Flying Mini 3 Pro in Large Warehouses?

[Sanpanza]

Definitely try some stuff! I’ve done one short indoor project with a Mini 2 under difficult circumstances and around other people - no crashes, nobody got hurt, and I got some good footage.

1) This is not the place to learn to fly. I’d been going maybe 5 years before I flew this project, and it *really* helped that I had good stick control in muscle memory and could focus on the position of the drone.

2) Drones with downward facing optical for avoidance may really help in well-lit environments, because some can go to optical stabilization. As previously stated in this thread, the Atti (Attitude) mode does not have stabilization, and so your drone will drift with the slightest breeze and you’ll have to brake manually to stop motion. You really need to have internalized stick control relative to drone motion to do this successfully.

In my project the room was fairly dark, with lighting on a performer and a black floor. Even if I’d had downward optical sensors available on that drone for stabilization they would not have worked - they need lighting and terrain features to lock onto for stabilization.

3) Prop guards are a common-sense choice for safety for people and your drone!

4) You don’t need a Pt. 107 or even a TRUST certificate; you can lawfully fly indoors because you are not in the National Airspace System at all. The FAA’s authority does not extend under roofs.

5) However, TRUST and Pt. 107 certificates are a good idea, good steps along the way to being a reliable pilot; many of the things you learn have relevance for indoor flying.

Having said all that, and despite all comments above, I would slap some prop guards on and give it a try, once I’d learned to fly!!!

 

[Sanpanza]

Thanks Seth, I bought the MP3 prop guards and it is looking like there is no other way than just practice for now. I have been practicing about 4 days a week and meeting other drone pilots. I appreciate the long response. I have the trust certificate and will get the 107 once I feel comfortable on the sticks and flying inside.

 

[Meta4]

FPV has excellent penetration depending on how it’s set up.

The OP was probably asking about GPS signal rather than control signal.
It didn't sound like there should be any problem with control signal for what he's intending.

 

[Zbip57]

The big deal that strikes terror in the hearts of the uninformed is that in Atti mode the drone is unable to automatically brake to a halt or hold a fixed position whenever the control sticks are released or centred.

That doesn't mean you have no control. The drone still reacts to stick inputs. You're still driving the drone.

It's unfortunate that DJI removed the option to manually switch to Atti mode whenever desired. But you can still force your drone into Atti mode by taping tin foil over the top of the drone to mask the GPS antenna, and sticking some black tape over the VPS sensors on the bottom to block the optical sensor. Presto, Atti mode.

Now go out find some open space and practise.

For God's sake, don't try this for the first time in a confined area where you're likely to panic and push the sticks in the wrong direction. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing drones tangling in curtains or tangling in loose papers blowing off a desk.

Use Cine mode as it slows and dampens your stick inputs. Going all ham-fisted with full-range stick inputs in Sport mode is always a recipe for disaster.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Hi, I am a commercial photographer in Los Angeles and bought the Mini 3 Pro thinking I could fly it in large warehouses and factories for clients. I am still learning and don't have my 107 yet but I was practicing in a client's movie studio and I found that the Mini 3 Pro would lurch or drift sometimes.

Is there any way to do this without crashing or do I need to invest in an Avata with FPV to do it well?

For some context, I plan on getting my 107 after I learn to fly well enough for my clients and I am not there yet, so this is all just for practice so I can do indoor flights in large buildings for clients.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Best advice? From personal experience, expect the drone to drift - as mentioned by many others - i) you're in a steel box with ii) loads of electrical cabling and usually iii) a strong wi-fi network. There will be no GPS lock as a result of i), you can expect to get significant EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference) as a result of ii) and then the wi-fi will knock the hell out of your control signal (especially if you're flying on the 2.4ghz control frequency). Get some experience (in a safe environment) of how a drone handles in old-school ATTI mode so that you can control a drone seat-of-the-pants style. Flip the transmitter up to 5.8ghz to give you a more stable control signal and fit a set of prop guards - that way if you do end up drifting into an obstacle, it will be relatively gentle and you will still have a drone that you can fly afterwards. 'Tripod' or 'cine' mode will help as it smooths out the handling and slows everything down. In 'normal' flight: the Mini 3 is skittish.

 

[EyesWideShut]

The big deal that strikes terror in the hearts of the uninformed is that in Atti mode the drone is unable to automatically brake to a halt or hold a fixed position whenever the control sticks are released or centred.

That doesn't mean you have no control. The drone still reacts to stick inputs. You're still driving the drone.

It's unfortunate that DJI removed the option to manually switch to Atti mode whenever desired. But you can still force your drone into Atti mode by taping tin foil over the top of the drone to mask the GPS antenna, and sticking some black tape over the VPS sensors on the bottom to block the optical sensor. Presto, Atti mode.

Now go out find some open space and practise.

For God's sake, don't try this for the first time in a confined area where you're likely to panic and push the sticks in the wrong direction. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing drones tangling in curtains or tangling in loose papers blowing off a desk.

Use Cine mode as it slows and dampens your stick inputs. Going all ham-fisted with full-range stick inputs in Sport mode is always a recipe for disaster.

As @Zbip57 says, that while in ATTI mode you DO have control, but to stop you have to give reverse stick direction to slow down the direction it's going and then re-center the sticks. It helps if you are in a brightly lit area and the bottom sensors can help stabilize drift but be prepared to correct and maybe reverse re-correct for wind and ground effects.

Also as @Zbip57 says the Fly App doesn't offer an option for ATTI Mode but if the SDK has been released for third party apps, like the Mini 1, some apps may offer it rather than the tinfoil trick.

When flying in my house I sometimes find that gently flying in Sport Mode, and I mean gently, gives me the option to get out of potential trouble faster and with more control than being in Cine Mode, which responds very slow. Remember I said fly gently and also remember you have to carefully reverse thrust in ATTI. Sometimes FPVing with my mini 1, I put the prop guards on and fly down the hall and then down the stairs around the corner into the basement. Takes practice. NOTE: Just make sure you've got "loss of signal RTH" set to HOVER if you lose signal thru walls and floor. Just go closer to regain signal and control.

 

[Sanpanza]

The OP was probably asking about GPS signal rather than control signal.
It didn't sound like there should be any problem with control signal for what he's intending.

Yes I was but this info is also valuable as I stumble my way toward my goal. Thank you.

 

[Sanpanza]

As @Zbip57 says, that while in ATTI mode you DO have control, but to stop you have to give reverse stick direction to slow down the direction it's going and then re-center the sticks. It helps if you are in a brightly lit area and the bottom sensors can help stabilize drift but be prepared to correct and maybe reverse re-correct for wind and ground effects.

Also as @Zbip57 says the Fly App doesn't offer an option for ATTI Mode but if the SDK has been released for third party apps, like the Mini 1, some apps may offer it rather than the tinfoil trick.

When flying in my house I sometimes find that gently flying in Sport Mode, and I mean gently, gives me the option to get out of potential trouble faster and with more control than being in Cine Mode, which responds very slow. Remember I said fly gently and also remember you have to carefully reverse thrust in ATTI. Sometimes FPVing with my mini 1, I put the prop guards on and fly down the hall and then down the stairs around the corner into the basement. Takes practice. NOTE: Just make sure you've got "loss of signal RTH" set to HOVER if you lose signal thru walls and floor. Just go closer to regain signal and control.

Thank and I will set RTH to hover. Many people have told me this and I understand why.

 

[Sanpanza]

The big deal that strikes terror in the hearts of the uninformed is that in Atti mode the drone is unable to automatically brake to a halt or hold a fixed position whenever the control sticks are released or centred.

That doesn't mean you have no control. The drone still reacts to stick inputs. You're still driving the drone.

It's unfortunate that DJI removed the option to manually switch to Atti mode whenever desired. But you can still force your drone into Atti mode by taping tin foil over the top of the drone to mask the GPS antenna, and sticking some black tape over the VPS sensors on the bottom to block the optical sensor. Presto, Atti mode.

Now go out find some open space and practise.

For God's sake, don't try this for the first time in a confined area where you're likely to panic and push the sticks in the wrong direction. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing drones tangling in curtains or tangling in loose papers blowing off a desk.

Use Cine mode as it slows and dampens your stick inputs. Going all ham-fisted with full-range stick inputs in Sport mode is always a recipe for disaster.

Thanks

Zbip57​

The big deal that strikes terror in the hearts of the uninformed is that in Atti mode the drone is unable to automatically brake to a halt or hold a fixed position whenever the control sticks are released or centred.

That doesn't mean you have no control. The drone still reacts to stick inputs. You're still driving the drone.

It's unfortunate that DJI removed the option to manually switch to Atti mode whenever desired. But you can still force your drone into Atti mode by taping tin foil over the top of the drone to mask the GPS antenna, and sticking some black tape over the VPS sensors on the bottom to block the optical sensor. Presto, Atti mode.

Now go out find some open space and practise.

For God's sake, don't try this for the first time in a confined area where you're likely to panic and push the sticks in the wrong direction. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing drones tangling in curtains or tangling in loose papers blowing off a desk.

Use Cine mode as it slows and dampens your stick inputs. Going all ham-fisted with full-range stick inputs in Sport mode is always a recipe for disaster.

Thanks Zpip57, Once my DJI prop guards arrive,I have an empty movie studio to practice in for a while. I don't expect to be operational for many months so I am just getting ahead of the curve and learning as much from experienced pilots as I can before I start practicing indoors next week. There are no people or items. Just a huge empty space.

If I can get the basics down within the next few months, then I can move into a FPV environment and begin practicing until I become comfortable flying indoors.

 

[Zbip57]

When flying in my house [...] remember you have to carefully reverse thrust in ATTI. [...] NOTE: Just make sure you've got "loss of signal RTH" set to HOVER if you lose signal thru walls and floor. Just go closer to regain signal and control.

If it's in Atti mode it means it has no GPS or Opti mode available, in which case HOVER won't do you any good. If you lose signal it'll still maintain altitude okay by itself, but it won't be able to hold position.

If you're flying inside your house and lose signal connection, LANDING might be a better option. I think (correct me if I'm wrong), but isn't LANDING the automatic response anyway whenever signal is lost in the absence of both GPS and Opti modes?

 

[TonyPHX]

Thanks

Zbip57​

Thanks Zpip57, Once my DJI prop guards arrive,I have an empty movie studio to practice in for a while. I don't expect to be operational for many months so I am just getting ahead of the curve and learning as much from experienced pilots as I can before I start practicing indoors next week. There are no people or items. Just a huge empty space.

If I can get the basics down within the next few months, then I can move into a FPV environment and begin practicing until I become comfortable flying indoors.

As you explore this, it would be great to learn about your learning and progression. Maybe make some video to share at various stages?

 

[Parkerjh]

I shoot inside large warehouses all the time. I've successfully done it with a Mavic 2 and an Air 2s. No issues whatsoever

 

[cneedelman]

Most if not all of these interior fly throughs that you are seeing on Youtube are done with FPV drones and a pilot wearing goggles. The smaller drones have GoPros on them and the footage is stabilized in post.
Sure, with some practice you could fly your Mini in a warehouse and do some simple moves, but if you want to be able to progress and get some real dynamic shots, I would get an FPV drone and great googles. There are many small CineWhoops that come prebuilt, or you could build yourself, I have, and mount a GoPro or other action camera on it. It's quite a learning curve with all of the settings to try and adjust for the smoothest flying. Or you could just buy a DJI Avata, that's what I would do. DJI has one of the best video transmission systems and the best goggles. I've flown it and it is amazingly easy. You would still benefit from practicing on the simulator first. I believe the basic package comes with the motion controller which is simple to use, but I think you'd want to get the RC with sticks for finer control. DJI sells Refurb drones that are good as new.
Check this out

 

[dgibbphoto]

I have flown my dji phantom 4 pro indoors in a setting typical to what you are mentioning. I was surprised at how well it behaved and was pleased with the video results. All flight inside was very slow and not a lot of maneuvering.

 

[dgibbphoto]

I shoot inside large warehouses all the time. I've successfully done it with a Mavic 2 and an Air 2s. No issues whatsoever

same here with a dji phantom 4 pro.

 

[FlySkyJumper]

Hi Tony, sometimes logistics companies ask me if I can bring in a drone operator to do an interior drone survey of a warehouse or factory to show capacity and process. They can never do it. These are very large structures with lots of space, so basically I would like to fly an orbit inside and then, if I feel comfortable, perhaps fly into other large rooms within a factory.

I have seen it before but I don't know if it can be done with the Mini 3 Pro. I bought the drone for this based on very bad advice from people on various forums.

I am told many things, like flying in ATTI mode, which is not a manual option on M3P controller or flying it in sports mode, or cine mode. Don't know what is right of if it is even practical with this drone.

You can do it. Turn off all the sensors. Works well!

If you watch DJI's latest video of their factory they use several drones from their arsenal from FPV drones, Mavic 3, Mavic Air 2, Mavic Mini 2, etc.

Enjoy!

 

[djwak59]

OK, now i know what won't work but that does not inform me as to what will work. This is actually convincing me that I need to do it since there seem to be so few people who know how to do it.

I have seen videos of people flying inudoors but little info on actually flying indoors.

Hello. I believe you’ve probably been seeing videos of FPV guys doing what they do best.
I don’t know exactly how much experience you have, but I’ve gotta agree with most of the replies. You would have to be in control of all aspects of the drone, hands on all the time.
Good luck.

 

[Solsearcher]

Depending on exactly what kind of footage you're looking for, you might consider just holding the drone in your hand and doing a walkaround with the video recording. That isn't exactly "aerial" of course, but I did exactly this with my Air 2S doing a "walkthrough" of a large office environment with many rooms. No need to worry about having no GPS and drifting. Worked like a charm!
With respect to Sport mode, that's just an accident waiting to happen if flying indoors!

 

[Sanpanza]

As you explore this, it would be great to learn about your learning and progression. Maybe make some video to share at various stages?

I would be happy to, though I expect that I will need to progress to the Avata for this purpose. Additionally, the Skydio 2+ has keyframe software that uses optical sensors in lieu of GPS but I really don't know yet. I am still practicing navigating with sticks on an obstacle course I created to teach myself the ins and outs of piloting with sticks.

 

[Sanpanza]

Depending on exactly what kind of footage you're looking for, you might consider just holding the drone in your hand and doing a walkaround with the video recording. That isn't exactly "aerial" of course, but I did exactly this with my Air 2S doing a "walkthrough" of a large office environment with many rooms. No need to worry about having no GPS and drifting. Worked like a charm!
With respect to Sport mode, that's just an accident waiting to happen if flying indoors!

Won't work. Warehouses and factories are way too large to do a walk-through. I need to fly choreographed missions.