Updated 07/18/2017 8:19 am
Remarkably, someone thought it would be “a crazy shot” to film flights landing at the Tel Aviv airport. Now he is under house arrest.
His name is not Mr. Stupid. It is Niv Stobenzki, who the International Business Times reports, “went to an outdoor bar about half a mile away from the Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv and launched his Mavic Pro drone into the air. He used the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to capture footage of commercial jet liners on the approach to the airport, just 90ft (27m) away.”
He then followed up this genius move by posting the video to Facebook. Not surprisingly, there was a considerable amount of blowback from the drone enthusiast community, the vast majority of whom wanted Iraeli authorities to throw the boo at him. For now they will have to settle for house arrest. The investigation is ongoing. Both Mr. Stobenzki’s drone and cell phone have beenconfiscated.
In a statement DJI said:
As the world’s largest drone manufacturer, we stand ready to assist national aviation authorities as they investigate a recent wave of photos and videos showing clear and intentional lawbreaking in ways that pose real danger to manned air traffic. DJI cooperates with lawful requests from governmental authorities investigating crimes that may involve our technology.
Recently there have been media reports of unauthorised flight control parameter modifications that enable DJI drones to circumvent built-in safety features, including geofencing restrictions. DJI is constantly working on improving its firmware to counter unauthorised tampering.
A recent firmware update issued for all DJI drones fixes reported issues and ensures DJI’s products continue to provide information and features supporting safe flight. DJI will continue to investigate additional reports of unauthorized modifications and issue software updates to address them without further announcement.”
You can read DJI’s complete statement here.
It is possible that Mr. Stobenzki hacked the drone’s firmware. DJI has come under criticism in some quarters for their geo-fencing technology and some individuals have been posting and promoting hacks and workarounds online. The geo-fencing technology is developed to prevent this sort of irresponsible use.
Frank Schroth is editor in chief of DroneLife, the authoritative source for news and analysis on the drone industry: it’s people, products, trends, and events.
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