Hey all,

I've been asked to film a few students practice their vaulting in a barn on a horse farm. I don't know if it'll even happen considering we don't know how the horses will act (that's the first test). I can attest however that the barn is massive, indoors.

If I were to fly inside, anything I should watch out for? Definitely turn VPS on... Would I rather fly Atti or GPS? I've never flown indoors, before.

Frank

GPS can't be relied upon indoors so your options are VPS or ATTI.
However, get as much practice indoors as you can - It's a completely different environment and you will find that even a massive barn is constrictive when you are flying.
More importantly, are you insured and hold the appropriate certifications? Remember that you will be operating in proximity to students, could be a VERY negative story if something went awry.

Horses are a bit of an unknown factor - Done a little bit of flying near them and found that some that just stare at the UAV, others gently walked away, others bolted. Not the most consistent of creatures in their reactions.

Strongly suggest that you spend a good amount of time with the school/college and agree on a very extensive TRA for this.

Farnk666 Posted at 2016-7-29 10:02
GPS can't be relied upon indoors so your options are VPS or ATTI.
However, get as much practice indo ...

Well said, Farnk.

I completely agree with Farnk and his statements.

I flew indoors in a very large warehouse during training that we were conducting for radiological / nuclear / WMD threats for the FD on duty a few months ago. Although our warehouse is massive in size the ceiling is no more than 15' tall so it was VERY restrictive to fly in those conditions while flying around props also. Mine was in a very controlled environment with no danger to anything but my drone. We are looking toward the possibility of purchasing 2-3 for the FD in the future so this was a good example of being able to recon without putting people in danger.

That said, you must be a pilot first and worry about the shot second. If you've never flown indoors before I would highly suggest either getting as much experience with it as possible or even better... don't do it at all under those conditions. In your circumstance there are just too many variables that are in play for it to be completely safe in my opinion. If I were asked to fly "my" drone in those conditions I would "personally" decline the offer even though I'm comfortable flying indoors (in a controlled environment). If something were to go wrong it would be on every news channel that could get their hands on the footage. Therein giving us a black eye and possibly making our hobby even more restrictive (extreme case scenario I know). The damage a 7lb drone can cause could be quite substantial under those conditions.