Forced to Take DJI Exam?!?

[Meta4]

Mine persists in offering the test even after passing it.
How would you feel if every time you hopped in your car it decided to give you a pop quiz road test or you don't drive?

My first thought would be that since others aren't having this issue, perhaps I need to see if I am doing something wrong?

Responding to your assertion it was mitigation for DJI.
It mitigates nothing, at best it is something they can point to and say "we told them so".
...
So no - I do NOT understand the purpose.

You are correct - you haven't understood the purpose of the test.
When I bought my Phantom, it came with a small sheet of paper advising me of the rules that apply and directing me to a website for more info.
That was DJI's attempt to let me know that there are rules but it was very easy to ignore.
With the new test (developed in conjunction with the FAA), they have taken this concept a little further.
Where some users could easily ignore a piece of paper, they can't ignore the test and find out that there are rules.
The test is an awareness campaign for new flyers.

See also post #210 above: Forced to Take DJI Exam?!?
.... for another good reason for the test.

 

[Brojon]

My first thought would be that since others aren't having this issue, perhaps I need to see if I am doing something wrong?

Nope - I have two drones - the Mavic asked the test and promptly shut up.
The Phantom pretends I never did it - repeatedly.

You are correct - you haven't understood the purpose of the test.
When I bought my Phantom, it came with a small sheet of paper advising me of the rules that apply and directing me to a website for more info.
That was DJI's attempt to let me know that there are rules but it was very easy to ignore.
With the new test (developed in conjunction with the FAA), they have taken this concept a little further.
Where some users could easily ignore a piece of paper, they can't ignore the test and find out that there are rules.
The test is an awareness campaign for new flyers.

See also post #210 above: Forced to Take DJI Exam?!?
.... for another good reason for the test.

You are begging the question since I clearly stated very good reasons why it is absolutely unnecessary.
But hey, if you're ok with it then that's ok - I'd just appreciate it if you'd acknowledge that for many of us it's pointless and stupid.
Both sides being equally valid opinions and all that.

 

[Meta4]

You are begging the question since I clearly stated very good reasons why it is absolutely unnecessary.
But hey, if you're ok with it then that's ok - I'd just appreciate it if you'd acknowledge that for many of us it's pointless and stupid.

I have made similar comments elsewhere in the thread but I think the two points I made above are good reasons reasons for a test that isn't a serious impediment to your flying.

 

[Brojon]

You're ignoring the part about respecting opinions. Your turn.

 

[GadgetGuy]

If the App triggers the test then why can't you just close the Ap completely and fly the aircraft manually back home?

Am I missing something here? The Tx to Rx connection is still there even if the device running the ap is removed. Granted you won't have all the telemetry and such but you can still FLY the aircraft but this assumes you are a responsible UAS Operator and have learned to fly (guide the aircraft) enough without the display device so you can land safely should it just happen to die. ????

You certainly can, or you could just use the autonomous RTH function from the RC, as suggested by an earlier poster. However, the mission itself and the flight are now interrupted, and the opportunity for any prospective video and stills destroyed. If this was a perfectly timed flight, to coincide with ideal sunset lighting at the decisive moment, whether shot commercially or recreationally, DJI's silly quiz has ruined the moment and the opportunity! Completing the quiz in this situation, in flight, may also jeopardize the ability to safely return on the remaining battery, on a well planned mission, where the margins may have already been tight. Any possibility that the quiz can pop up during flight is completely unacceptable. Now that we now also have multiple reports that the quiz is still repeatedly popping up, even after being successfully completed, it is clear to me that DJI's implementation of this "feature" is flawed, just like their buggy GEO, which keeps commercial operators from being able to reliably depend upon operable DJI equipment when it counts!

 

[GadgetGuy]

I have made similar comments elsewhere in the thread but I think the two points I made above are good reasons reasons for a test that isn't a serious impediment to your flying.

The operative words being "that isn't a serious impediment to your flying."
With a report of an inflight quiz popup that cannot be bypassed, and reports that the quiz keeps representing itself, even after successful completion, the current, buggy implementation of the quiz is a potentially serious impediment to your flying. It isn't ready for prime time, and was rolled out to the masses from beta, before all the bugs were eliminated, just like GEO (which is finally getting better!).

 

[sshephard]

Lol! Sheep. How many have taken exams from Toyota, Ford, Chevy, the last time they bought a car? Took an exam for Black and Decker when they bought a drill? Taken a manufacturer’s exam for anything they’ve purchased, EVER? Do you think there’s a reason the US Government banned any government use of DJI products? LOL!

I stop at stop signs. I’m a sheep. I wait in line at fast food restaurants. I’m a sheep. I obey the law even when there are no law enforcement officers present. I’m a sheep. I take a drivers exam to legally drive my car. I’m a sheep. I sit in my assigned seat at sporting events. I’m a sheep. I took the DJI preflight test. I’m really a sheep. It’s good that you challenge our thinking Max, but it seems that we often have to jump through hoops to live in an ordered and safe society.

 

[Brojon]

I stop at stop signs. I’m a sheep. I wait in line at fast food restaurants. I’m a sheep. I obey the law even when there are no law enforcement officers present. I’m a sheep. I take a drivers exam to legally drive my car. I’m a sheep. I sit in my assigned seat at sporting events. I’m a sheep. I took the DJI preflight test. I’m really a sheep. It’s good that you challenge our thinking Max, but it seems that we often have to jump through hoops to live in an ordered and safe society.

The difference being those are not consumer products and are mandated by a representative authority.
If the FAA mandated the test I don't think there would be as much argument but DJI just took it upon themselves to demand this of unwilling (for teh most part) customers that did not agree to this treatment whn they purchased the product.
Do you think it would affect sales if this was written prominently on the box?
"Customer must pass test or aircraft will not function to full capability"

 

[Helihover]

The difference being those are not consumer products and are mandated by a representative authority.
If the FAA mandated the test I don't think there would be as much argument but DJI just took it upon themselves to demand this of unwilling (for teh most part) customers that did not agree to this treatment whn they purchased the product.
Do you think it would affect sales if this was written prominently on the box?
"Customer must pass test or aircraft will not function to full capability"

People are not unwilling for the most part. You have a few people on here complaining about it. Seems to me, for the most part, people with a head on their shoulders feel this could be a good idea.

 

[Brojon]

People are not unwilling for the most part. You have a few people on here complaining about it. Seems to me, for the most part, people with a head on their shoulders feel this could be a good idea.

No need for ad hominem attacks - it is possible to disagree and remain civil.

 

[BigAl07]

Do you think it would affect sales if this was written prominently on the box?
"Customer must pass test or aircraft will not function to full capability"

I seriously doubt it but if it did that would be even BETTER!

I sincerely wish they would be required to provide more written documentation in each and every box. Even better would be requiring the documentation and a test to prove you understood the subject matter before the props would even begin to turn.

 

[Brojon]

Whew - freedom and personal responsibility seem to be out of vogue at the moment.
No need to think when somebody else will tell you how and when.

 

[BigAl07]

No need for ad hominem attacks - it is possible to disagree and remain civil.

This is all getting "borderline" and if we can't get back on track and NOT make it personal this thread will get shut down for good.

 

[GadgetGuy]

This is all getting "borderline" and if we can't get back on track and NOT make it personal this thread will get shut down for good.

Thanks for cleaning up the previous personal attacks!

 

[Home Inspector]

All of the tests you listed have one thing in common. Each was required by a state, local or federal government body. The issue I think most folks have is DJI is a private company. Many people feel it’s a case of over reach.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Imagine you have been legally driving your car for almost 2 years. The manufacturer of the car regularly updates the car software, to fix bugs and add new features. This time, after deciding that you need to pass THEIR safety test to drive the car you bought from them last year, their newest software update creates a mandatory interlock that imposes this test upon you at random, forcing you to take their test to continue to drive the car you already own. At the very least, when it must be completed to continue, it's an imposition that will delay your planned trip. Imagine that occurs before a trip to the ER when lives are at stake! It's not voluntary. It apparently can also pop up during driving! The test sounds like a good idea. However, its implementation is flawed, and certainly raises the question of should the manufacturer ever be in a position to brick your car without legal authority, merely because they are concerned about their liability, since when they sold it to you, they advertised features they knew were illegal to use in your country.

 

[N017RW]

GG you have a rich history here of positive contributions.
You have passionate beliefs.
But I believe comparing the every-man’s Chinese wirelessly controlled toy drone to highly regulated automobiles, and the requirements to operate them in public, is a flawed one.
Imagine the same requirements to operate a drone in the Public NAS as a car... it may become a possibility, then what?

 

[GadgetGuy]

GG you have a rich history here of positive contributions.
You have passionate beliefs.
But I believe comparing the every-man’s Chinese wirelessly controlled toy drone to highly regulated automobiles, and the requirements to operate them in public, is a flawed one.
Imagine the same requirements to operate a drone in the Public NAS as a car... it may become a possibility, then what?

Thank you. So do you.
The comparison itself is, indeed, flawed. However, I hope it illustrates the point of user frustration over ex post facto software changes by a manufacturer, which are also poorly implemented, whether they be for safety, or to mitigate liability, or only to prevent altering parameters.
Frankly, passing the same requirements to operate a drone in the Public NAS as a car on the ground makes imminent sense to me! It would potentially eliminate all those other drones being flown by those that can't fulfill those requirements, that pose a risk to my flying as well! Unfortunately, I fear that won't solve any problems. Where a significant number drivers on the road in our neck of the woods are currently already driving without drivers licenses, licensing drivers doesn't stop them from driving without one!

 

[Travis5049]

Wow, old time college debate!! I actually enjoyed it, good points made on both sides IMHO. BTW the word is that all table saws may have to have the new instant stop technology by 2018 or 2019. If you haven't seen how it works check it out on youtube .............a guys sticks his finger in a spinning table saw, really amazing.

 

[N017RW]

I’ve seen that, or a similar system, demo’d about 5 years ago at a trade show with a hotdog not a finger.
I’d never do it intentionally with one of my digits!