so this is kind of embarrassing but i took my mini 4 pro out at a state park last weekend and just... flew. it was a gorgeous valley, nobody around, i checked the dji fly app before i left home and it showed clear so i went for it. got some really nice footage too.

when i got home i was looking at it more carefully and realized there might have been some kind of wildlife refuge boundary overlapping part of where i was. the DJI app didnt flag anything but i feel like ive seen people say the DJI map isnt always accurate or up to date. did i do something wrong? i genuinely dont know how you're supposed to check all of this stuff before a flight, like is there one place that has everything or do you have to cross reference a bunch of apps

honestly the DJI app is not the place to rely on for airspace decisions, its better than nothing but its not authoritative. FAA airspace and wildlife refuge rules are two totally different things run by two totally different agencies and they dont always talk to each other neatly on any one map. for FAA stuff aloft or airspace aware are the go-to apps. for national wildlife refuges and state park restrictions you kind of have to check the specific land management agency rules, which yeah is annoying.

for what its worth a lot of state parks and refuges do prohibit drone flight but its not always clearly posted or enforced. if you werent in restricted airspace per the FAA you're probably fine legally speaking but the land use rules are a separate question. i'd look up that specific park or refuge and see if they have a written policy.

this is such a common thing and i dont think people realize how complicated it actually is until they dig in. ive been flying for like 4 years and i still occasionally find something after the fact that makes me go hmm. the airspace side is relatively straightforward once you learn it but the land use stuff, national parks, wildlife areas, tribal land, its all separate and scattered. some parks have signs some dont. i just try to do a quick google search for the specific location now before i go out, usually someone on reddit or a hiking forum has already figured out if drones are allowed there or not which is a weird but reliable shortcut