The DJI Z30 zoom camera can give you tremendous reach to bring distant objects into view. But in my experience, it has two major issues out of the box. The first is the slow drift the aircraft and camera have when zoomed in. That’s annoying but can be somewhat overcome with a steady finger on the stick to counteract the ... Read More »
Public Safety Drone Flight
DJI Battery Issues Create Extremely Dangerous Flight Experience
I’ve written in the past about the DJI battery issues with their TB55 and TB50 batteries for Inspire 2 and Matrice aircraft. After installing the latest update and flight testing the aircraft, I felt confident the issue was resolved. At the very least, batteries which were previously taken out of service for reflecting a 0 charge, were chargeable again after ... Read More »
DJI Matrice and Inspire 2 Aircraft Locked Until Software Update for Battery Failure Issues is Installed
DJI has issued a press release the press release below concerning the TB50 and TB55 battery issue. What is interesting about it is that it does not seem to address the issues I’ve experienced of batteries showing no charge at all when loaded onto the aircraft even though the charge says they are fully charged. Let’s hope the software fix ... Read More »
FAA in the Weeds on UAS Waiver Approvals But Annual UAS Inspections Coming
Anyone who has applied for a UAS waiver will not be surprised by the findings of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the FAA. According to the internal investigation, the FAA “has disapproved 73 percent of operational waiver requests (e.g., over people and beyond line of sight), and a significant backlog of waiver requests to operate in airspace with ... Read More »
Some Technical Feedback From DJI Regarding Battery Failures
This is kind of a quasi-official statement from DJI since it came on a support ticket to me regarding my TB55 battery issues. However, at least it is some advice and update. What is interesting is while the UK CAA strongly advises not to fly until the problem is resolved, DJI seems to say flight is still possible. Support says: ... Read More »
DJI Battery Failure Update Now Expanded to M200 Series and Inspire Aircraft + Crash Pics
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has just released a new update on DJI TB50 and TB55 battery failures which lead to the damage of aircraft. They have expanded their warning to Matrice Series and Inspire 2 aircraft. This is a follow-up post to this and this. But First a Crash Debrief One of our awesome readers has sent in a ... Read More »
DJI Matrice Series Battery Issues Shine Light on Safety Weakness – Video
A slow-moving issue regarding DJI M200 series aircraft is taking shape and picking up some speed. About two weeks ago I wrote about my own experience with TB55 batteries failing. See this post. The situation is evolving into two categories. The first is a total power loss in flight and the second is instantly dead or unrecognized batteries. Of the ... Read More »
HAZMAT Flight | Flight Debrief and Lessons Learned
Here is another flight debrief from a flight of mine to help share observations and lessons learned. Flight Time: 15 minutes Mission Goals: Provide a visual overview of the scene and determine what the FLIR camera could visualize. What Went Well: The following items were conducted without incident: It was a safe flight operation within normal limits. The FLIR footage ... Read More »
Missing Person – Suicide | Flight Debrief and Lessons Learned
Another in my publication of my flight debriefs to help share lessons learned. Flight Time: 60 minutes Mission Goals: To assist Wake Sheriff’s Office with the location of a missing 16-year-old female. What Went Well: The following items were conducted without incident: It was a safe flight operation within normal limits. Teamwork between the pilot and Chief Barrett was excellent ... Read More »
Fireworks Flight Debrief
WFFD Firebird 1 Flight Debrief Date: 7-3-2018 Flight Time: 1 hour Mission Goals: Assist fire command and law enforcement in any way possible with actionable information during large public Town event. What Went Well: The following items were conducted without incident: An excellent landing zone was identified, secured, and used for the event. Video footage was obtained for use by ... Read More »