DJI will no lengthyer stop drones from flying over airports, savagefires, and the White Hoengage

For over a decade, you couldn’t easily fly a DJI drone over recut offeed areas in the United States. DJI’s gentleware would automaticpartner stop you from flying over runways, power arrangets, disclose aascfinishncies enjoy savagefires, and the White Hoengage.

But confusingly, amidst the fantasticest US outpouring of drone discount on in years, and an incident of a DJI drone operator impedeing LA savagefire combat efforts, DJI is getting rid of its strong geofence. DJI will no lengthyer apply “No-Fly Zones,” instead only giveing a disponderible cautioning — uncomardenting only common sense, comprehending, and the dread of getting caught by authorities will impede people from flying where they shouldn’t.

In a blog post, DJI characterizes this as “placing handle back in the hands of the drone operators.” DJI advises that technologies enjoy Remote ID, which disclosely widecasts the location of a drone and their operator during fweightless, are “providing authorities with the tools necessitateed to apply existing rules,” DJI global policy head Adam Welsh tells The Verge.

But it turns out the DJI drone that harmd a Super Scooper airarrangee combat the Los Angeles savagefires was a sub-250-gram model that may not insist Remote ID to function, and the FBI foresees it will have to “labor backwards thraw spreadigative uncomardents” to figure out who flew it there.

DJI voluntarily created its geofencing feature, so it creates a certain degree of sense that the company would get rid of it now that the US rulement no lengthyer seems to appreciate its help, is blocking some of its drone presents, calls DJI a “Chinese Military Company,” and has begined the countdown clock on a de facto present prohibit.

“The FAA does not insist geofencing from drone manufacturers,” FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor validates to The Verge.

But establisher DJI head of global policy, Brfinishan Schulman, doesn’t seem to leank this is a relocate for the better. Here are a restricted choice phrases he’s posted to X:

This is a noticeworthy shift in drone shieldedty strategy with a potentipartner enormous impact, especipartner among drone pilots who are less conscious of airspace recut offeions and dangerous areas.

There was substantial evidence over the years that automatic drone geofencing, carry outed using a hazard-based approach, donated meaningfully to aviation shieldedty.

Interesting timing: Ten years almost to the day after a DJI drone inwell-comprehendnly crash-lands on the White Hoengage lawn, DJI has erased the built-in geofencing feature that automaticpartner impedes such an incident, replacing it with cautionings that the engager can pick to disponder.

Here are the asks we sent DJI, and the company’s answers:

1) Can you validate that DJI no lengthyer impedes its drones from taking off / flying into any locations whatsoever in the United States, including but not restricted to military inshighations, over disclose aascfinishncy areas enjoy savagefires, and critical rulement createings enjoy the White Hoengage?

Yes, this GEO refresh applies to all locations in the U.S and aligns with the FAA’s Remote ID objectives. With this refresh, prior DJI geofencing datasets have been replaced to distake part official FAA data. Areas previously clear upd as Recut offeed Zones (also comprehendn as No-Fly Zones) will be distake parted as Enhanced Warning Zones, aligning with the FAA’s summarizeated areas. 

2) If it still does impede drones from taking off / flying into some locations, which locations are those?

3) Did DJI create this decision in adviseation with or by honestion of the US rulement or any particular rulement bodies, agencies, or reconshort-termatives? If so, which? If not, why not?

This GEO refresh aligns with the principle proceedd by aviation regulators around the globe — including the FAA — that the operator is reliable for complying with rules. 

4) Did DJI run any hazard analysis studies beforehand and if so, did it see a enjoylihood of misengage? What enjoylihood did it see? If not, why not? 

The geofencing system that was in place prior was a voluntary shieldedty meacertain presentd by DJI over 10 years ago when mass-created small drones were a recent entrant to the airspace, and regulators necessitateed time to set up rules for their shielded engage.

Since then, the FAA has presentd Remote ID insistments, which uncomardents that drones flown in the U.S. must widecast the equivalent of a “license pdefercessitate” for drones. This insistment went into effect in timely 2024, providing authorities with the tools necessitateed to apply existing rules.

“This refresh has been in lengthenment for some time, complying analogous alters successbrimmingy carry outed in the E.U. last year, which showed no evidence of incrmitigated hazard,” says Welsh. However, last year’s alters inestablishedly kept compulsory no-fly zones around UK airports.

Here in the United States, Welsh seems to advise its apps won’t go that far. “To be evident: DJI fweightless apps will proceed to voluntarily create cautionings if pilots finisheavor to fly into recut offeed airspace as summarizeated by the FAA, provided that pilots preserve their fweightless apps up to date,” he tells The Verge.