DJI has released a new version of its drone flying app just days after introducing an update with more natural-sounding voice prompts. The latest Fly app v1.10.6 comes after DJI users in Europe noticed v1.10.4 had capped the maximum drone height at 120 meters for them.
DJI typically allows drone pilots to select a height limit ranging from 20 meters up to 500 meters. The default setting, however, is 120 meters (400 feet) to comply with most common aviation regulations. But users would tweak those settings while flying in places with elevation changes such as mountains, or while capturing or inspecting tall structures for professional jobs.
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So, when DJI drone operators in the EU region discovered that the height adjustment slider in the remote controller settings wouldn’t move beyond 120 meters after updating to v1.10.4, they were taken by surprise. And since DJI RC does not even give a rollback option, many were stuck with the decidedly unfriendly update.
That issue is now resolved with DJI Fly v1.10.6 lifting the height limit, but it’s worth reiterating that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also mandates recreational drone users to keep the drone within 120 meters of the closest point of the terrain.
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According to EASA, when you are operating in hilly environments, the height of the drone above the surface of the earth should be within the gray zone shown in the picture above. There may be conditions such as on top of a hill where even if you keep your drone 120 meters from the side of the hill, you are actually flying at a distance higher than 120 meters above the bottom of the valley. So as long as you keep your drone within 120 meters of the shoulder of the hill (as in the gray area in the picture above), your flight would be considered legal.
It’s also worth mentioning that when the EU class identification label rules come into effect next year, DJI would ensure that the height limit on its C0-labeled drones is restricted to ensure compliance.
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