FAA enforcement action 20 Thousand dollar fine

[Trox]

That was before Geofencing 2.0 in Nov 2018. This is how Geo 2 looks now.

Thanks for the new view of the Geo 2 version. But that is still extremely alarming. There are some very serious errors in that software display based on the FAA controlled airspace map and no fly zones. Even all your beaches except at the Point are no fly zones far out on the ocean. Someone will eventually make their own headlines using Geo 2 in this area and DJI's response will be always use LAANC databases to check your fly zones before flying. The Geo 2 no fly zones don't come close to the LAANC no fly sectors. ??? I wonder how many other areas of the U.S. has this much discrepancy between the two databases. We all know which one FAA will use as the de facto map in prosecuting a court case. Caveat emptor!

You might want to take your drone over to the airport FAA office and show them the flaws in DJI's information. They would be the ones to get that straightened out by contacting DJI directly. I'm sure they have their number.

 

[Ansia]

Thanks for the new view of the Geo 2 version. But that is still extremely alarming. There are some very serious errors in that software display based on the FAA controlled airspace map and no fly zones. Even all your beaches except at the Point are no fly zones far out on the ocean. Someone will eventually make their own headlines using Geo 2 in this area and DJI's response will be always use LAANC databases to check your fly zones before flying. The Geo 2 no fly zones don't come close to the LAANC no fly sectors. ??? I wonder how many other areas of the U.S. has this much discrepancy between the two databases. We all know which one FAA will use as the de facto map in prosecuting a court case. Caveat emptor!

You might want to take your drone over to the airport FAA office and show them the flaws in DJI's information. They would be the ones to get that straightened out by contacting DJI directly. I'm sure they have their number.
View attachment 5609

DJI's Geofencing has no relation to FAA's NFZ. It is a bow like system where you have to ask authorization from DJI. I can get authorization for the red areas as well. It's just a bit more complicated. I also have to get authorization to fly from FAA's LAANC system. One does not replace the other.

 

[Trox]

You have wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much time on your hands. LMAO

?
? Well Tufargon you can look at it in two ways. After four businesses, a corporation, and total of nine full careers its nice to now have wayyyyyyyyy too much time on my hands. Earned it. And my endangered whale watching documenting flight was aborted today as its done nothing but rain all day and I didn't want to film from the riverbank. So I've been sidelined to the computer. My front yard is back to green grass and I'm much farther north than Agustine who is in the grip of winter already. 14" of snow predicted beginning the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend. Its coming!

The other perspective which I prefer to identify with: All drone pilots, whether commercial or recreational, struggle to keep a clean image of lawful use of our aircraft. One bad headline like the Title of this thread casts more negative feelings towards all drone pilots that ten articles of search and rescue success via drone operators.

My time on this thread is just to help a fellow pilot and respected EVO owner to become aware of discrepancies that could complicate his life and end up with a thread Title of his own. LOL He is one of only two moderators on the Autel forum and if he landed in jail I don't know whether they have "computer privileges" in Puerto Rico jails down there so he could keep up with the discussions. I'd hate to lose his input while he is awaiting trial....unless he makes bail. ?

 

[Ansia]

?
? Well Tufargon you can look at it in two ways. After four businesses, a corporation, and total of nine full careers its nice to now have wayyyyyyyyy too much time on my hands. Earned it. And my endangered whale watching documenting flight was aborted today as its done nothing but rain all day and I didn't want to film from the riverbank. So I've been sidelined to the computer. My front yard is back to green grass and I'm much farther north than Agustine who is in the grip of winter already. 14" of snow predicted beginning the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend. Its coming!

The other perspective which I prefer to identify with: All drone pilots, whether commercial or recreational, struggle to keep a clean image of lawful use of our aircraft. One bad headline like the Title of this thread casts more negative feelings towards all drone pilots that ten articles of search and rescue success via drone operators.

My time on this thread is just to help a fellow pilot and respected EVO owner to become aware of discrepancies that could complicate his life and end up with a thread Title of his own. LOL He is one of only two moderators on the Autel forum and if he landed in jail I don't know whether they have "computer privileges" in Puerto Rico jails down there so he could keep up with the discussions. I'd hate to lose his input while he is awaiting trial....unless he makes bail. ?

Lol I won't go to jail anytime soon, but thanks for the concern ?. There are more of us than just Agustine and me. We are just the first line of defense. If there is something we don't know how to handle or it's just bigger than us, then the big guns come out to play. Thankfully Autel pilots are nice people and it never has come to that.

 

[Tufargon]

A simple, "yes I do" or "no I don't" would have suffice lol. I'm like the one you are trying to inform and protect from the law lol. I lose interest fast after a paragraph or so.

 

[TravisPNW]

It makes you think about flying if your within 15 miles of airport.I had a fly away once in my back yard luckily I was able to bring it down safely.

I live around 8 miles or so from Seattle International and even after viewing this thread I have a hard time believing my Evo would drift all that way on a single battery. I mean, I've seen some videos of a guy doing a distance test and he got his 4 miles out in flat lowlands with no trees and it almost made it back before auto landing. Not exactly the same conditions here where it's nothing but valleys, hills and mountains.

Even on the clearest of days this summer I start having signal issues approaching 1 mile away. That's about as far as I care to take it anyway while keeping it in view.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

I was just on the UAV Legal News & Discussion Group on Facebook. There was a OP that ask for advice as he is being charged with offences dating back tp May 3rd 2018. It seems the FAA is going through Youtube videos and issuing notices so the OP said. I tried to download all the documents he was posting but I was to late as the Admin adviced him to delete the post and get a lawyer so all I got was the first page. Kind of sucked as I wanted to read it all. There where more charges on 4 different pages.
Looks like the FAA is not following around anymore.
From what others are saying in that group the fines totaled $17,000.00 bucks.

 

[Ansia]

I live around 8 miles or so from Seattle International and even after viewing this thread I have a hard time believing my Evo would drift all that way on a single battery. I mean, I've seen some videos of a guy doing a distance test and he got his 4 miles out in flat lowlands with no trees and it almost made it back before auto landing. Not exactly the same conditions here where it's nothing but valleys, hills and mountains.

Even on the clearest of days this summer I start having signal issues approaching 1 mile away. That's about as far as I care to take it anyway while keeping it in view.

If you watch the video, the drone indeed is drifting. According to the poster, he lost communications with the drone. If the Evo can fly almost 8 miles roundtrip, why is it so hard for a Phantom to drift 4 miles and land on low battery?

I was just on the UAV Legal News & Discussion Group on Facebook. There was a OP that ask for advice as he is being charged with offences dating back tp May 3rd 2018. It seems the FAA is going through Youtube videos and issuing notices so the OP said. I tried to download all the documents he was posting but I was to late as the Admin adviced him to delete the post and get a lawyer so all I got was the first page. Kind of sucked as I wanted to read it all. There where more charges on 4 different pages.
Looks like the FAA is not following around anymore.
From what others are saying in that group the fines totaled $17,000.00 bucks.

View attachment 5657

My advice. If you did the deed, pay the fine and move on. They want to do whatever they feel like it. They believe they are above the law. The law catches up to them and they dare to whine and cry afterwards. I would have placed the max $250k and set an example of him.

 

[TravisPNW]

If you watch the video, the drone indeed is drifting. According to the poster, he lost communications with the drone. If the Evo can fly almost 8 miles roundtrip, why is it so hard for a Phantom to drift 4 miles and land on low battery?

Never said it was hard and never said I doubted the validity of the video. What I was saying is I've seen an Evo go almost 8 miles roundtrip (in Louisiana flatlands with no trees) but I doubt that would ever happen here because of the hills, valleys and mountains. You drive 1 mile down the road from my place (8 miles from the airport) toward the airport and the elevation difference is almost 300 ft downhill. It keeps going from there.

Point being the Evo would lose signal and autoland/crash well before it ever got close to the airport. As said, I usually get signal issues approaching 1 mile away. Just too much interference be it trees, cliffs, houses, hills, whatever.

I made a flight with it in August at a dogpark that was 4-5 miles from the airport. I could see planes approaching. The controller let me know I was close to the airport and during the flight (in the opposite direction of the airport over a valley) I actually did lose signal and the Evo RTH without issue.

 

[Ansia]

Never said it was hard and never said I doubted the validity of the video. What I was saying is I've seen an Evo go almost 8 miles roundtrip (in Louisiana flatlands with no trees) but I doubt that would ever happen here because of the hills, valleys and mountains. You drive 1 mile down the road from my place (8 miles from the airport) toward the airport and the elevation difference is almost 300 ft downhill. It keeps going from there.

Point being the Evo would lose signal and autoland/crash well before it ever got close to the airport. As said, I usually get signal issues approaching 1 mile away. Just too much interference be it trees, cliffs, houses, hills, whatever.

I made a flight with it in August at a dogpark that was 4-5 miles from the airport. I could see planes approaching. The controller let me know I was close to the airport and during the flight (in the opposite direction of the airport over a valley) I actually did lose signal and the Evo RTH without issue.

You are looking at this from the perspective of the Evo. On the Phantom series, there is a switch. Where you can switch your drone into ATTI mode. This will allow the drone to drift with the winds. When in ATTI mode, the drone is indeed suppose to autoland upon signal loss, but if the drone suffered a fly away due to a software bug, the drone will continue to drift until low battery.

As I've stated before. I have experienced fly aways on a Phantom model. It is really scary watching your drone flying away without any type of input. Turning off the controller is the last thing on your mind and in all honestly, I do not know what would happen if you do so.

 

[TravisPNW]

You are looking at this from the perspective of the Evo. On the Phantom series, there is a switch. Where you can switch your drone into ATTI mode. This will allow the drone to drift with the winds. When in ATTI mode, the drone is indeed suppose to autoland upon signal loss, but if the drone suffered a fly away due to a software bug, the drone will continue to drift until low battery.

As I've stated before. I have experienced fly aways on a Phantom model. It is really scary watching your drone flying away without any type of input. Turning off the controller is the last thing on your mind and in all honestly, I do not know what would happen if you do so.

Scary indeed. One thing's for sure... after reading this thread I doubt I'll be going back to the dogpark to fly. It's just too close to the airport and I already experienced a signal loss/RTH from that location. I don't think I was breaking any airspace laws but still there's plenty of other spots with great views to fly around here.