I have a client who wants me to do some indoor flying. This will be in a restaurant with customers. I know the proper way to do this is in manual control with the FPV controller. Unfortunately, I am not proficient in manual flying. I plan to try launching indoors in normal mode to see if I have enough signal. I'm not sure which controller I will use. Most likely, it will be the motion controller because I am the most comfortable with that controller. What happens if I launch in normal mode and then lose the connection? My RTH is set to hover. How do I land the drone if I don't have control of it? Any other suggestions?

The problem isn't that you lose connection....the issue is losing GPS/GNSS. The Avata 2 is still capable of steady flight without GPS/GNSS it depends on the vision sensors. The key here is a well-lit environment.....and most restaurants do not fit that requirement. Personally, I wouldn't risk it due to the fact that customers will be present. Even though the props are enclosed, with whoop style drones, they entangle easily in anyone with long hair.

That explains the videos I've seen of people flying the Avata 2 indoors with a motion controller. So, now the question is, what happens if the light is too low?

Emilio Corsetti Posted at 10-20 15:16
That explains the videos I've seen of people flying the Avata 2 indoors with a motion controller. So, now the question is, what happens if the light is too low?

You will get a warning message "Mode changed to ATTI" and the drone will start drifting when that happens. Usually it reestablishes itself on the vision sensors when the lightning/texture of the floor becomes adequate. Fly a "dry run" without guests and the lights turned up to max. Avoid flying over all dark and smooth surfaces.

Swedrone Posted at 10-21 02:10
You will get a warning message "Mode changed to ATTI" and the drone will start drifting when that happens. Usually it reestablishes itself on the vision sensors when the lightning/texture of the floor becomes adequate. Fly a "dry run" without guests and the lights turned up to max. Avoid flying over all dark and smooth surfaces.

Thanks for the advice. If I hadn't been concerned before this job, I am now.

I think the logical and legitimate way to do this would be to do a dry run without customers simulating same lighting conditions as of the shoot day. FPV controller 3 would be an ideal choice for this.
Please remember, Avata 2 does not care about what controller is being used. It only depends upon the lighting conditions and GPS signal strength. Indoors, it can fly as good as outdoors without GPS, solely relying on the vision sensors which need some light to work.

Good luck for your project.

Traxx Warriors Posted at 10-21 08:25
I think the logical and legitimate way to do this would be to do a dry run without customers simulating same lighting conditions as of the shoot day. FPV controller 3 would be an ideal choice for this.
Please remember, Avata 2 does not care about what controller is being used. It only depends upon the lighting conditions and GPS signal strength. Indoors, it can fly as good as outdoors without GPS, solely relying on the vision sensors which need some light to work.

It really needs max lightning not the dimmed cosy evening light and I also think the Motion controller is a way better choice for this one.

Swedrone Posted at 10-22 06:41
It really needs max lightning not the dimmed cosy evening light and I also think the Motion controller is a way better choice for this one.

The video the customer wants is a complicated outdoor-to-indoor shoot. I'm supposed to fly down a street surrounded by tall buildings, light poles, strung lights, and other assorted obstacles, then turn at an intersection and fly through a park. Then I'm supposed to fly into an enclosed patio, fly the length of the patio, enter the bar/restaraunt, and do some more flying.

I had some concerns. The outdoor stuff was challenging but not impossible. I tried a test flight inside the bar. I lifted off from the floor and immediately got a low ambient light warning, and the drone started to drift. I landed immediately. I then tried lifting off from the top of the bar where there was more light. There was enough light to conduct a test flight.

Here is a link to a short video showing some of the outside video and the short interior test: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1022193475

After talking to the owner and better understanding his needs, I now know how to handle this job. I will fly the outdoor stuff with the Avata 2. I'll approach the patio and switch to a camera gimble (maybe the Osmo) for the interior stuff.

The experience has raised even more questions because I have another request for an outdoor to-interior video. I can fly down the two streets and position myself with a line of sight to the entry point, but I have no idea what would happen if I tried flying the interior while still positioned outside. Would the drone lose a connection as soon as I went inside? I am not clear how other people can do these fly-through videos where they start at a point far from the interior shot, enter through a window or door, fly around, and then exit through another door or window. How do they maintain a connection to the drone?

Losing your vision-positioning doesn't necessarily mean you'll lose control of the drone.  If the drone's being directed by you and there's little air movement, it shouldn't feel that different.

Re maintaining connection when the drone enters the building:  It depends on what materials are between you and the drone, including the positioning of windows.  Brick and concrete will block the signal, but windows let it in and it'll 'bounce' around to varying degrees, depending on the interior construction.  The only thing to do is test it, perhaps flying low and over the floor - in case you lose signal and, without GPS, the drone decides to land.  And that answers a question in your first post - no connection and no GPS will cause the drone to land.

Besides that you now have a good idea/solution for that flying in the restaurant, flying with a MC3 when the AVATA is switching to ATTI-mode IMHO is not a good idea. I really, really like the intuitive flying with the MC3 and use it as often as possible, but I've experienced that more than once and I was not really able to control the drone with the MC3 in such an area when it switched to ATTI-mode. With a FPV3 the drone drifting f.e. forward/backward can be much better handled!
I also would never do such a filming with the Avata close to customers/other people. If the drone goes wild, the AVATA is too heavy and can cause severily damage. If I nonetheless would have to fly at such a place, I would use a drone like the NEO, which is much lighter and would at least cause less damage (probably and hopefully)  - BUT only if DJI would have sorted out before NEO's current indoor FW issue of suddenly jumping to high speed, then being uncontrollable and crashing into the next wall.

Hi there,

Thank You for reaching out. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience you are experiencing. DJI Avata series supports indoor use. It is recommended that you use the aircraft under conditions that the indoor light is sufficient and the aircraft’s Downward Vision System is functioning, which will ensure that the aircraft can hover stably, otherwise drifting may occur. At this time, you need to push the control stick in time and fly carefully.

However please take note when you are indoors in a GEO zone, the aircraft cannot take off if the GPS signal is good. If the indoor GPS signal is poor, the aircraft can take off because it cannot be positioned. If the GPS signal is restored during the flight, the aircraft will land directly and the pilot cannot control it. Therefore, we recommend that you can fly safely outdoors and outside the GEO zones.

I hope this information has helped to clarify your inquiries. If you have any other questions, kindly let us know. Thank You!

ralf-djiforum Posted at 10-23 01:41
Besides that you now have a good idea/solution for that flying in the restaurant, flying with a MC3 when the AVATA is switching to ATTI-mode IMHO is not a good idea. I really, really like the intuitive flying with the MC3 and use it as often as possible, but I've experienced that more than once and I was not really able to control the drone with the MC3 in such an area when it switched to ATTI-mode. With a FPV3 the drone drifting f.e. forward/backward can be much better handled!
I also would never do such a filming with the Avata close to customers/other people. If the drone goes wild, the AVATA is too heavy and can cause severily damage. If I nonetheless would have to fly at such a place, I would use a drone like the NEO, which is much lighter and would at least cause less damage (probably and hopefully)  - BUT only if DJI would have sorted out before NEO's current indoor FW issue of suddenly jumping to high speed, then being uncontrollable and crashing into the next wall.

Plus the fact that the vision sensors on the Neo are inferior to thoose of the Avata