AN OPEN LETTER TO AMERICAN DRONE MANUFACTURERS | Advice for how to fill DJI's shoes...
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- The last few days have yielded some incredibly discouraging information and trends regarding DJI's status in the American drone industry. After passing out of committee by a landslide 57-1 vote, the Countering CCP Drones Act (which would result in an outright ban of DJI drones in the United States) has officially been added to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2025.
As long as the NDAA is passed (as it normally is) and no changes are made to it regarding the verbiage about banning DJI, then we all need to prepare for a future where DJI does not exist in the American drone industry...including American drone manufacturers.
On today's episode of Let's Talk Drones, I pen a letter to our friends making drones in America (or at least in countries that are "American-friendly") giving them my personalized advice for how they can help us all right the ship and get the United States drone industry back on track after this gigantic setback...
Let's write a letter, Let's Talk Drones!
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Well said. In the last year I got into flying drones and found something I’m passionate about. It absolutely infuriates me knowing that these dirty, greedy politicians have allowed these “American” (term used loosely) companies to potentially kill off my hobby. My 9 year old daughter loves to come flying with me and now it’s a real possibility that we may lose this hobby that we love. I love my country but cannot stand my government. All they do is think about themselves and how they can line their pockets.
I agree with Chris bro that American drone manufacturers need to be more affordable and reliable. DJI's dominance may not have been ideal, but these companies need to offer better products at competitive prices.
Thank you for taking the time, It's Appreciated!
Happy Flying
Well put together and said! Now if the American companies actually listen or care. Skydio could care less for us non-enterprise/non-governmental operators and they have made that very clear.
Chris, I can only think of 2 words for this video: RIGHT ON!!!
That was one heck of a Letter 💯💯💯💯💯💪🏽
Thank you for sharing thoughtful words to American drone company
Well said. My name is Al, and I approve this message.
I'm not buying any American drone. *PERIOD*
Chris , thank you for the letter that should be ringing across the USA and the drone world.
Still waiting for a response from sen. Marco Rubio 😮
I hope you're not holding your breath! xD
First responders have been putting up a hell of a resistance to the DJI ban
Congressional Republicans couldn't care any less
@@bryanmurphy909 true but still worth acknowledging
@@flightclubpod I suppose. All any of them care about is the approval of one person.
Thank you for your letter, Chris. Well said.
Jim Thorpe rail trail bridge !! you were in my back yard.
Very well said! DJI has announced strategic alliances and partnerships in response to the potential ban. I’m pretty sure they’ll keep on striving in our market. I also doubt our drones will magically be disabled overnight. If so I’d be worried that our first responders could be disabled in the occurrence of conflict with China. The panic over the ban is a good indication that we have an unhealthy monopoly in the US drone market. Hopefully this creates a healthy competitive drone market. Unfortunately, If I look at GoPro, they’re killing their action cameras in the same way US drones have seen their demise.
Bonjour~ The~total good drone! see you soon!🙂
Piggy backing off what you said I believe GoPro would be a great company to pick up and be a leader in the US and global Drone market. The majority of people already use Hero’s mounted on their drones. GoPro is based in the USA, they definitely have the product development, finances to succeed, quality customer service to match DJI’s, AND an always deliver a great product. This is just my opinion but I believe they can really be the one company that can pickup where DJI left off in the US
I don't disagree - all of the foundational boxes are checked with GoPro: American, high-quality small-format camera technology, and trusted after sales service. The big hurdle they will have is overcoming the negative stigma they earned with their first shot at the drone industry with the GoPro Karma. If they are able to put together a solid UAV division and have those people focus on the aircraft only and allow the camera division to then implement the camera technology, I think we have a recipe for success. I know they'd LIKE to have it so you mount a GoPro to the drone, but I think they're actually better-served creating drones with onboard cameras already built-in (like we see with DJI and Autel). The idea on paper is good when it comes to upgrading your camera and not your airframe (saving the end-user money in the long run), but I think people are just as happy to spend money on a new airframe because upgrades to that would give them something additional to look forward to.
The other company I think has REAL potential to make some waves in the consumer/prosumer drone market is Sony. Again, a fantastic camera company with a squeaky clean reputation overall and solid after-sales service. They already have the Airpeak which is essentially their answer to the Inspire 2/3 (and the Matrice 200), so creating something equivalent to a Mavic or even a Phantom should be a relatively reasonable idea now that it looks like DJI is on the way out from the US market. Before it was cost- and return-prohibitive because nobody would buy a Sony "Maverick" or "Ghost" (just me creating a fake name for the drones lol) when there are battle-tested Mavics and Phantoms available, but that seems like it will be changing...so there's no reason not to spend time and money on developing alternatives to those platforms for that segment of the market.
GoPro already tried the drone market and didn't make it. (GoPro Karma)
You’re asking a lot from the US based consumer drone industry (doesn’t exist) to think like CITIZENS again.
Loved the video and plus 1 sub. Btw i loved how you filmed my hometown San antonio ❤
❤
Ouch...
I agree 2000% American what happened to that America that actually made the best of the best product. If you was paying a lot of money for those American products in the past they were worth the price. Because it could not be beat anywhere else. I just find it to be very sad that there's a lot of money for all of these companies to make money but the American companies are just choosing to rake in the money instead of having a feedback conversation with the person who you're selling the drones too. Stop all this lobbying. Running down to Congress to show just how weak companies are in America.
I'm confused why does this video seem to indicate that the ban is a done deal?
Did something happen today that I'm unaware of?
It passed into verbiage for the NDAA for 2025. It still has steps left before it’s concrete, but historically speaking it will pass with little to no changes being made - especially not on components that are tough on China in an election year.
It may not be a “done deal,” but it’s nearly there and there are no indicators to suggest it will not pass.
@@TheDroneGeek
Got it. Hopefully the comments and letters over the last week or so will have an effect on the senate and they don't go through with it...🙏
It figures I just ordered the DJI FPV Explorer combo and it will arrive tomorrow, I think I’m going to return it. I mostly wanted the package for the Integra goggles and the controller 2. This will ban all DJI products and it’s a definite overreaction. I really wanted to get into digital fpv and DJI has the market. What would be a good digital FPV alternative, Walksnail?
@@WildCaptures
It's super highly unlikely that our current licenses would be revoked. If the NDAA includes the drone ban it wouldn't likely affect new models not current models.
The NDAA hasn't been finalized yet
15 June
The bill must now be debated and voted on by the full U.S. Senate. A separate measure will make its way through the U.S. House of Representatives. Once both the Senate and House pass their versions of the bill, they must then be reconciled in a bicameral conference committee, and then approved by each chamber before a final version may be sent to the President to be signed into law.
I just checked and as of Saturday night and this seems to be the current status of the NDAA. It's not finalized yet.
Hearing the Ban I wanna make a Drone American company .
Well said!!!
Sick and tired of hearing from people who want government money for their businesses. Your comments show your lack of understanding of how to run a profitable company.
Apparently the fact that that suggestion was in jest, went way over your head.
Lol, look up how DJI managed to scale their business from a start-up to what it is today and then come back and delete your comment. 125% growth the last 3 years in my business, so I'll just assume it's YOU that knows jack shit about running a profitable company xD
Not totally in jest. DJI received HEFTY subsidies from the Chinese government in their early years. These funds went towards scaling their manufacturing capabilities, sourcing and filling shipping containers, and sending product out to their desired markets. There is no scenario where anyone on US soil achieves what DJI has achieved without similar assistance. It won't happen. It probably won't happen WITH government subsidies backing US-drone companies...but it definitely won't without subsidies.
And if anyone (not you) thinks I don't know anything about how businesses work because I'm suggesting subsidizing our drone companies, let's look at the long history of government subsidies in the United States in our proverbial "free market." One that comes to mind especially quickly happened in 2008 when the government had to choose between allowing big banks to fail during the economic recession under the rules of a true capitalistic free market or to intervene and bail them out with a subsidization that allowed them to stay afloat. The government could have applied capitalist principles to the situation and allowed the banks to all fail and go under, but that would have left millions of Americans in dire financial straits as a result, creating an even bigger economic crisis...so, they did the logical thing and bailed the banks out...whether the banks deserved that assistance or not is another conversation entirely -- but the consumers that banked with them DID deserve the bailout.
My point here is now very drawn out, but it boils down to this: the drone industry will die without government intervention financially. Look at the sales and revenue generated by "American" drone companies...very few have a true healthy income at present and what is more worrying is that they have no means to scale their business to a point where they can feasibly draw in more customers to generate those revenue streams. It's a mess.
@@TheDroneGeek
Another big one was the automaker bail out. If we were truly capitalist we would only have Ford now because they didn't need or want the money.