Advice on indoor flying

TRK · Oct 11, 2015

Obviously if they're developing a lidar camera add-on, the Solo is supposed to be able to fly indoors. My hope is to get a few shots inside the hockey arena where I work - there's lots of open space, and the odds of me hitting a wall would appear to be fairly slim (I'm a very slow and cautious flyer). I'd love to get some advice from people first:

1 - What mode is best indoors? Guessing GPS is a bad idea here - but do I let it try to GPS lock and then switch to another mode, or switch straight into a manual mode? Is there any reason to use stabilize over Fly:Manual? Guessing the altimeter isn't affected indoors.

2 - On the off chance the Solo loses connection with the controller while in Fly:Manual, am I screwed? Will it just hover in place until the battery dies and then crash? Or if I let it GPS lock before switching to manual mode, will it attempt a RTH?

Any other potential pitfalls from some conservative indoor flying that others have encountered?

prowler9 · Oct 11, 2015

If you do get gps lock in there make sure your RTH is set low enough it won't hit thenroof.

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TRK · Oct 11, 2015

Should I even risk using GPS even if I can get a signal though? Just afraid I might have one of those GPS-loss flyaways.

prowler9 · Oct 11, 2015

I wouldnt... fly manual is what I would use. Since there is no wind in there it should work really good. I don't believe the smart shots will work in fly manual just a heads up.

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TRK · Oct 12, 2015

Return To Home.

Lamda · Oct 12, 2015

Saturn13 said:
What is rth?

Return To Home. Solo will fly back at a specified altitude or at current altitude, whichever is higher, to where it first attained GPS lock ("Home") if you ever lose controller signal. If you wait for GPS lock before take-off ( a good idea when flying outside), Home is then linked to where you took off.

When indoors, this behaviour could cause a crash if GPS lock isn't accurate and you accidentally lose signal. Solo could climb to your set height and dive towards some arbitrary location and smash into the ceiling or walls etc.

TRK · Oct 12, 2015

Checking the manual it looks like as long as I let it get GPS lock while on the ground, if I switch to Fly:Manual and lose controller connection (happened once before outside) it will try to RTH, which is good. Ideally I won't lose connection and it'll just fly smoothly in Fly:Manual.

If we get a good flight going in the empty arena then later this week I'm going to try getting some aerial shots of a team practice.

Lamda · Oct 12, 2015

TRK said:
Checking the manual it looks like as long as I let it get GPS lock while on the ground, if I switch to Fly:Manual and lose controller connection (happened once before outside) it will try to RTH, which is good. Ideally I won't lose connection and it'll just fly smoothly in Fly:Manual.

If we get a good flight going in the empty arena then later this week I'm going to try getting some aerial shots of a team practice.

Just a personal preference - I'm a little risk adverse when involving so many people; I would try a hand-held gimbal on a pole instead of flying around the team if that's an option. Cool thing with that setup is, you can easily get low, ice-hugging shots of the action as well.

TRK · Oct 12, 2015

Where am I going to get a pole and a separate gimbal?

Lamda · Oct 12, 2015

TRK said:
Where am I going to get a pole and a separate gimbal?

I have a FeiYu G4 and 3 carbon fibre extension poles. There are other brands/models out there and some work with regular tripod mounts as well.

Search YouTube for demonstrations from other users. They're quite versatile and the stabilized video you can get from them with just a little practice is very good.

I don't know your time frames or budget but you can order from Amazon, B&H or sites like Gearbest.

TRK · Oct 12, 2015

Doesn't exactly get me aerial shots.

If anyone has any advice on indoor flying it'd be much appreciated!

Lamda · Oct 12, 2015

Guess it's just all in what you're looking to do. Good luck.

This video was quite fun, by the way. There's a behind the scenes video explaining how they got the height and movement.

Jubalr · Oct 12, 2015

TRK said:
Doesn't exactly get me aerial shots.

If anyone has any advice on indoor flying it'd be much appreciated!

TRK, there is no issue flying indoors if you are a good pilot. Do Not use GPS while indoors. Even if you got a lock, you would likely lose it in and out as you moved. Maintain line of sight and your controller signal should be fine while inside. But you will have to be very proficient at flying. That means you have no trouble flying 'nose in' and are good at determining Solos orientation at the farthest distance you will be at inside. Take off in manual and leave it there. And I don't recommend flying over people. The advice above is strictly from a mechanical viewpoint, not liability wise.

Rich · Oct 12, 2015

You may want to consider to fly in stabilize, not manual.

Be careful of air currents, these can fool manual mode, as it uses a barometer to control the altitude. Stabilize doesn't use the barometer to control the altitude, but is more difficult to fly because you will probably be fighting the centering spring on the throttle control.

I have flown a blimp in an indoor hockey stadium, the air density changes and currents are a big challenge.

Chris Day · Oct 12, 2015

Rich said:
You may want to consider to fly in stabilize, not manual.

Be careful of air currents, these can fool manual mode, as it uses a barometer to control the altitude. Stabilize doesn't use the barometer to control the altitude, but is more difficult to fly because you will probably be fighting the centering spring on the throttle control.

I have flown a blimp in an indoor hockey stadium, the air density changes and currents are a big challenge.

I'll second that Rich! I flew an R/C blimp for a hockey team and the air currents are a big factor. The crowd puts off heat, ice is cold and then the HVAC system creates even more chaos. The air in the arena is constantly turbulent with all the temperature differences.

If you're wanting to get shots during the game I suggest an R/C blimp. They fly smooth and move quick enough to get great shots.

Jubalr · Oct 12, 2015

Rich said:
You may want to consider to fly in stabilize, not manual.

Be careful of air currents, these can fool manual mode, as it uses a barometer to control the altitude. Stabilize doesn't use the barometer to control the altitude, but is more difficult to fly because you will probably be fighting the centering spring on the throttle control.

I have flown a blimp in an indoor hockey stadium, the air density changes and currents are a big challenge.

Depending on his ability as a pilot, stabilize would certainly work as well. If there are currents effecting the barometer, they will effect him in stabilize as well as he will be fighting them either way. I've never flown a blimp, but would assume they would certainly be more effected by currents. Unlike a traditional R/C heli or quad, the left stick auto center is a detriment to an inexperienced flyer in non GPS modes and is useless for stabilize, acro, drift, or other modes where the left stick controls RPM. You have to tell yourself to ignore it.

Earldgrayjr · Oct 12, 2015

Keep in mind also that regardless of Manual or Stabilize the Solo will act like a helium balloon floating in equilibrium. The slightest puff of a breeze will send it this way and that. HVAC systems will definitely move it around. The Solo is literally lighter than a feather when flying, and people forget this.

The biggest problem I see with both of these modes is that people underestimate how little it takes for the unit to drift off and how quickly it will do it. 3 mph horizontally is really fast inside a building.

Air pressure is another thing entirely than wind however, and I would be very surprised if the barometer didn't work just fine. We have used air pressure to control buildings for a long time, and there are good algorythms to flatten out the spikes. Barometric pressure typically changes outside faster than inside, especially in large buildings.

If you can't wait for Lidar for horizontal tracking (which I would) I would try Manual. At worst it will act like Stabilize and move up or down, but I really doubt it. Like everyone says, be aware that it will however drift< and that is to be expected. That means you can't just let go like in Fly. It WILL slide off into a wall, it is just a matter of how quickly.

My suggestion is to practice both modes in a large open field (even bigger than a hockey rink) and make sure you spend most of your time up high (away from obstacles). It is easy once you get the hang of it, it's just the consequences of mistakes are high.

TRK · Oct 12, 2015

Just to be clear everyone, I'm not planning on flying this thing during a game - just over the seating area (which will be empty), aiming the camera at practice on the ice. But not until I have flown it enough in a completely empty arena to where I'm comfortable controlling it.

I am proficient in flying nose-in, etc. and remembering the orientation, and I only make slight movements, not rapid turns and the like.

I haven't tried stabilize mode yet - I can't test it outdoors today because wind speeds are gusting to 50 km/h and I'm thinking that's a bad condition to be in any mode in.

I'm comfortable adjusting the right-stick to fight against air currents in fly:manual, but am not too familiar with how to control altitude manually - is it likely that if I'm in fly:manual that the barometer will work poorly and I'll find myself unable to properly control altitude?

Jubalr · Oct 12, 2015

TRK said:
Just to be clear everyone, I'm not planning on flying this thing during a game - just over the seating area (which will be empty), aiming the camera at practice on the ice. But not until I have flown it enough in a completely empty arena to where I'm comfortable controlling it.

I am proficient in flying nose-in, etc. and remembering the orientation, and I only make slight movements, not rapid turns and the like.

I haven't tried stabilize mode yet - I can't test it outdoors today because wind speeds are gusting to 50 km/h and I'm thinking that's a bad condition to be in any mode in.

I'm comfortable adjusting the right-stick to fight against air currents in fly:manual, but am not too familiar with how to control altitude manually - is it likely that if I'm in fly:manual that the barometer will work poorly and I'll find myself unable to properly control altitude?

No, I think manual (alt hold) will work fine. I have used it often indoors.