Drone News: Concerning Congress Bill, AMA Clubs Can Fly Over 400, New DJI Enterprise Accessories, ParaZero Parachute for Matrice 4

First up, Senate Bill 1249 in Congress proposes to change how navigable airspace is defined, and would give the first 200 feet above the ground to states and private property owners.

This bill also gives mandatory standoff distances from structures, including 200' laterally and 50 feet over the top of structures. Sadly, this is not a new idea. 5 years, we spent a significant amount of time fighting something similar proposed by the Uniform Law Commission (or ULC) proposed the same before being shut down.

This is obviously a terrible idea and is proposed by a US Senator Mike Lee from Utah, who has a history of proposing bills that would severely limit UAS operations.

Please reach out to your senators and representatives, as this affects ALL UAS operators, including drones, model airplanes, FPV, and helicopters.

Next up this week, some news for recreational flyers who fly at the Academy of Model Aeronautics, or AMA, club sites. The AMA announced they've secured a National Authorization that allows members flying at designated club sites within Class G airspace to operate above the standard 400-foot Above Ground Level, or AGL, limit for routine flying. Depending on the specific site's location and assessment within Class G, the new authorized altitude limit could be up to 700 feet AGL, or even 1,200 feet AGL.

Third up, DJI has expanded its enterprise payload lineup with two new accessories aimed at public safety and inspection users. They've launched the Zenmuse S1 Spotlight and the Zenmuse V1 Speaker. The S1 Spotlight is designed for the Matrice 300 RTK and Matrice 350 RTK platforms. It's a high-intensity light source with an effective illumination range of up to 150 meters, or about 492 feet. It features adjustable brightness levels and can synchronize its angle with the gimbal's pitch movements, keeping the light focused where the camera is looking, which is pretty neat. Then there's the Zenmuse V1 Speaker, which is compatible with the Matrice 300 and 350 series drones. This isn't your average Bluetooth speaker; it boasts a maximum volume of 120 decibels and an effective range of about 100 meters, or 328 feet, at a more typical 75 decibels. It supports text-to-speech conversion, audio storage, and real-time playback, making it useful for broadcasting instructions or warnings during emergencies. These kinds of accessories really enhance the utility of these enterprise platforms for first responders and inspection teams.

And finally this week, ParaZero, known for their drone safety systems, has launched the SafeAir M4 parachute recovery system, specifically designed for the DJI Matrice 4 series drones. ParaZero's Press release says the SafeAir M4 meets the requirements of the ASTM F3322-22 standard for parachutes used in Operations Over People, or OOP.

https://dronexl.co/2025/04/16/dji-launches-zenmuse-s1-spotlight-and-zenmuse-v1-speaker-for-enterprise-drones/

https://dronexl.co/2025/04/15/parazero-launches-safeair-m4-drone-parachute-system/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1249/text/is?format=txt&overview=closed

https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2025/04/15/flying-sites-in-class-g-airspace-granted-higher-altitudes/?_gl=1*1uaan0o*_gcl_au*NzU5NzI5MTc0LjE3NDQ5MDM2MzA.&_ga=2.207238160.221137029.1744903630-1851979334.1744903630