DJI is trusting users to fly their drones safely, and it's as bad an idea as it sounds

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DJI is trusting users to fly their drones safely, and it's as bad an idea as it sounds
Author: lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
Published: Jan, 15 2025 19:56

No-fly zones are for other people. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. I don't trust you. I like you and I want to share my tech knowledge with you but when it comes to something like flying a drone, I simply won't trust that every random drone owner will follow basic flight safety rules.

 [DJI Flip drone in flight, snowy mountain backdrop, person piloting using the RC2 controller in foreground]
Image Credit: TechRadar [DJI Flip drone in flight, snowy mountain backdrop, person piloting using the RC2 controller in foreground]

But I'm not DJI, the world's number-one drone maker. Arguably the maker of the best drones in the world (its fliers top our best drones list and warrant their own best list), DJI made it clear this week that it fully trusts its drone customers to steer their drones clear of sensitive areas like prisons, airports, and national landmarks.

 [DJI Avata 2 FPV drone in flight over rocky beach]
Image Credit: TechRadar [DJI Avata 2 FPV drone in flight over rocky beach]

These so-called no-fly zones are currently GEO-coded into DJI drones, which means the flying cameras would automatically steer clear. They did in the US, at least. Last year, DJI switched those controls off in the European Union, and now it's followed suit in the U.S.

 [Lance Ulanoff]
Image Credit: TechRadar [Lance Ulanoff]

In a blog update posted this week, the company officially switched its "Restricted Zones (or No Fly Zones) to Enhanced Warning Zones. Instead of stopping the drones automatically from flying into an airport, you'll get a warning that you're flying into restricted airspace and, as DJI puts it, the company is, "placing control back in the hands of the drone operators, in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility.".

 [The DJI Mavic 3 Pro in flight over some mountains]
Image Credit: TechRadar [The DJI Mavic 3 Pro in flight over some mountains]

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