It is the year 2025 and DJI are ditching a thirteen-year tradition for their drones in the USA.

Remember that time when you wanted to fly your drone within the vicinity of an airport, or a military base; and you could not do that because the drone recognized this as a no-fly zone and refused to comply?

That geofencing setting on the DJI drones in the USA is now gone, after the latest software update by the drone company, which it claims gives control back to the drone owner.

“With this update, DJI’s Fly and Pilot flight app operators will see prior DJI geofencing datasets replaced to display official Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data,” the company said in a blog post.

“Areas previously defined as Restricted Zones (also known as No-Fly Zones) will be displayed as Enhanced Warning Zones, aligning with the FAA’s designated areas.

“In these zones, in-app alerts will notify operators flying near FAA designated controlled airspace, placing control back in the hands of the drone operators, in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility.”

In other words, what the drone company is saying is that; instead of self-censoring and keeping the drones it manufactures in legal check by ensuring they do no fly into restricted airspace; they are not trusting the drone operator to do the right thing and stay off these zones; even with the full knowledge that their drone is no longer held back by manufacturer handicaps.

We have to admit; this is a really big leap of faith by DJI. It would not be their first time though; as similar changes were implemented in the European Union (EU) last year; and there has been no pandemonium reported.

The GEO update has been active in the UK and several EU countries since January 2024, starting with European countries that have implemented geographical maps compliant with existing technical standards, such as Belgium, Germany, and France.

In June, it expanded to Estonia, Finland, and Luxembourg.

The remaining EU countries under EASA jurisdiction will also receive the update this month.

In the USA, the updates took effect from January 13. And we understand we could be overthinking this, but the timing of the update could not have been more curious; coming as it does at a time when questions about the threat posed by Chinese drones to the national security of the USA have reached heights where bills are actually being proposed in Congress to ban these drones flying at all on US soil.

“When DJI first introduced the GEO system in 2013, consumer drones were still a relatively novel technology, and formal drone flight rules and regulations were sparse,” the company explained.

“The geofencing system was created as a voluntary built-in safety feature to help foster responsible flight practices and prevent DJI drone operators from unintentionally flying in restricted airspace, such as around government buildings, airports, or prisons.

“Since then, global regulations and user awareness have evolved significantly, with a greater focus on geo-awareness and Remote ID solutions which makes detection and enforcement much easier.

“National aviation authorities, including the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) in the EU, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and the FAA in the U.S., have established comprehensive geographical zones for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and enforce drone regulations.”

DJI prides itself on being an industry leader in safety, making several unprecedented commitments to integrating advanced safety systems into its drones, which include:

• First to install altitude limits & GPS-based geofencing to guide drone pilots away from unsafe locations
• First to deploy autonomous return-to-home technology if drones lose connection to their controllers or have critically low batteries
• First to integrate sensors for nearby obstacles and approaching aircraft
• First to operate Remote Identification technology to help authorities identify and monitor airborne drones.

“DJI reminds pilots to always ensure flights are conducted safely and in accordance with all local laws and regulations. For flights conducted in Enhanced Warning Zones, drone operators must obtain airspace authorization directly from the FAA and consult the FAA’s No Drone Zone resource for further information.”