DJI Geofencing, DJI Flip, Drone Hits Plane, Forged Part 107, & New Bill for Drone Use

Welcome to your Weekly UAS News Update! We have four stories for you this week: DJI Geofencing, DJI Flip vlog drone, a drone that hit an airplane, a New York man’s arrest (you’ll find out why), and lastly, a bill for governmental drones in Virginia. Let’s get to it!
DJI Removes Airport Restrictions
First up this week, DJI has removed restricted authorization altitude zones around airports from their geofencing system. Yes, this is big news! We knew it was coming for a while, but I wasn’t going to believe it until it happened. Areas around airports will now show up as “enhanced warning areas,” which you may have seen in the past. These can be immediately unlocked by clicking a checkbox and assuming full responsibility for the flight.
DJI has also changed the shape of the warning areas to match the LAANC areas you’ve seen in different apps. DJI was using a slightly different set of data for their geofencing, but not anymore – they’re now matching the FAA’s data, except without the altitude limitation we see in LAANC.
Note that accepting responsibility in the app still does not replace getting LAANC approval. This is very important: DJI is not an approved FAA LAANC provider, so when you click that checkbox, you’re not getting LAANC approval per FAA regulations. We recommend using an app like Aloft or AirControl to get your LAANC authorization.
The reception to this news has been mixed online, with some people applauding DJI for letting users take full responsibility, while other groups are concerned that newcomers can now fly near airports without any training by just checking a box.
My take is that this is an even bigger reason why we, as an industry, must continue to be mentors to all new remote pilots. Please, if you know someone who is starting to fly, give them information and have them take TRUST. Taking TRUST itself should be enough – personally, I would love to see TRUST incorporated into the DJI system where you would have to input your TRUST number before unlocking any of these areas. If you want to read more about this, we’ll put a link down in the description to the DJI blog.
New DJI Flip Release
DJI released the Flip this week. It’s a sub-250g drone with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, 31 minutes of flight time, and an integrated prop guard. Please note it does not have Remote ID. It is priced between the Mini 4 Pro and the Neo but is not a Category 1 drone. If you would like to see the full review, the link is right here. We also have a comprehensive beginner’s guide and a free deep dive on our website. It’s a cool little drone, but there are limitations you need to be aware of. There seems to be a lot of confusion about why DJI doesn’t have Remote ID in this drone – please check the pinned comment on these videos for a detailed explanation.
Drone Hits Firefighting Aircraft
A drone hit a firefighting airplane in Los Angeles last week. While the location of the incident is unclear, the pilots initially thought it was a bird strike. After landing, they discovered a 3-inch by 6-inch hole on the leading edge of the wing, with drone parts inside.
The FBI released photos of the drone, which appears to be a DJI Mini 3 or Mini 3 Pro. When fitted with the small battery and operated under recreational rules (49 USC 44809), this type of drone neither needs registration nor Remote ID.
Additionally, over 40 drone incursions were reported inside the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) currently in place in LA due to wildfires. Please do not fly your drone if there is a wildfire nearby. Look for TFRs and let Firefighters do their job. This drone incident took the airplane out of service for several days, preventing it from saving lives and property.
Fire Chief Arrested for Fake Certificate
A fire chief in New York, Michael Leonelli, was arrested for allegedly falsifying his Remote Pilot certificate. He allegedly provided a fake certificate after the volunteer fire department requested proof of certification. He is charged with second and third-degree forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Just take the test – with proper training, which we can provide, you should be able to do this. If he doesn’t go to jail, I’m willing to help him with the test and give him free access to the course if he wants to be certified.
Virginia Drone Bill
Lastly, the Virginia legislature passed Bill 2125, which would prohibit the use of UAS by law enforcement and regulation enforcement except in special circumstances. Sponsored by Republican Representative Ben Klein, approved circumstances include search and rescue, AMBER alerts, Blue alerts, senior alerts, and situations where “the use of an unmanned aircraft system is determined to be necessary to alleviate an immediate danger to a person.”
Any data captured by a drone without a warrant will not be admissible for criminal or civil proceedings. The bill also prohibits the state or local government from arming UAS. If you’d like to read the full text, we’ll put a link down in the description.
That’s all we have for you this week. We’ll see you on Monday for the live Q&A and this afternoon for the community happy hour!
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