I live in DC. Want to use my Mavic in the Tripod Mode, IN MY OWN HOUSE. but can't due to the software restrictions for flying around the White House. Not fair. You put tripod mode on the Mavic to fly in my house.

Have a look at how many crashes, because of those trying to fly around their houses, Mavic is not designed for flying around inside houses. Large indoor areas churches etc, so count yourself lucky.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-1-12 07:53
Have a look at how many crashes, because of idiots trying to fly around their houses, Mavic is not designed for flying around inside houses. Large indoor areas churches etc, so count yourself lucky.

I've seen a multitude of successful indoor flights online.  I guess the poster's question has to do with configuring his Mavic so He Can fly indoors. Even if he crashes or not.

Tripod along with all the other intelligent flight modes will only work with GPS, so unless you have a large open barn or similar its unlikely to be available inside.

fans57e193f4 Posted at 2017-1-12 07:59
I've seen a multitude of successful indoor flights online.  I guess the poster's question has to do with configuring his Mavic so He Can fly indoors. Even if he crashes or not.

What is a successful flight indoors (not crashing) or great photography?

Lol... Life isn't fair, suck it up and go to an open field to fly.

However I do disagree with all the people saying its such a bad thing about flying indoors, I do it all the time and haven't had problems with it.

As well, tripod mode doesn't require GPS lock.

If you're ok with the risks involved and know what to expect, maybe you could try a few layers of aluminium foil to see if you can block 100% of the GPS signals, therefore not letting the app know where the aircraft is? I guess also switch off location services on your phone, in case the app uses that as well.
[EDIT] I think I read somewhere that the GPS module is in the back of the Mavic, so that's the area you'd want to target. Look for a teardown video if you want to know exactly where the GPS module is.

It's possible that with obumer on his way out of the White House that those restrictions might be loosened up a bit.

Mavic is definitely designed to be flown indoors! Hence why it is equipped with downward facing cameras and sensors to allow flying without GPS

I feel your pain! He was in Oahu, Hawaii for December everyone was extremely dissatisfied that he was on the island and the FAA put a no flying zone throughout the whole island.

fansf0572733 Posted at 2017-1-12 11:13
Mavic is definitely designed to be flown indoors! Hence why it is equipped with downward facing cameras and sensors to allow flying without GPS

If you didn't have those downward sensors, your Mavic would take an awful thumping when landing inside or outside. Not a very bright answer!!!

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-1-12 07:53
Have a look at how many crashes, because of idiots trying to fly around their houses, Mavic is not designed for flying around inside houses. Large indoor areas churches etc, so count yourself lucky.

It's about CHOICE and common sense.  There is NO REASON a person shouldn't be able to fire up their Mavic in their home within the 30 mile radius of DC.  It's interesting that with all this tech, you can't place the Mavic in ATTI mode manually and fly around the living room.  I guess you AREN'T the king of your own home.  Next, someone will tell me I can't drink a large Coke if I want to.

By the way, your astute enthusiasm toward indoor flying is noted.  The Mavic is my first drone and I have at least 30 indoor flights without a single incident.  No, I don't have a huge house either... 1600 square feet (total) with a somewhat "open" living/dining room with lots of furniture.  I'll ignore the "idiot" label though.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-1-12 12:40
If you didn't have those downward sensors, your Mavic would take an awful thumping when landing inside or outside. Not a very bright answer!!!

Your response was not accurate being not designed for indoor flights ! that was a horrible response.. get your facts straight!!!!!!!!!

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-12 12:54
It's about CHOICE and common sense.  There is NO REASON a person shouldn't be able to fire up their Mavic in their home within the 30 mile radius of DC.  It's interesting that with all this tech, you can't place the Mavic in ATTI mode manually and fly around the living room.  I guess you AREN'T the king of your own home.  Next, someone will tell me I can't drink a large Coke if I want to.

By the way, your astute enthusiasm toward indoor flying is noted.  The Mavic is my first drone and I have at least 30 indoor flights without a single incident.  No, I don't have a huge house either... 1600 square feet (total) with a somewhat "open" living/dining room with lots of furniture.  I'll ignore the "idiot" label though.

There are many reasons people shouldn't fire up and fly there Mavic around there home, experience being one, your right I'm not king of my own home, I have a wife and children so there are no kings or queens at my house.
30 flights in your own house that's great, I fly these aircraft in the sky, aerial photography and search and rescue , the real reason they were designed for, I have flown indoors a couple of times , only for work reasons.
I think it's fair to say pro rata there have been many more accidents with inexperienced pilots flying indoors in there own homes than anywhere else , that in itself speaks volumes, also dji who must have some idea about all this , strongly recommend new flyers learn to fly outdoors not in there sitting rooms.
You obviously recommend the opposite,

fansf0572733 Posted at 2017-1-12 13:16
Your response was not accurate being not designed for indoor flights ! that was a horrible response.. get your facts straight!!!!!!!!!

Read the post before you comment, I never said Mavic was not designed to fly indoors, but rather not for flying around inside your house, you need to point out to me where dji mentions in there marketing that Mavic was designed for flying around inside your house...

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-1-12 08:17
What is a successful flight indoors (not crashing) or great photography?

Not Crashing Of Course, wow.....

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-1-12 13:28
There are many reasons people shouldn't fire up and fly there Mavic around there home, experience being one, your right I'm not king of my own home, I have a wife and children so there are no kings or queens at my house.
30 flights in your own house that's great, I fly these aircraft in the sky, aerial photography and search and rescue , the real reason they were designed for, I have flown indoors a couple of times , only for work reasons.
I think it's fair to say pro rata there have been many more accidents with inexperienced pilots flying indoors in there own homes than anywhere else , that in itself speaks volumes, also dji who must have some idea about all this , strongly recommend new flyers learn to fly outdoors not in there sitting rooms.

I don't recommend the opposite, I just prefer choice and perhaps GUIDANCE rather than DISCOURAGEMENT.  I don't care why you fly them, to come out and say they aren't for use indoors is just a biased opinion.  They can be used in both areas with proper guidance and preparation.  It's not personal, I'm just not a fan of telling people what they can and can't do, but rather giving them the information they will probably need and letting them make the choice for themselves.

fans57e193f4 Posted at 2017-1-12 14:09
Not Crashing Of Course, wow.....

...and I DID get some great pictures of my Christmas tree!

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-12 14:26
I don't recommend the opposite, I just prefer choice and perhaps GUIDANCE rather than DISCOURAGEMENT.  I don't care why you fly them, to come out and say they aren't for use indoors is just a biased opinion.  They can be used in both areas with proper guidance and preparation.  It's not personal, I'm just not a fan of telling people what they can and can't do, but rather giving them the information they will probably need and letting them make the choice for themselves.

Another one who doesn't read the posts , never said they weren't for indoors, but rather not for flying around inside houses,

(There is no reason why a person shouldn't just fire up there Mavic in there home) your words.

Yeah that's great advice for new pilots..

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-1-12 14:48
Another one who doesn't read the posts , never said they weren't for indoors, but rather not for flying around inside houses,

(There is no reason why a person shouldn't just fire up there Mavic in there home) your words.

You are correct, you didn't exclude ALL indoor locations, you just implied it wasn't designed to fly in your house.  That said, my opinion remains the same:  "Rather than discourage and/or tell someone what they can't do, how about INFORMING and encouraging the kind of things that will keep them flying safely in whatever environment THEY choose to fly in?"

I wouldn't have even replied to you if your VERY FIRST RESPONSE was to be so negative and tell the guy what to do without knowing anything about him.

OP:  Sorry about the back-n-forth in your thread.  I realize you were just frustrated that you couldn't fly your Mavic.  If I were still in the DC area, I'd be upset too, knowing that I couldn't even take-off and hover in the living room (which is my right to choose) and get a feel for my new Mavic.  Of course, I'd do so with all of the caution and knowledge  that comes from reading this forum, the manual, watching videos, etc. but I could at least CHOOSE to do it.  If I crashed, so be it... that's my choice... just as it should be yours.  I feel your pain.  I don't know what the No-Fly zone encompasses, but hopefully you don't have to go far to at least spin the props up.  When you Do spin them up, I'm sure you'll have plenty of information to decide where and how you would like to do it.  Enjoy!

Thanks your Trump for that.

And whats the point of flying inside your house.Is there somewhere in your house that a handheld dslr could not get to?Craziness

Harbourside Posted at 2017-1-12 08:07
Tripod along with all the other intelligent flight modes will only work with GPS, so unless you have a large open barn or similar its unlikely to be available inside.

I fly mine indoors without gps a lot and you can still use tripod mode. That is how I fly mine in the house, once in tripod mode it's fairly easy to fly indoors

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-12 17:21
You are correct, you didn't exclude ALL indoor locations, you just implied it wasn't designed to fly in your house.  That said, my opinion remains the same:  "Rather than discourage and/or tell someone what they can't do, how about INFORMING and encouraging the kind of things that will keep them flying safely in whatever environment THEY choose to fly in?"

I wouldn't have even replied to you if your VERY FIRST RESPONSE was to be so negative and tell the guy what to do without knowing anything about him.

I suggest having 30 flights under your belt flying inside your house, you post an instructional video, on the best and safest way to fly around inside your home, (maybe the one where your taking photos of your xmas tree, lol)

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-12 14:28
...and I DID get some great pictures of my Christmas tree!

Hell, so did I.... Some great flicks...

fans6b1659a0 Posted at 2017-1-12 20:34
And whats the point of flying inside your house.Is there somewhere in your house that a handheld dslr could not get to?Craziness

fly in your house to take pictures. maybe I don't have a DSLR.

People who are arguing the fact that i shouldn't be able to fly in my house if i want to aren't smart. If i choose to crash the drone in my house , it should be my choice. No?

cqeaerialphotog Posted at 2017-1-13 07:25
People who are arguing the fact that i shouldn't be able to fly in my house if i want to aren't smart. If i choose to crash the drone in my house , it should be my choice. No?

The other way round you can say: If flying is not allowed due to proximity to an airport, the laws do not distinguish betwen flying inside or outside a house (IIRC) and even if, there is nothing like an indoor-detection available (technically).

I understand what you want and I agree, you should be able to fly that thing inside your house. But I do not see how to enforce no-fly zones then and I am sure, if people can work around it, we will see flying Mavics in no-fly zones very quickly.

Dronoob Posted at 2017-1-13 07:41
The other way round you can say: If flying is not allowed due to proximity to an airport, the laws do not distinguish betwen flying inside or outside a house (IIRC) and even if, there is nothing like an indoor-detection available (technically).

I understand what you want and I agree, you should be able to fly that thing inside your house. But I do not see how to enforce no-fly zones then and I am sure, if people can work around it, we will see flying Mavics in no-fly zones very quickly.

Interesting thread.. !

I would hate that restriction, but DJI should allow overrides without all the hoops to jump through. indoor flight is not regulated as far as I understand it?  Maybe DJI is just unaware of this.  This is why they need to add an 'Indoor' mode to the app/firmware.   No GPS (off), only Opti or Atti mode - user selectable.  It would solve this.  

From FAA website - FAQ:

4. If I'm just flying my UAS inside a building, or in my own yard, do I have to register it?
If you're flying indoors, you do not need to register your unmanned aircraft as the FAA does not regulate indoor UAS use. However, when flying in your own yard or over your own property, you will need to register your UAS if the UAS weighs more than 0.55 pounds.

So you don't even need to register it if only used indoors.  safe to assume indoor is not regulated.  so there are no "NO FLY" zones indoors.  unless I am misinterpreting this??

dronefoot Posted at 2017-1-13 08:25
Interesting thread.. !

I would hate that restriction, but DJI should allow overrides without all the hoops to jump through. indoor flight is not regulated as far as I understand it?  Maybe DJI is just unaware of this.  This is why they need to add an 'Indoor' mode to the app/firmware.   No GPS (off), only Opti or Atti mode - user selectable.  It would solve this.  

You have a valid point.  I also like the "Indoor Mode" that was mentioned.  ATTI/OPTI mode only and maybe a limit of 15' for elevation as measured by the downward sensors.  Slow the controls and filter large movements to help prevent crashes.

I understand the need for "no-fly zones", but it really makes a person wonder how much personal choice we are willing to give up to enforce a restriction.  Why completely disable something when you can inform and let the user decide.  If you choose wrong, you accept the consequences.

Panamera 5 Posted at 2017-1-12 21:04
I fly mine indoors without gps a lot and you can still use tripod mode. That is how I fly mine in the house, once in tripod mode it's fairly easy to fly indoors

I stand corrected
I have never flown inside, and have no desire to, but after firmware updates or just playing around with the settings when I press Tripod mode it says "intelligent flight modes disabled in ATTI"
So tried again today, and if I lift the Mavic off the table (by hand, no motors running) and select Tripod mode it says "motors must be running" or some such message, guessing because it switches to Optical mode once it thinks its airborne.
Sorry for any confusion...

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-13 08:31
You have a valid point.  I also like the "Indoor Mode" that was mentioned.  ATTI/OPTI mode only and maybe a limit of 15' for elevation as measured by the downward sensors.  Slow the controls and filter large movements to help prevent crashes.

I understand the need for "no-fly zones", but it really makes a person wonder how much personal choice we are willing to give up to enforce a restriction.  Why completely disable something when you can inform and let the user decide.  If you choose wrong, you accept the consequences.

Yup, let the user decide or option to waiver out of it.  

If  i want to push the limits, i take the risk of getting a fine, that's on me, not DJI to nanny .. same w/driving a car, do you all go speed limit .. ? maybe you want to push 600-1000 ft one day .. not saying it's right, but if you get caught you pay the price ..

but to limit all flight including indoor is definitely not the way to do this.

Indoor Mode:

GPS DISABLED BY DEFAULT

2 indoor flight mode settings: OPTI/ATTI, ATTI ONLY
Maybe a slider setting for max altitude indoor mode setting?

Of course Warning! message of about what you are going to activate, and you take responsibility ..air craft may fly erratically, etc.

Crisisremix Posted at 2017-1-12 11:21
I feel your pain! He was in Oahu, Hawaii for December everyone was extremely dissatisfied that he was on the island and the FAA put a no flying zone throughout the whole island.

Why are you bringing politics onto the forum?  It is not needed here!

I'll try to join the conversation without getting into too much trouble and just respond to a couple of specific elements:

Flying indoors carries risk, but is certainly doable for those that have the experience and accept the risks.  The risk is real.

It can be used for photography indoors that you can't easily capture with a DSLR (e.g. If you have a double-height great room)

Sometimes you just want to fly indoors because you just want to, and flying outdoors in your yard is prohibitive (e.g. Extreme cold temps or flight restrictions) and I think that should be OK.  Fun is OK.

Tripod mode isn't IMO the best indoor flight option as - if GPS cuts out - your craft will unexpectedly react faster than you expect (hence selectable ATTI would be awesome)

Prop guards (although unsexy and impractical in general for the Mavic) could be extremely helpful indoors, and reduce risk and damage.

fans6b1659a0 Posted at 2017-1-12 20:34
And whats the point of flying inside your house.Is there somewhere in your house that a handheld dslr could not get to?Craziness

There are plenty of good reasons, first one being maybe he needs to test a new part that was just installed.  He shouldn't have to drive 30 miles from his home to simply do that.  He's not asking to break the law, the software is coded in such a way that it's far more restrictive than the law.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-1-12 12:40
If you didn't have those downward sensors, your Mavic would take an awful thumping when landing inside or outside. Not a very bright answer!!!

Flown mine inside about 20 times .... in some really tight area's .. just because you lack the skill or confidence, no need to preach your failures as a foregone conclusion for everyone else.

Not sure how people crash the mavic indoors ...... It handles perfectly as long as you are flying within the limits of the craft...  

Just because you are slow in the head ... does not mean the rest of us are.

cqeaerialphotog Posted at 2017-1-13 07:23
fly in your house to take pictures. maybe I don't have a DSLR.

but with DSLR you can't take a photo of yourself from atop while sit on the toilet

M Stuart K Posted at 2017-1-13 08:42
Why are you bringing politics onto the forum?  It is not needed here!

LOL any where Obama or any current president goes the FAA puts a 40mile no fly zone. You my friend need to chill i wasn't even talking about politics

Funny!  Definitely getting a little frosty in this thread.

Hey, it's Friday.  Best day of the week.  Lots of people with good opinions and experiences in this thread... They just happen to be different, that's all.

Harbourside Posted at 2017-1-13 08:35
I stand corrected
I have never flown inside, and have no desire to, but after firmware updates or just playing around with the settings when I press Tripod mode it says "intelligent flight modes disabled in ATTI"
So tried again today, and if I lift the Mavic off the table (by hand, no motors running) and select Tripod mode it says "motors must be running" or some such message, guessing because it switches to Optical mode once it thinks its airborne.

You have to start up the Mavic and once your hovering you can select tripod mode. Took a me some time to figure that out lol