The Buzz Podcast

This week Yifei and Seth catch on the recent releases of new products and events like DJI's L2 payload, drone shows, and a potential new drone market.

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The Buzz Podcast, hosted by DroneDJ, is a weekly podcast discussing the latest news on the drone industry. From DJI, Autel, and Skydio to public safety and delivery drones.

Stories discuss in this episode:

Hosts:

Seth Kurkowski

Yifei Zhao

Checkout more Buzz episodes:

Checkout 9to5's other weekly podcasts:

This week Yifei and Seth discuss Skydio's release of its X10 drone to compete directly with DJI's M30 and Autel's Max 4T. They also speculate as to what DJI's rumored Matrice 3D could be after months of leaks.

Enjoy the podcast? Shop DJI, Autel, or other drones at Amazon to support The Buzz!

The Buzz Podcast, hosted by DroneDJ, is a weekly podcast discussing the latest news on the drone industry. From DJI, Autel, and Skydio to public safety and delivery drones.

Stories discuss in this episode:

Hosts:

Seth Kurkowski

Yifei Zhao

Checkout more Buzz episodes:

Checkout 9to5's other weekly podcasts:

This week Yifei and Seth discuss the current unknown status of FAA's Remote ID rollout. What are our concerns with the current data sharing policy and what changes we think the FAA should make for Remote ID to be safer for all drone pilots to use.

Enjoy the podcast? Shop DJI, Autel, or other drones at Amazon to support The Buzz!

The Buzz Podcast, hosted by DroneDJ, is a weekly podcast discussing the latest news on the drone industry. From DJI, Autel, and Skydio to public safety and delivery drones.

Stories discuss in this episode:

Hosts:

Seth Kurkowski

Yifei Zhao

Checkout more Buzz episodes:

Checkout 9to5's other weekly podcasts:

This week Yifei and Seth discuss the leaks around DJI's next consumer drone, the Mini 4. What will it approve on? We don't know so let's speculate. They also discuss a mysterious new DJI enterprise drone that has been leaked for some time now, with almost no details. The two then finish off give updated thoughts on drone parachutes and police use of drones to verify complaints.

Enjoy the podcast? Shop DJI, Autel, or other drones at Amazon to support The Buzz!

The Buzz Podcast, hosted by DroneDJ, is a weekly podcast discussing the latest news on the drone industry. From DJI, Autel, and Skydio to public safety and delivery drones.

Stories discuss in this episode:

Hosts:

Seth Kurkowski

Yifei Zhao

Checkout more Buzz episodes:

Checkout 9to5's other weekly podcasts:

This week on the Buzz Podcast Seth and Yifei discuss the Air 3 and our experience flying it for the last few weeks. Will the drone be a hit? Or will it not be enough to justify the upgrade from the Mini 3 and too little compared to the Mavic 3?

Enjoy the podcast? Shop DJI, Autel, or other drones at Amazon to support The Buzz!

The Buzz Podcast, hosted by DroneDJ, is a weekly podcast discussing the latest news on the drone industry. From DJI, Autel, and Skydio to public safety and delivery drones.

Stories discuss in this episode:

Hosts:

Seth Kurkowski

Yifei Zhao

Catch up on The Buzz episodes!

Checkout 9to5's other weekly podcasts:

This week on the Weekly Buzz discussion, we delve into the recent surge of unexpected leaks. We finally have some details about the Air 3, and there's even a peculiar rumor circulating about a Mini 4.

Let's begin by addressing the abundance of leaks that have emerged. The Air 3, initially believed to be in development without much certainty about its release, has suddenly become imminent, and we can hardly contain our excitement.

If you take a look at our Air 3 guide, located at the top and/or bottom of our articles, you'll notice that the majority of the posts are quite recent.

Most of these leaks originate from Igor Bogdanov, with the most recent and significant leak coming from the WinFuture website. Initially, Bogdanov mentioned that the Air 3 might arrive as early as late June or early July. However, since we haven't received any news about a DJI event, it's highly unlikely that it will happen during this timeframe.

As of then, the only Air 3 details we've heard involve the inclusion of a dual camera. However, that single rumor wasn't enough to establish it as truth. Nevertheless, as more leaked photos surfaced, it became increasingly evident that there was something distinct about the camera gimbal, despite the low resolution of the images.

Pricing was also leaked early on, but it originated from Europe, making it challenging to determine the expected price in the US. However, it appears that it will likely fall just below that of the Mavic 3 Classic.

This is also where we found out about the DJI RC 2 and RC-N2. A shocking upgrade to controllers that either just came out or didn't seem like they needed any changes, however, we won't say no to them.

Last week, the biggest leak of all came from WinFuture, which obtained product photos of the Air 3. This leak confirmed that the Air 3 will indeed feature dual cameras, although we couldn't verify any specifications other than the apertures: F1.7 for the bottom camera and F2.8 for the top camera.

Yifei and I agree that the Air 3 won't be suitable for beginners just starting to fly drones. However, it would be an excellent option for beginners looking to venture into professional drone work.

While the Mini 3 Pro is capable of capturing impressive shots and can be used in certain professional scenarios, it isn't particularly well-suited for full-time drone photography and videography. The Mavic 3 Pro, on the other hand, serves as the flagship drone for such work. However, its starting price of $2,199 can be daunting for beginners, which is why the Air lineup exists.

Regarding the Mini 4 rumor, I'm at a loss for words. We weren't expecting something like this to surface anytime soon. DJI typically waits at least a year and a half before releasing an "s" variant of a drone and two to three years before advancing to the next generation.

Both Yifei and I suspect that this won't be a "Mini 4" but rather a "Mini 3S," as the design appears to be identical to the Mini 3 Pro. Apart from that, there isn't much else to discuss regarding this leak. Naturally, we'll have to wait and see if further leaks shed more light on the nature of this drone.

I'm trying something new. Each week I'm going to recap my favorite stories from the past week as well as our discussion during the weekly live stream. I'll fill in some of my opinions on the topics, throw an interview in here or there, and see where it goes from here. Hope you enjoy it.

Since the product came on the scene, New York City has had a de facto ban on drones. The city law bans take-offs of aircraft that don't use approved locations by the Department of Transportation or the Port Authority. That definition pretty much means only heliports or airports, which are impractical for any film crew or recreational pilot to use.

However, thanks to several factors, including a lawsuit by a film production company and the need to use drones for building facade surveys, New York is "opening up" the ability for drone operators to receive flight permits. However, the permits won't be the easiest to get. No casual pilots will be getting the NYPD's stamp of approval. Here's what you'll need in the application:

Oh yeah, and this must be submitted 30 days before the "take-off." A hearing for the change in city law is scheduled for July 7. I guess we'll know more then. But is New York in the right for these sort of restrictions?

Well, yes and no in my opinoin. Are these laws constitutional? No idea. New York's law is very well worded. It does not ban the flight of aircraft in its city. It just prohibits you from taking off or landing them. The law would have to be directly challenged in court with a final ruling for the precedent to be set on how other cities can regulate drones.

Also, like do I need to get approval for every take-off or just once for the whole project? Cause if I'm filming a multi-day event, that's a lot of battery changes and is so unpredictable when you'll have to land and take-off again.

Here is where my mind is split on drone regulation. Can you blame NYC for wanting to keep drone flights to as few as possible? You can argue your right to fly or right to capture events with your cameras, but you have to look at it from both sides. There are some idiot drone pilots out there.

In a city of almost 9 million, maybe having strict drone laws is a good thing? Now who that comes from, I think, is easy to answer, the FAA. Constitutionally the FAA has the authority to regulate airspace, no one else.

I've said this often on our YouTube streams, and I'll say it again. In the right hands, drones can create beautiful things or save lives. But drones in the wrong hands can be very, very dangerous.

For us normie pilots out here that just want more places to fly, trust me, I'm with you, my city also has a similar ban to New York's, and the best bet is to continue to be good pilots. We should continue to follow the laws, be active in our community, and hopefully be good stewards that open local officials up to friendlier regulations.

Or we all run for office, take over the FAA from the inside, and create a new drone world order. I'm joking, I'm joking... ish.

Let's talk about the hottest form of regulation going on in the US at the moment. There are several of these flying around, with plenty already in effect. Florida banned Chinese-made drones for its agencies earlier this year, and of course, there's the DoD's Blue UAS list.

There are more coming. The Senate is working on a bill that will ban the FAA from using federal funds to purchase drones from a list of countries, including China. Then, of course, there is the sentiment around anything Chinese being bad and must be banned, like TikTok.

If we want to see the future of bans on Chinese drones, we will have to see if TikTok's regulatory issues succeed. Both have very similar qualities to them. Both arguments lack concrete evidence and rely on the Chinese fear of the people and "national security concerns." Finally, they are both set up for some sort of legal challenge. TikTok's bans are way more mainstream, and I suspect those will be challenged long before any Chinese drone law is.

We'll have to wait and see what would come of any potential TikTok ban challenge, but if the ban sticks, then I can see the drone bans continuing. If TikTok's ban can be challenged and overturned, then I don't see why these Chinese bans couldn't be challenged either.

But this could take a while, maybe years, and business has to continue. Many agencies forced to move to US-made drones have complained of limitations compared to those from China, like DJI.

It's time for the US drone sector to step up. The federal and some state governments have literally handed them dominance in the US market on a silver platter. Sadly, when governments spoon-feed success to companies, it usually doesn't go over well. Is there another option?

Well, I have a hunch that instead of US companies stepping up and becoming powerhouses, the existing leaders might make the hop over the pond and set up shop here.

DJI is out of the question. Like Bytedance (TikTok's parent company), DJI's roots are in China and have too many ties there. Autel, on the other hand, could. Autel already has a US foothold through its automotive wing and wants to compete with DJI in the enterprise market. What better way to get ahead of DJI than doing what they cannot and embracing the US market and move?

Now I make it sound effortless, but I remember asking Autel CEO Maxwell Lee about it at CES this year, and he didn't shoot it down right away. It didn't sound like it was something he wanted to do, but he acknowledged it was possible.

Anyways, the regulation space is not a fast-paced one, so I'm sure we will have a chance to retouch this topic again.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from DroneDJ. The Buzz is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Google Podcast, or wherever you listen!

Enjoy the podcast? Shop DJI, Autel, or other drones at Amazon to support The Buzz!

New episodes of The Buzz are recorded two to three times a week with monthly recaps the last Friday of every month. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

Stories discussed in this episode:

Follow Seth:

Post: @SethKurk

Instagram: @SethKurk

Follow Yifei:

Instagram: @yifeizhao_ca

Catch up on The Buzz episodes!

Don’t miss out on our other daily podcasts:

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from DroneDJ. The Buzz is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Google Podcast, or wherever you listen!

Enjoy the podcast? Shop DJI, Autel, or other drones at Amazon to support The Buzz!

New episodes of The Buzz are recorded two to three times a week with monthly recaps the last Friday of every month. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

Stories discussed in this episode:

Follow Seth:

Post: @SethKurk

Instagram: @SethKurk

Catch up on The Buzz episodes!

Don’t miss out on our other daily podcasts:

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from DroneDJ. The Buzz is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Google Podcast, or wherever you listen!

Enjoy the podcast? Shop DJI, Autel, or other drones at Amazon to support The Buzz!

New episodes of The Buzz are recorded two to three times a week with monthly recaps the last Friday of every month. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

Stories discussed in this episode:

Follow Seth:

Post: @SethKurk

Instagram: @SethKurk

Catch up on The Buzz episodes!

Don’t miss out on our other daily podcasts: