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UNBELIEVABLE! NFZ activated on my Autel Evo 2 Pro

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Where is that little reset button? And where are the instructions on how to use it? because that is actually what I'm looking for and you're the first person that said there is one. I see a little button on the side but who goes pressing buttons that they don't know what they are? And I wouldn't even know do you hold the button do you double press the button, what? Anyway I am working on rolling back the firmware. But a reset button would be a lot quicker I'm sure.
There is no reset button on our Autel Evo, that I know.
You can try to reflash the latest firmware
You could also try to remove Autel Explorer and, after Syncronized yous flight logs (if you need to) delete every Autel related folders in your Android device.
It is a try
 
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2. The government, especially in the US on the federal level should have ZERO say in the matter PERIOD. Yet too many blindly follow along with and accept it more and more. Its absurd.
I'm going to put prudent separation between myself the constitutional question.

Instead, I'll just say that in a life in aviation that started in 1976, I've found that state and local attempts to regulation aviation have, without exception, been idiotic and unworkable. FAA has shown themselves time and time again to be willing to use the voice or reason or the hammer of justice in these cases.

The most recent case I recall was when New York State wanted student pilots in New York to be fingerprinted and obtain State Police background checks before they could take flying lessons, or even a discovery flight.

It was all about revenue, of course. TSA already had their vetting process in place at the time. But the State Police charged $190.00 for fingerprinting back then: and the State Legislature saw a ready supply of people who wanted to learn how to fly (and who therefore presumably had deep pockets) who could help the state balance their budget.

This created havoc for flight schools and FBO's, of course, FAA calmly told them to ignore the state law, explained to the state legislators and our idiot governor why they couldn't regulate flight training; and when that didn't work, took the state to court and won.

The state has also tried to add their own requirements for SIDA access passes. They lost that fight, too, even an an airport that they own. Aviation, by its nature, is interstate commerce; and you can't have 50 different sets of rules governing people whose jobs take them from state to state.

In the case of UAV operations, there is almost no controlled airspace within a 50-mile radius of where I live. So as far as FAA is concerned, I can fly pretty much wherever I want.

Except I can't.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (who own a lot of reservoirs around here) prohibit drone operations on their land. They don't even like you carrying a drone through their land on the way to someplace else where it's legal. They can't do anything about it if you have an access permit, but some of the DEP cops will harass you for it.

The State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation also prohibits drone operations in parks and historic sites unless you pay to apply for a permit (which usually is denied). Technically, that means anyplace where the state has planted a plaque declaring it an historic site is off-limits.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation also prohibits drone operations in some classifications of state forest without special permission.

In other words, the only entities within a 50-mile radius from me who are restricting my drone operations are the State Conservation Department, the State Parks Department, and the government of a city more than a hundred miles away. State and local governments are telling me where I can operate, not the FAA.

You can believe and espouse whatever you like about the Constitution. I took an oath to defend that right when I was 17, and it didn't come with an expiration date. But from a pragmatic perspective and based on experience, allowing state and local legislatures to regulate aviation would be a nightmare. Ignorance, unfortunately, has never stopped legislators from legislating.

At least FAA is staffed overwhelmingly by people who are passionate and knowledgeable about aviation. Your typical city council or state legislature... not so much.
 
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I'm going to put prudent separation between myself the constitutional question.

Instead, I'll just say that in a life in aviation that started in 1976, I've found that state and local attempts to regulation aviation have, without exception, been idiotic and unworkable. FAA has shown themselves time and time again to be willing to use the voice or reason or the hammer of justice in these cases.

The most recent case I recall was when New York State wanted student pilots in New York to be fingerprinted and obtain State Police background checks before they could take flying lessons, or even a discovery flight.

It was all about revenue, of course. TSA already had their vetting process in place at the time. But the State Police charged $190.00 for fingerprinting back then: and the State Legislature saw a ready supply of people who wanted to learn how to fly (and who therefore presumably had deep pockets) who could help the state balance their budget.

This created havoc for flight schools and FBO's, of course, FAA calmly told them to ignore the state law, explained to the state legislators and our idiot governor why they couldn't regulate flight training; and when that didn't work, took the state to court and won.

The state has also tried to add their own requirements for SIDA access passes. They lost that fight, too, even an an airport that they own. Aviation, by its nature, is interstate commerce; and you can't have 50 different sets of rules governing people whose jobs take them from state to state.

In the case of UAV operations, there is almost no controlled airspace within a 50-mile radius of where I live. So as far as FAA is concerned, I can fly pretty much wherever I want.

Except I can't.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (who own a lot of reservoirs around here) prohibit drone operations on their land. They don't even like you carrying a drone through their land on the way to someplace else where it's legal. They can't do anything about it if you have an access permit, but some of the DEP cops will harass you for it.

The State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation also prohibits drone operations in parks and historic sites unless you pay to apply for a permit (which usually is denied). Technically, that means anyplace where the state has planted a plaque declaring it an historic site is off-limits.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation also prohibits drone operations in some classifications of state forest without special permission.

In other words, the only entities within a 50-mile radius from me who are restricting my drone operations are the State Conservation Department, the State Parks Department, and the government of a city more than a hundred miles away. State and local governments are telling me where I can operate, not the FAA.

You can believe and espouse whatever you like about the Constitution. I took an oath to defend that right when I was 17, and it didn't come with an expiration date. But from a pragmatic perspective and based on experience, allowing state and local legislatures to regulate aviation would be a nightmare. Ignorance, unfortunately, has never stopped legislators from legislating.

At least FAA is staffed overwhelmingly by people who are passionate and knowledgeable about aviation. Your typical city council or state legislature... not so much.
Excellent post. It seems that local governments don't have any passion for UAV aviation, so they take the typical bureaucratic tack of just denying all access. They just don't want to deal with it. Damn shame for institutions that should be serving the public. I can understand some of their concerns might be for safety and preservation of local historic sites or even wildlife protection and conservation, but they just refuse to be creative enough to figure out methods to accomodate UAVs. We are part of the public. Granted, we are a relatively new phenomenon, but governments need to adapt to this new segment of the population and get out of the rut of doing things the same way because that's how they've always done it. Any changes need to start at the top of those ladders. Changes can be made to happen but have to come from those that are interested in those changes.
 
I attached a Crystal Sky to my Evo 2 Pro controller and downloaded the Autel Explorer app. It automatically started and completed a "FlySafe" download to my aircraft and now I can't start up in NFZs any longer. This was a great feature to not have to unlock every time especially since even when I had Auth. to fly in areas the unlock didn't work in my DJI drones. Has any one heard of this? How can I factory reset the drone an d controller? Or remove the FlySafe file?
It's a database, not geofencing.
 
I attached a Crystal Sky to my Evo 2 Pro controller and downloaded the Autel Explorer app. It automatically started and completed a "FlySafe" download to my aircraft and now I can't start up in NFZs any longer. This was a great feature to not have to unlock every time especially since even when I had Auth. to fly in areas the unlock didn't work in my DJI drones. Has any one heard of this? How can I factory reset the drone an d controller? Or remove the FlySafe file?
It's a database, not geofencing.
 
Where is that little reset button? And where are the instructions on how to use it? because that is actually what I'm looking for and you're the first person that said there is one. I see a little button on the side but who goes pressing buttons that they don't know what they are? And I wouldn't even know do you hold the button do you double press the button, what? Anyway I am working on rolling back the firmware. But a reset button would be a lot quicker I'm sure.
The reset button is next to the usb c port on the drone. Let us know how it works.
 
Yes...from the factory Autel drones...at least in the USA are not geofenced. If memory serves, they are Geofenced only in Italy and China.

Just one of the reasons I went with the Evo2 Pro...

I can only image that something related to the CS caused this.
I would actually appreciate the warning, although it could be worded better. Perhaps: "Restricted Zone"

But Autel, don't mess with my controls. That's oppressive, and in limited circumstances, possibly dangerous.
 
This is what has me irritated 1. with DJI and 2 with the overreaching governments, especially in the US.

1. It is NOT a companies right to determine how I may or may not use MY property that I paid for. Its like buying a car then being told you can only drive it where or how the car salesman says. Its up to ME to determine that and NOBODY else.

2. The government, especially in the US on the federal level should have ZERO say in the matter PERIOD. Yet too many blindly follow along with and accept it more and more. Its absurd.
I don't like NFZ's either, it's why i refuse to buy DJI, but unfortunately it's like speed limits on public roads; a few idiots ruin it for the rest of us
 
Not to get political or anything, but "overreach" is a difficult term to define, which you haven't. But to take your statement that governments should have zero say means we'll have aircraft crashing into each other all over the place. Also consider that this is a new area for the FAA and they will undoubtedly have some tests to get through before everyone is happy.
Well, of course it is political and the FAA will never get to a point where everyone is happy. That's how government works! But you knew that. IMO, the FAA regulation of aircraft has been pretty decent over the years albeit probably in large part due to being checked by organizations like AOPA that do advocacy (read "pushback") work at considerable expense. I hope we can achieve similar sanity with UAVs but I am very wary. Ultimately, UAVs are aircraft that share the sky with other aircraft over our heads and they do need to be regulated.

I hope to be able to use my favorite toy responsibly with as few encumbrances as possible and I don't like some of the rules. For example, I currently despise the VLOS restriction because I do not believe it substantially enhances safety for my flights.

But when the firmware has more authority than me as a pilot it crosses a line into potentially dangerous. FAR 91.3(b) and (a) and (c) exist for a very good reason. Pity that these regs do not apply to UAVs.
 
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But you knew that. IMO, the FAA regulation of aircraft has been pretty decent over the years albeit probably in large part due to being checked by organizations like AOPA that do advocacy (read "pushback") work at considerable expense. I hope we can achieve similar sanity with UAVs but I am very wary. Ultimately, UAVs are aircraft that share the sky with other aircraft over our heads and they do need to be regulated.
I canceled my AOPA membership some years back for reasons I no longer remember. They now have a membership for drone pilots. I wonder if they do any actually advocacy in the sUAS sphere? I'd be willing to re-join if that's the case.
 
Here is the ultimate proof of what I am saying.
New update includes no fly zones.
See photo
 

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Here is the ultimate proof of what I am saying.
New update includes no fly zones.
See photo
Seems like a questionable move business-wise. If AR wants to distinguish itself from DJI, including even the potential to introduce an unpopular DJI feature doesn't make much sense.

On the other hand, I think it's a useful feature in its own right as long as it doesn't violate Asimov's Second Law. I just wonder if it will turn off potential buyers who specifically want to avoid NFZ and geofencing.
 
I'm going to put prudent separation between myself the constitutional question.

Instead, I'll just say that in a life in aviation that started in 1976, I've found that state and local attempts to regulation aviation have, without exception, been idiotic and unworkable. FAA has shown themselves time and time again to be willing to use the voice or reason or the hammer of justice in these cases.

The most recent case I recall was when New York State wanted student pilots in New York to be fingerprinted and obtain State Police background checks before they could take flying lessons, or even a discovery flight.

It was all about revenue, of course. TSA already had their vetting process in place at the time. But the State Police charged $190.00 for fingerprinting back then: and the State Legislature saw a ready supply of people who wanted to learn how to fly (and who therefore presumably had deep pockets) who could help the state balance their budget.

This created havoc for flight schools and FBO's, of course, FAA calmly told them to ignore the state law, explained to the state legislators and our idiot governor why they couldn't regulate flight training; and when that didn't work, took the state to court and won.

The state has also tried to add their own requirements for SIDA access passes. They lost that fight, too, even an an airport that they own. Aviation, by its nature, is interstate commerce; and you can't have 50 different sets of rules governing people whose jobs take them from state to state.

In the case of UAV operations, there is almost no controlled airspace within a 50-mile radius of where I live. So as far as FAA is concerned, I can fly pretty much wherever I want.

Except I can't.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (who own a lot of reservoirs around here) prohibit drone operations on their land. They don't even like you carrying a drone through their land on the way to someplace else where it's legal. They can't do anything about it if you have an access permit, but some of the DEP cops will harass you for it.

The State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation also prohibits drone operations in parks and historic sites unless you pay to apply for a permit (which usually is denied). Technically, that means anyplace where the state has planted a plaque declaring it an historic site is off-limits.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation also prohibits drone operations in some classifications of state forest without special permission.

In other words, the only entities within a 50-mile radius from me who are restricting my drone operations are the State Conservation Department, the State Parks Department, and the government of a city more than a hundred miles away. State and local governments are telling me where I can operate, not the FAA.

You can believe and espouse whatever you like about the Constitution. I took an oath to defend that right when I was 17, and it didn't come with an expiration date. But from a pragmatic perspective and based on experience, allowing state and local legislatures to regulate aviation would be a nightmare. Ignorance, unfortunately, has never stopped legislators from legislating.

At least FAA is staffed overwhelmingly by people who are passionate and knowledgeable about aviation. Your typical city council or state legislature... not so much.

I have the same problem here in Florida. Surrounded by airports and no-fly zones, all of them perfectly reasonable and very easy process to get approval through the LAANC system which I do religiously when needed. My real problems come from the fact that flying drones in all State parks are banned without approval (which of course is nearly impossible to get), all drones are banned from most of the county parks around me, the city now has ordinances which are about as clear as mud, and you can forget about flying one at any event even if you are just hovering over water unless your client is a major sponsor of the event.

Around here though they are very careful; they don't actually have a single regulation preventing you from flying a drone OVER these areas; where they get you is they mandate you cannot take off or land on "their" property...which by the way is actually "OUR" property as tax payers.

Here is the ultimate proof of what I am saying.
New update includes no fly zones.
See photo

The EVO has always had NFZ zones but I believe historically they have been nothing more than a warning. I will admit that I have never tried to take off on a 0 grid but I have taken off plenty of times where the approved ceiling is as low as 100' AGL after getting LAANC approval. The EVO II from day one has always triggered warnings when I am in these zones but never prevented me from flying. I do know one thing...I may never update the FW or app in my EVO II after reading this thread. None of the current bugs or problems that I have with the app are worth risking the implementation of an enforced NFZ database.
 
After watching several interviews with the new Autel CEO, he knows full well the advantage of not having an enforced NFZ on the drone does to sales. He said that enforcement will only be if it is the country law period. Now, we all know that stance can change, but I think we are completely safe from this happening, UNLESS your countries laws require it, like China and Japan. I am not concerned about it at all.
 
The EVO has always had NFZ zones but I believe historically they have been nothing more than a warning. I will admit that I have never tried to take off on a 0 grid but I have taken off plenty of times where the approved ceiling is as low as 100' AGL after getting LAANC approval. The EVO II from day one has always triggered warnings when I am in these zones but never prevented me from flying. I do know one thing...I may never update the FW or app in my EVO II after reading this thread. None of the current bugs or problems that I have with the app are worth risking the implementation of an enforced NFZ database.
I came here and created an account just to say this after watching this thread for weeks. My Evo II Pro has only been on one flight since I purchased it - the primary motivation I had to purchasing one was no NFZs as my DJI has. It's really disappointing to have just gotten the drone and this to have become an issue. As soon as I saw the notification the NFZ DB was being updated I shut the drone off before it completed. If you flip your phone to airplane mode and reconnect, it will not attempt the update then I've noticed. I'm wondering if it's too late to try to roll back the Android app and drone firmware to a previous version in order to avoid this. Has anyone had any luck with that? Truly hoping there is a better solution to this at some point.
 
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I came here and created an account just to say this after watching this thread for weeks. My Evo II Pro has only been on one flight since I purchased it - the primary motivation I had to purchasing one was no NFZs as my DJI has. It's really disappointing to have just gotten the drone and this to have become an issue. As soon as I saw the notification the NFZ DB was being updated I shut the drone off before it completed. If you flip your phone to airplane mode and reconnect, it will not attempt the update then I've noticed. I'm wondering if it's too late to try to roll back the Android app and drone firmware to a previous version in order to avoid this. Has anyone had any luck with that? Truly hoping there is a better solution to this at some point.
The thing is that there's really nothing to solve. There are no restrictions. There are just warnings, or at least so I'm told. There's no controlled airspace anywhere near me, so I can't say from personal experience.

Your post does illustrate why I questioned the wisdom of including the NFZ database at all, however. It worries people who came to Autel to get away from that nanny nonsense, and may discourage others who want to.

I personally think the warnings could be a useful feature, especially for new pilots whose grasp of charts may be less than wonderful. I just question the commercial wisdom of it; and your post is an example of why.
 
This is what has me irritated 1. with DJI and 2 with the overreaching governments, especially in the US.

1. It is NOT a companies right to determine how I may or may not use MY property that I paid for. Its like buying a car then being told you can only drive it where or how the car salesman says. Its up to ME to determine that and NOBODY else.

2. The government, especially in the US on the federal level should have ZERO say in the matter PERIOD. Yet too many blindly follow along with and accept it more and more. Its absurd.
Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
 
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