. I stopped updating when DJI started get fencing so I don't have to contend with the problem and can fly perfectly legal. But, I won't even consider buying one of the newer birds such as the 4 since they would probably come with the newer, more restrictive programming.

My thoughts exactly.
Prior to the update I would have bought a P4P but now I'll just stick with my P3Ps
 

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