DJI Geozones - reliability of

Legal & Privacy
1

Please bear with me - and if I have been an idiot please tell me gently.

We’ve just stayed in our caravan close to a small regional airport. There was a nice area of flat saltmarsh nearby, so tried to launch the drone (DJI2S) but the interface said no take off here, which was fine and not unexpected.

The day after I walked 400 metres from this spot to the beach. The drone enabled, and I took half a dozen shots of the nephews playing in the sand from 20 metres up, and did a bit of autofollow on them as practise, again 20 metres-ish altitude, no higher than the sand dunes we were next to, and all within 50 metres of where I was stood.

I’ve just checked on Dronescene; where I was flying is marked up as a DJI Enhanced Warning Zone. More worryingly, it’s also marked as an airport, an airspace and a flight restriction zone on Dronescene. I wasn’t on any potential flight path, it’s the circular zone around the airport.

Was I stupid to rely on DJI Geozones by itself? I will always check with Dronescene from now on.

I feel like a right idiot to be honest.

2

Yes :grin:

Sorry if that sounds harsh but DJI “stuff” has no bearing on UK airspace regulations at all :slight_smile:

As per the CAA advisory publications it should be ignored at all costs.

3 Likes
3

yes

don’t rely on DJI.

the FRZ is to provide the airport with alternative approach / flight abort / routes should they have to undertake a come around (I believe)

it is a serious no no without approval at any height above the ground to fly, appreciate no drone police zone but it is part of the drone code

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4

Unless you are over the Kings gaff

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5

Here’s the document I’m referring to @Simon_Nonymous

And here’s where CAA recommend using Drone Scene:

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6

Thank you all for your honest advice, it’s not harsh compared to the names I have been calling myself.

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7

If it’s any consolation, the primary reason for us adding DJI map layers in to Drone Scene was to highlight just how bad their data is.