Drone News Roundup: DJI Mini 5 Leaked, Former DJI Exec Weighs in on Mysterious N.J. Drones, and More!
BY Zacc Dukowitz
19 December 2024This week we’re covering recent leaks about the DJI Mini 5, including rumors that it will come with LiDAR.
We’re also covering a former DJI executive’s thoughts on the mysterious N.J. drone sightings, our 1% charity donation pledge, a drone holiday gift guide for last-minute shoppers, insights on the FAA’s upcoming Part 108 rule, and DJI’s response to the NDAA 2025.
Now on to the links!
DJI Mini 5 Leaked
I have been extremely skeptical towards the release of a #DJIMINI5. I couldn’t find any reason why they should update the Mini 4 without exceeding the 249 gram mark. But today I stand corrected. This summer we will see a new Mini with LiDAR and stronger (vented) motors. Cheers pic.twitter.com/v3kcSasJfO
— Jasper Ellens | X27 (@JasperEllens) December 10, 2024
Some industry insiders have said that DJI won’t make a Mini 5 any time soon, if at all, because the Mini 4 Pro is just about the best you can do while keeping a drone under 250 grams. And some insiders have also said that the recently-leaked DJI Flip is actually the Mini 5. But new leaks make it look like DJI is in fact working on a Mini 5—and it’s a different drone from the Flip. The biggest news from the leaks is that the Mini 5 may come with LiDAR. That would be big news, since LiDAR has never been put on a Mini-type drone before. Rumor says the Mini 5 will come out in the summer of 2025, so we still have a lot of time—and probably a lot more leaks—before we’ll find out for sure.
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Former DJI Executive Weighs in on Drones Over NJ
Lots of people have asked me what’s going on with the drones in New Jersey. (No, I’m not flying them!) Here’s what I think is actually happening. (Thread) pic.twitter.com/kxzYZcGANu
— Brendan Schulman (@dronelaws) December 16, 2024
Over the last month there have been dozens of sightings of mysterious drones in New Jersey. The sightings have centered around defense installations like the Picatinny Arsenal and the Naval Weapons Station Earl. But they’ve also happened in civilian areas, too. And there have been a lot of these sightings, with lots of videos accompanying them.
In a recent X thread, former VP of Policy at DJI Brendan Schulman shared his opinion on what the sightings mean. According to Schulman, the sightings can be explained by the overlapping effects of several known, explainable phenomena, including regular air traffic, consumer drones flying legally, and people creating hoax videos. Despite Schulman’s explanation the sightings do continue to happen, and no official theory has been put forth by authorities. Follow the link below for our guide to the N.J. drone sightings, including videos, a timeline, and official responses from different authorities.
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Giving Back to the Community
Giving back is an important part of our mission here at UAV Coach. Every year, we donate 1% of sales from Drone Pilot Ground School to charity. (Drone Pilot Ground School is our flagship Part 107 test prep course.) We started our commitment to donate 1% back in 2019, when we pledged to donate $1 for every $100 we earn on the course. We do this because we believe that running a business is not just about making a profit. It’s also about rallying our customers, partners, and employees around issues that impact many of us, and it’s about helping the communities where we operate.
This year, we donated to six organizations: the Freedom Service Dogs of America, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the Kids In Need Foundation, the National Forest Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, and K9s for Warriors. Every charity we donate to is rated 4 out of 4 stars on Charity Navigator, an unbiased and objective evaluator that uses a numbers-based system to rate charities. In addition to our charity donations, in 2024 we gave away two $1,000 scholarships to college students and 88 smaller scholarships to high school students. You can find information about our college and high school scholarships here.
Follow the link below to learn more about our 1% pledge.
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Looking for Last Minute Presents? Check Out Our Drone Holiday Gift Guide
Looking for a present to give the drone lover in your life—or yourself? We’ve got you covered. Our drone holiday gift guide lists gift ideas by price, starting at $9 and going up from there. The guide includes hands-on learning like drone flying lessons, suggestions for drone models at different prices, and several online drone courses. It also has drone accessories, and a lot more. Follow the link below to see all the drone gift ideas we cover.
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Part 108 Is Coming—Here’s What It Could Look Like
The FAA hosted its 8th annual Drone and AAM Symposium in August, and a standout panel was focused on BVLOS and the development of a Part 108 framework. (Part 108 is the new rule the FAA is working on to make BVLOS operations easier and more common for drone pilots; BVLOS stands for Beyond Visual Line of Sight, and refers to flying a drone beyond the pilot’s sight.)
Aviation research analyst Adam Ackermann of consulting firm Woolpert broke the panel’s key takeaways down in a recent blog post:
- Two pathways. The FAA is considering two pathways for BVLOS approvals: operational permits (streamlined approach) and operational certificates (more in-depth for larger operations).
- Nine categories. The FAA is looking into establishing nine categories of BVLOS operations, including package delivery, agriculture, and aerial surveying.
- Accountability shift. Part 108 will likely shift accountability for BVLOS drone ops from individual remote pilots to corporations, making companies responsible for training and flight qualifications.
- Instant authorizations. Authorizations will likely be needed for operations in controlled airspace, with a goal of offering automatic approvals similar to LAANC.
- UTM is coming. The FAA is working towards a federated UTM (Uncrewed Traffic Management) system. This would represent a major milestone in drone operations, enabling safer BVLOS flying and just drone flying in general for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
The FAA will be putting out a draft of the Part 108 rules by the end of this year. Once that draft is out, it will be open for comment as part of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) process. This means anyone can comment on it, and the FAA will then take those comments and consider them before finalizing the rule.
When the draft rule is released we’ll make sure to share it with you and provide detailed guidance on how to comment. For now, check out our in-depth guide to the Part 108, which is linked below and has everything we know so far about the new rule.
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DJI Responds to NDAA 2025 Drone Legislation
Credit: DJI
The Countering CCP Drones Act—the law that proposes a ban on DJI drones—did not make it into the NDAA 2025. If you were worried about a potential DJI ban, this is good news. However, the final version of the NDAA 2025 does include provisions for reviewing Chinese-made drones from DJI and Autel. According to the bill, national security agencies must review drones from the two companies within one year and determine whether they post “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.” If they do, or—and this is key—if no determination is made, the FCC must add the company to its Covered List, effectively banning new products from that company from entering the U.S. market.
DJI has issued a response to these provisions, calling for fair and transparent evaluations: “We call for the agency tasked with this work to be technical in nature to ensure the assessment is evidence-based . . . If the NDAA passes with these provisions included, we call on a relevant technical intelligence agency to undertake an audit of our products, and we ask for a fair right of reply to any findings.” Follow the link below for our guide to the DJI ban, including past developments and information on what might happen next.
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