Flying indoors?

[pedals2paddles]

It worked once in some circumstance is not a $2,000 assurance it will work every time in all circumstances. Disabling the GPS is the only way to assure it doesn't try to use it. And there is no way to disable the GPS. Flying indoors or ant other GPS denied or weak area is risky and not recommended.

 

[Mark11]

I agree that N of 1 sample size with test flights is insufficient. if there was an ATTI mode switch like the DJI controllers had, that would be an explicit flying without gps flight mode. I have the smart controllers and as noted above, the android version of the control software is lacking the “fly indoors“ mode.

 

[uas_gian]

To complement my case. I bought my EVO 2 Pro after seeing many testimonials and I am certain I had also seen two videos in particular. One was an advertisement video from Autel about the EVO 1 being used for filming a dance performance indoors (apparently this video can't be found on youtube today for some reason). The other one was the video linked below. I thought when the EVO 1 was already advertised as suitable for indoor video footage the EVO 2 will be at least as suitable with a much better camera.

For me the main reasons to choose the EVO 2 were the 6K full size sensor, the option for adding Live Deck for a director of photography to allow editing ISO and shutters speed, or adjust gimbal pitch, while the main pilot is focussed on flying safe.

Today I totally agree with pedals2paddles this "Indoor Mode" is badly documented. The wording in the app is somewhat misleading. And why would it automatically begin using the GPS again without a prompt to the pilot (with the option to override similar to canceling the start of an RTH procedure). If the pilot (or co-pilot when of using Live Deck) has set the "Indoor Mode" to "on" manually it is quite stupid to turn it "off" unnoticed during flight.

The whole Explorer App is lacking so many "Pro" features.

Never the less, I have flown indoors often with only that one mishap the day I forgot to bring the propeller guards. Lesson learned. No animals or humans injured and the drone still works after the crash.

I don't want to discourage people in this, but a double warning is indeed appropriate. Know what you are trying to do, ask yourself if it can be done with a lighter drone, and if you still choose the EVO 2 always use propeller protection indoors.

 

[uas_gian]

I did do a short flight outdoors with the tinfoil hat and the left hand side status check list on the controller stated navigation was Starpoint which I took to be something other than GPS.

Yes there are multiple satellite systems on earth that can be used for a geo location. I heard something about Starpoint in the past but Google says "No". StarPoint seems to be third party App.

Google: As of 2023, four global systems are operational: the United States's Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and the European Union's Galileo.

 

[pedals2paddles]

Starpoint is not a GNSS system. Starpoint is Autel's name for visual positioning. It's onboard cameras providing halfassed visual positioning functionality.

 

[Mark11]

To complement my case. I bought my EVO 2 Pro after seeing many testimonials and I am certain I had also seen two videos in particular. One was an advertisement video from Autel about the EVO 1 being used for filming a dance performance indoors (apparently this video can't be found on youtube today for some reason). The other one was the video linked below. I thought when the EVO 1 was already advertised as suitable for indoor video footage the EVO 2 will be at least as suitable with a much better camera.

For me the main reasons to choose the EVO 2 were the 6K full size sensor, the option for adding Live Deck for a director of photography to allow editing ISO and shutters speed, or adjust gimbal pitch, while the main pilot is focussed on flying safe.

Today I totally agree with pedals2paddles this "Indoor Mode" is badly documented. The wording in the app is somewhat misleading. And why would it automatically begin using the GPS again without a prompt to the pilot (with the option to override similar to canceling the start of an RTH procedure). If the pilot (or co-pilot when of using Live Deck) has set the "Indoor Mode" to "on" manually it is quite stupid to turn it "off" unnoticed during flight.

The whole Explorer App is lacking so many "Pro" features.

Never the less, I have flown indoors often with only that one mishap the day I forgot to bring the propeller guards. Lesson learned. No animals or humans injured and the drone still works after the crash.

I don't want to discourage people in this, but a double warning is indeed appropriate. Know what you are trying to do, ask yourself if it can be done with a lighter drone, and if you still choose the EVO 2 always use propeller protection indoors.

I am going to do a bit more test with the indoor shooting scenario. I agree 100% that prop guards are required indoors to prevent damage to drone, interior spaces and random people that may enter the space.
I did another tinfoil hat test yesterday outdoors and the tinfoil hat does knock out GPS reception . I used a piece of black wrap from my light kit which is about double the thickness of regular aluminum foil. This definitely knocked out GPS reception and the aircraft flew normally . I’m limited in the kind of flying i can do in my small yard due to the dense garden but the drone did not exhibit the slipperiness in control that I have experienced indoors recently. Further testing is in order, not that I relish flying indoors, but I want to get a clearer picture of what is possible and what the limitations are if the need comes up again.