Ameriflight plans to purchase cargo drones from Natilus and Saberwing, a plan for autonomous wind turbine inspections and repair, the American Security Drone Act, an arrest made for flying a drone at Dublin airport, a new hydrogen-powered octocopter drone, and Green and Blue UAS.
Ameriflight is a regional cargo airline (Part 135) that operates 156 turboprop twins for customers such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL. They recently signed a tentative agreement with Natilus for pilotless cargo planes. Now Ameriflight has signed a Letter of Intent to purchase 35 VTOL cargo drones from Sabrewing Aircraft Co.
Saberwing Rhaegal
Ameriflight has 15 bases across the Western Hemisphere with 200 service destinations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the Caribbean and South America. They typically experience over 1,500 weekly departures.
The Natilus agreement to purchase is for the Kona aircraft, a 3.8-ton payload, short-haul feeder uncrewed aerial vehicle. Nautilus says the Kona planes will be operated by remote control and have the ability to be fully autonomous at some point in the future.
The Flexible Offshore Drone for Wind (FOD4Wind) project envisions a system that can conduct autonomous wind turbine inspections and repair as well as package deliveries from service operation vessels to offshore turbines.
FOD4Wind illustration, courtesy University of Southern Denmark.
Drones would take off from service operation vessels and carry gear and tools to the nacelles of Siemens offshore wind turbines. The Upteko partner says “If we can replace sailing with drone flights from larger ships, then many of the trips around the wind farm will be saved. There is great potential in that – both in terms of time and CO2 emissions.”
The project, which runs until the end of 2024, is first working with payloads of 12 kilograms, with a long-term goal for the drones to be able to carry a cargo of up to 100 kilograms.
The FOD4Wind project is being undertaken by Siemens Gamesa (produces wind turbines), ESVAGT (operates the service operation vessels), Upteko (developer of the automated UAS), and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) with Energy Cluster Denmark managing FOD4Wind.
Senator Warner: “…the purchase of drones from foreign countries, especially those that have been deemed a national security threat, is dangerous. I am glad to introduce legislation that takes logical steps to protect our data from foreign adversaries and meanwhile supports American manufacturers.”
Senator Scott: “I’ve been clear for years: the United States should never spend taxpayer dollars on anything made in Communist China, especially drones which pose a significant threat to our national security. Xi and the Communist Party of China are on a quest for global domination and whether it’s with spy balloons, TikTok or drones, they will stop at nothing to infiltrate our society and steal our data.”
The American Security Drone Act:
Prohibits federal departments and agencies from procuring certain foreign commercial off-the-shelf drones or covered unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled in countries identified as national security threats, and provides a timeline to end the current use of these drones.
Prohibits the use of federal funds awarded… to state or local governments from being used to purchase [these drones].
Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a report to Congress detailing the amount of foreign commercial off-the-shelf drones and covered unmanned aircraft systems procured by federal departments and agencies from countries identified as national security threats.
The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
They charged the man under section 43 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act, 1988. He is accused of knowingly flying a drone into the critical area of Dublin Airport which interfered with the operation of an aerodrome on July 2nd, 2022. The 41-year-old was remanded on bail to appear again on March 21, 2023. Meantime, he’s banned from flying drones and going within two kilometers of the airport.
Israel-based Heven Drones unveiled its H2D55 hydrogen octocopter drone. It can fly for over 90 minutes with a 15-pound payload. This is the first in a series of hydrogen-fueled drones to be released. The others will have longer flight times and greater payload. The drones are built to spec and take two-three months to complete. The price is not announced
The drones are built in-house, in a 20,000 sq. ft. production facility adjacent to R&D and administrative offices in the North of Israel. Up to 200 fully customizable drones per month can be built at the current capacity.
Green UAS is part of AUVSI’s Trusted Cyber Program, which seeks to verify a greater number of commercial UAS in line with the highest levels of cybersecurity and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) supply chain requirements.
AUVSI launched the Trusted Cyber Program in August 2022 in collaboration with cybersecurity firm Fortress Information Security.
Green UAS is an industry-standard assessment process that mirrors the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)’s Blue UAS certification program. It is administered by AUVSI to vet drones that are seeking Green UAS certification. Green-compliant drones that have a DoD customer/sponsor willing to sponsor and fund a DoD Authority to Operate (ATO) will have the opportunity to transition from the Green UAS cleared list to Blue UAS cleared list.
Green UAS builds on the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)’s Blue UAS certification program, an approach to rapidly prototyping and scaling commercial UAS technology for the DoD. Green UAS is meant for customers without an immediate need for Department of Defense (DoD) authority to operate and provides a more straightforward pathway to the Blue UAS 2.0 cleared list.
Rick Boss is the leader of Sky Elements Drones, the leading provider of drone light shows around the U.S. He recently invited me behind-the-scenes of his company’s Star Wars drone light show at the Oakland Coliseum as part of the team’s Star Wars Night.
I’ve got a big recap of the event here, including tons of photos, which you can read and view here. There’s also a video on my YouTube channel featuring some of the highlights, right below:
But while that video has a few snippets of our Q&A, it doesn’t include all of it. Thus, I’ve decided to share our full Q&A in text form. In our behind-the-scenes interview, he shares how they manage to travel with all those drones, what the setup entails and more. So without further adieu, here’s that interview with Rick Boss!
Rick Boss of Sky Elements Drones
Drone Girl: What are we looking at behind us?
Rick Boss: Tonight we’re looking at 500 drones for a show that’s going to be Star Wars themed. What’s going on right now is the crew is setting up all the drones, calibrating the drones, and making sure we’re ready to go for tonight.
DG: And there’s actually a pretty decently sized crew. How many people do you have putting on this whole endeavor?
RB: Typically for a show the size we have about 15 to 18 people to get all the drones set up, but just one person flying the show.
DG: So these folks have been doing a lot of work calibrating the drones. Tell me, what all goes into the setup ahead of time?
RB: A lot of the work, well, most of the work, happens beforehand. So our creative team has spent probably about a hundred and fifty hours of programming just for this show. So much work goes on ahead of the show, and tonight it’s just setting up the drones to make sure everything works well today.
DG: As far as programming, what are we going to see?
RB: You’re going to see a lot of Star Wars.
DG: Do you think we’ll see Baby Yoda?
RB: There’s a good chance that Grogu is up there.
DG: Yes! Amazing! And so you do a bunch of these shows. Just before this you were at the Dodger’s Game. I hear you also did the Serena Williams baby gender reveal show.
RB: We did. We did the Serena Williams baby gender. We also did the Dodger’s show, which was 1,000 drones. For context, we’re doing 500 tonight. We have another Star Wars show coming up for FC Dallas with 1,000 drones.
DG: Oh my gosh, so you’re busy! How many shows are you doing each month or each week?
RB: We fly 5-6 shows every week, all over the country. So yes, we’re pretty busy. From Key West to Seattle, Washington to the Caribbean as well as Hawaii. We’re everywhere.
DG: So do you have a truck? How do you get drones to all these places?
RB: So right behind me is a truck trailer there. The trailer is the most common way we transport our drones. The primary reason for that is because of all those lithium batteries. It is otherwise just a pain to fly twitch them all over the country.
DG: Flying with drones — and perhaps more critically, flying with LiPo batteries — is complicated, so I’m not surprised to hear you say that.
RB: It’s especially tough when your shows are big.
DG: So on that note, how does the size of this show compare to most drone light shows?
RB: This is a medium-to-large show. Our average drone is about 300 drones. With 500 drones, that’s a nice sized show.
DG: How do I get my own personal drone light show, like what Serena got?
RB: *Laughs* You can call us, or visit our website at SkyElementsDrones.com, hit the request button and we’ll get you a quote.
DG: And I probably need to win the lottery to get some money to do that?
RB: The cost of a drone show is expensive still. It’s more than fireworks, that’s for sure. That said, the prices are always getting better. I mean, the price right now is half what it was a year and a half ago.
DG: It’s becoming more affordable, and it’s also more environmentally friendly — which I do like that aspect as well.
RB: No doubt about it. Particularly in some states where there is fire danger, that is a great benefit. There’s the fact that these are low noise. We’re not impacting the neighbors, we’re not impacting the pets, and it’s certainly we’re leaving no debris behind.
DG: And, we get far more custom, exact designs. I’m personally excited to see Baby Grogu tonight.
And just like that, you can watch their timelapsed version of the show right here:
You met Rick Boss, but one of the other geniuses powering Sky Elements is Preston Ward, who serves as the company’s chief pilot. Come back to The Drone Girl next week to read a similar Q&A, but with Preston!
Drone photography offers unique perspectives and breathtaking aerial shots that can transform any wedding album. If you are looking to spice up your wedding photography by adding a drone, we’ve got some tips and recommendations for you.
We’ll break down the best wedding photography drones in greater detail later on but of the drones out there today, here are the handful that I’d at least recommend in some capacity:
-4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera -1/1.3″ CMOS Medium Tele Camera -1/2″ CMOS Tele Camera
-1/1.3″ CMOS Wide-Angle Camera -1/1.3″ CMOS 3x Medium Tele Camera
-4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera -1/1.3″ CMOS Medium Tele Camera -1/2″ CMOS Tele Camera
-Full-frame 8K/75fps ProRes RAW -Full-frame 8K/25fps CinemaDNG
1” CMOS
1” CMOS
Approximate flight time
46 mins
46 mins
46 mins
28 mins
31 mins
30 mins
Dimensions (folded, without propellers, and presented as Length x Width x Height)
231.1 × 98 × 95.4 mm
207 × 100.5 × 91.1 mm
231.1 × 98 × 95.4 mm
500.5 x 709.8 x 176 mm
180 × 97 × 77 mm
210 x 123 x 95mm
Weight
958 g
720 g
958 g
3,995 g
595 g
820g
There are tons of excellent camera drones on the market, and it can be difficult to know which one is best specifically for wedding photography. But there are a few key features that every wedding drone photographer should prioritize in their equipment.
Here are the critical specs that photographers should look for in a wedding drone:
Key features of wedding photography drones
Photo courtesy of Matthew Robert Creative
Zoom capabilities
Ever been to a wedding where the photographer runs right up to the bride and groom after you hear “You may now kiss the bride?” blocking them completely from friends and family? Buzzkill. You’ll want to capture the shot, without being in the shot. Zoom capabilities allow you to capture candid quest reactions and intimate moments from afar. A long lens is recommended as it allows for variety in shots and shooting at a distance. A lens with an 80-200mm f/2:8 zoom is a good option.
Low-Noise
Similarly to the drone blocking the shot, the noise can interfere with the vibe. No one wants to hear the low humming of your drone during the vows.
Opting for a drone with advanced noise reduction technology will help you while capturing breathtaking visuals. As a rule of thumb, smaller motors produce less sound than larger ones. Of course, that zoom capability can also cut back on noise by nature of the sound having to travel farther.
Support for RAW Format
The ability to shoot in RAW format provides greater flexibility during editing which is especially critical for wedding photography. While landscape photographers might have the flexibility to sit around and wait for the perfect light, wedding photographers don’t have that luxury. Should lighting conditions be tricky during the ceremony, you’re stuck with the photos you got. But shooting in RAW can at least fix poor lighting conditions in post-processing.
That’s because RAW images contain more data and allow for finer adjustments to color, exposure, and other settings.
Just know that RAW files are huge in comparison to compressed file formats like PNG or JPEG, so make sure you have enough space and buy a spare MicroSD card or bring a wireless SSD.
Flight Time
Since you can’t afford to miss any memorable moments, look for drones with extended flight times so you can spend more time shooting and less time recharging. Of course, purchasing an extra battery or two is also a solid option.
Internal Storage
Ideally, you’ll bring plenty of MicroSD cards, and never run out of memory. But accidents happen and things get left behind. And since you can never be too prepared, I’d recommend finding a drone with a good amount of internal storage to serve as a backup.
The DJI Mavic 3
The overall best drone for wedding photography: DJI Mavic 3 Pro
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro has it all and is generally the best in the market for wedding photography. It’s tough to narrow down the best features on the Mavic 3 Pro, but probably the top two most important to photographers are the three cameras and 46-minute battery life.
The Mavic 3 Pro has a three-axis gimbal with three cameras built-in, which are:
A custom Hasselblad wide-angle camera (24 mm)
Medium tele camera (70mm)
Tele camera (166mm)
The three different camera lenses allow you to stay far away but still get that perfect shot without disturbing guests.
The DJI Mavic 3 is also set up with MasterShots, a suite of professional-quality drone and camera movement settings to create cinematic wedding content quickly and easily. The DJI Fly app can take your footage and automatically edit it for share-worthy content in a few taps. Making your job as a wedding photographer a little bit easier.
With a price tag of $2,950, it’s more expensive than some other picks — but it provides excellent overall value.
Sally French, The Drone Girl, reviews the DJI Air 3 in July 2023.
The best if you prioritize dual-cameras (budget pick): DJI Air 3
The DJI Air 3 is the best option for wedding photographers who are on a budget yet are looking for something portable and versatile. The photo quality is certainly not as good as the DJI Mavic 3, but at $1,099, it’s far cheaper.
The DJI Air 3 takes on a dual-primary camera system, meaning one drone has two cameras integrated with it. Like the Mavic 3, the Air 3 comes with MasterShots and four other intelligent features, as DJI calls them (FocusTrack, Night mode, hyper-lapse, and Slow motion).
The Air 3 also has 46 minutes of flight time, certainly making it a suitable alternative to the Mavic 3.
The best drone for wedding photography (upgrade pick): DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine
If you’re intrigued by the DJI Mavic 3 but really want the most top-of-the-line product, then consider our upgrade pick, the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine.
The ‘Cinema’ version of the Mavic 3 Pro, the Mavic 3 Pro Cine has everything the Mavic 3 Pro has and then some. Visually, the two drones look virtually similar. The major differences are what happens under the hood (and the price point, of course). The Mavic 3 Pro Cine starts at $4,799.
The major upgrade of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro is its support of the Apple ProRes 422 recording codec. Apple ProRest can be used to capture rich wedding footage that’s easier to edit when it comes time for post-production.
The Mavic 3 Pro Cine comes with a built-in 1TB SSD, eliminating the need for external recording devices. No more lost or corrupted SD cards! However, it still does support MicroSD cards.
If you are a wedding photographer who needs as much video data as possible and the highest quality footage, then the DJI Mavic Pro Cine is for you.
Most wedding photographers should be able to get away with simply the DJI Mavic 3 Pro. However, if you’re a serious wedding photographer seeking to run the absolute, most professional operation, you’ll want to upgrade to the Mavic 3 Pro Cine.
The DJI Inspire 3 camera drone. Photo courtesy of DJI.
The best drone for wedding photography (serious upgrade pick): DJI Inspire 3
If the Mavic 3 Pro Cine isn’t professional grade enough, and you are looking to shoot an Oscar-worthy wedding ceremony and have a massive budget then the DJI Inspire 3 is the right pick for you. The Inspire 3 is DJI’s only cinema-grade drone with a price tag of $16,499.
The DJI Inspire 3 most impressive features include a full-frame 8k imagine system, Tilt Boost and 360° Pan dual configurations, and dual-control for operators.
Keep in mind, that the Inspire 3 is much bulkier than other drones on the list, something photographers may want to keep in mind when traveling from venue to venue with your equipment.
The DJI Air 2s is best for photographers on a budget
The best drone for wedding photography (ultra-budget pick): DJI Air 2S
DJI Air 2s is small but mighty, and with a folding design, it is a solid choice for wedding photographers who are always on the move and don’t mind losing a little quality. With a price tag starting at $799 (that’s the lowest-priced of any done in this guide to best wedding drone), it is the ideal choice for anyone on a budget.
The DJI Air 2S has advanced features such as MasterShots and FocusTrack modes and 31 minutes of flight time.
Unlike many of the other drones that made this list, the DJI Air 2S only has 1 camera, which has a 1” sensor offering 20-megapixel photos and 5.4k video. While the camera images are still stunning, you’re zoom capabilities will be significantly hindered. Keep this in mind when planning your key shots.
Sally French, The Drone Girl, reviews the Autel Evo Lite+ in May 2022.
The best DJI alternative: EVO Lite+
What if you want to patronize a company that is not DJI? The Autel Evo Lite+ is an affordable and respectable alternative for any wedding photographer looking for a higher-end DJI alternative drone. ‘
While the EVO Lite+ provides a 6k camera and 40 minutes of flight time, your video quality won’t be as crisp or colorful as its DJI competitors. If you are looking to veer away from DJI, due to concerns of huge market share or some politicians seeking to blacklist it over its Chinese ties, then EVO Lite+ is a solid and reliable alternative.
Prices for this easy-to-fly drone start at $1,399.
All of the above drones are easy and safe to fly, but there are still a few additional things you need to know before flying drones at weddings.
Insurance: While drone insurance is not required by the Federal Aviation Administration, some venues might require that photographers have it. Check out this quick guide to drone insurance.
You need a pilot’s license: Under the FAA’s Part 107, anyone wanting to operate a drone commercially (that includes wedding photographers) needs to obtain a drone pilot license, formerly referred to as a “remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.” In order to get that, you will need to pass an in-person written exam., which many people refer to as the “Part 107 test.” The best way to pass that test is usually by enrolling in a Part 107 online test prep course.
What’s the best indoor drone for fire investigations? That’s the latest in our “Ask Drone Girl” series. If you have a question for Drone Girl, contact her here.
I am a member of a fire investigations task force. We were working through a problem involving best practices for collecting photo evidence inside of unstable fire buildings, and we thought a small drone for indoor use would be a good solution. There are concerns about signal loss, destruction of evidence, and battery life. Could you provide some guidance?
-Mike
The Elios 3 from Flyability might be the best indoor drone for fire inspections. Photo courtesy of Flyability.
Hey Mike,
This is a great question, and it is rather timely, as indoor drones just this year have become far more reliable and accessible. Depending on how advanced of equipment you’re seeking out, the best indoor drone for fire investigations might cost you less than $1,500.
As you noted, there are a few criteria that stand out when selecting an indoor drone. Among the biggest factors to consider are:
Small size (must be agile to fit through doorways or other tight spaces)
First person view (FPV) camera
Sensors to meet your needs (this could be a basic camera that collects imagery, or might be more advanced with something like a thermal camera or other sensor.
Long flight time (most indoor drones offer less than 10 minutes, which might not cut it)
We’ll break down the best indoor drones for fire investigations in greater detail later on, but of those on the market today, you really have two options. The good news is, they couldn’t be more different from each other. So once you define the parameters of what you need, the answer is clear. So with that, here are my two recommendations for the best indoor drone for fire investigations:
Flyability Elios 3: best if you want robust, enterprise applications
Both of these drones were specifically designed to fly indoors. On the physical side, they have some level of propeller guards (the Elios 3 has a full cage on all sides) which protect the drone should it hit a wall. Both offer more than 10 minutes of flight time, so you can get in and out of the building, while still leaving time to actually see what you intended to see inside. And both have cameras to not just capture data, but to allow for FPV flying to navigate even in areas you can’t physically see yourself — a situation you’d likely commonly encounter to avoid otherwise sending your own personnel through an unstable building.
The DJI Avata drone. Image courtesy of DJI.
With a starting price at less than $1,500, DJI Avata is ultra-accessible. You could likely walk into your local electronics retailer and buy one off the shelf today. Upon buying it off the shelf, you’ll have a drone that’s ready to fly once you’ve charged it up — and you don’t really need to be a pro to operate it either as it’s relatively easy to fly. It comes with FPV goggles (which are the VR-like goggles) that enable you to see what the drone is seeing, it can capture videos, and it can fly up to 18 minutes.
For the drone that is an ultra powerhouse, you’ll want the Flyability Elios 3 drone. Launched in May 2022, the Elios 3 is the world’s first collision-tolerant drone equipped with a LiDAR sensor for indoor 3D mapping. You’ll want this drone if you don’t need to simply see what’s inside those unstable buildings, but to truly understand it by way of mapping it and generating data that can reproduce 3D models. While the drone itself is pretty high-end, it’s not actually that difficult to fly. You’ll likely need just a day of training (and the training is critical almost entirely due to the fact that flying it incorrectly could be costly).
And what exactly does costly mean? Flyability doesn’t publicly share the prices of its drones, but you should expect it to be in the many, many thousands of dollars realm. Considering its predecessor, the Elios 2 Premium Package, was going for 39,000 Swiss Francs (more than $40,000), don’t expect the newer Elios 3 to be cheap.
Both drones are super different. One is low cost and accessible, while the other one unlocks opportunities for serious, enterprise use cases. Here’s a deeper dive into not just those two drones, but some key points you should know about flying drones indoors:
What you need to know about indoor drones
Particularly when flying drones indoors there are a few additional risks you need to be aware of that you wouldn’t necessarily encounter when flying drones outdoors?
Large drones can be challenging to fly indoors
It’s not just about the drone being too large to fit through doorways. Sometimes when large drones are confined to a small area, they can create their own ‘weather patterns’ that cause the drone to fly differently than expected.
Prop guards are important
When flying indoors, you’ll likely want some sort of indoor hull, like rotor or propeller guards. These are generally placed around the rotor spinning blades, and not only protect objects that the drone might hit (like walls or people) but also protects the propellers from breaking off (and thus causing the drone to crash) in the event they strike something.
The Parrot AR drone is an old-school model now, but its prop guard design is still relevant today. (Photo by FRANK PERRY/AFP via Getty Images)
Obstacle avoidance can be helpful, but it may not always work
Having an indoor positioning system or obstacle avoidance feature on your drone can be helpful to ensure the drone doesn’t crash. However, obstacle avoidance can sometimes prove to be completely useless in very tight spaces.
That’s because many drones with obstacle avoidance also have a minimum object detection range that can be something like 6 feet, meaning the drone absolutely will not fly closer than that distance. If you’re trying to fly into, say, a closet, that might not be possible. In fact, let’s say your drone offers 6 feet of detection on all sides, but the room is 12 feet across or smaller. It might not be able to operate in that room.
Most drones with obstacle avoidance enable you to turn it off so you can get into those tight spaces, but then realize that you’re flying sans the obstacle avoidance feature which can increase crash risk.
Know your flight control settings for indoor flying
When flying indoors, you’ll likely need to disable GPS and other visual positioning systems. Sometimes, drones have preset configurations for flying indoors (you may often see this listed as ATTI mode). But if not, you can adjust the settings yourself. Check the user manual of your own setup so you can adjust your drone and flight controller accordingly.
Why do I recommend disabling GPS for indoor drone flights? While GPS is a useful technology in allowing drones to navigate and hover in place, realize that GPS just often does not perform well indoors as signa can easily get lost.
Instead, be prepared to be able to fly your drone without GPS-aided stabilization, which means you need to be a confident pilot.
Do you need any sort of certification or license to fly drones indoors?
The short answer: no.
The long answer: drones operated solely indoors are not regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA defines ‘indoors’ as a “covered structure that prevents access to the national airspace system.”
That said, if your drone flight starts outdoors and then heads indoors (e.g. a drone starting on the lawn outside and then flying into a house), then technically you do need a drone pilots license — assuming your drone flight is for a commercial purpose as opposed to a hobby purpose.
Getting your drone pilot’s license is a requirement under the FAA’s Part 107, which states that anyone operating a drone commercially must hold a “remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating.” In order to get that, you will need to pass an in-person written exam, which many people refer to as the “Part 107 test. Learn more about getting your Part 107 drone pilot’s license here.
The best indoor drones for fire inspections
So with that, let’s dive into the best picks of indoor drones you might consider using with your fire team.
Price:Starts at $629 (though that’s for just the standalone drone, so expect to pay $1,000+ for the controller and goggles)
Flight time: 18 minutes per battery
Camera? Yes; 1/1.7” CMOS sensor with 48 million effective pixels. Films at 4K/60fps and slow-motion footage at 2.7K/50/60/100/120fps.
The DJI Avata drone has high appeal as a cinematic drone that creates beautifully dizzying first person view footage. But while plenty of artists use it for photography and videography (after all, it’s considered the overall best indoor drone), this Cinewhoop-style FPV drone could have real enterprise use cases as well.
Released in summer 2022, the Avata was designed specifically with indoor drone flights in mind, able to navigate tight spaces thanks to its compact size at just 180×180 mm in width and length. Plus, built-in propeller guards eliminate the risk of scratching walls or other items inside, should you crash.
The Avata has built-in propeller guards.
While wind likely is a non-issue for you if you’re flying indoors, it does hold up in high winds given its Level 5 max wind resistance, which means it can fly in wind speeds ranging from 19 to 24 miles per hour (which is about the equivalent of winds that generate moderate waves at the beach).
Note that the DJI Avata does not have obstacle avoidance sensors (the only sensors it has are downward vision and precise hovering sensors). If obstacle avoidance is critical (though see my notes above on why it may not be), you’ll need another drone — perhaps even my upgrade pick below.
The Avata is an FPV drone, meaning it is designed to be flown with FPV goggles as well as the DJI RC Motion 2. It is also compatible with the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, which you can buy for less than $200.
If a high-quality camera is important to you (which it may well be if you need more pixels to zoom in on specific areas, or the camera needs to perform well in low-light), then the Avata delivers. Here are some key specs:
1/1.7” CMOS sensor
48 million effective pixels
Films at 4K/60fps and slow-motion footage at 2.7K/50/60/100/120fps.
f/2.8 aperture
Ultra-wide-angle lens with a viewing angle of up to 155°
D-Cinelike color mode for a broader color palette that enables detailed chromatic adjustments
The Elios 3 from Flyability. Photo courtesy of Flyability.
The best indoor inspection drone for advanced use cases: Flyability Elios 3
Price: Contact Flyability Sales (but expect to spend tens of thousands of dollars
Flight time: Up to 12 minutes (without a payload), 9.1 minutes (with a LiDAR payload), or 8.2 minutes (with a maximum payload)
Camera? Yes; 1/2.3” CMOS sensor with a fully unobstructed 180° field of view to a 4K camera, plus a thermal camera, and a distance sensor.
The real reason you’d want this upgrade pick is not simply to see what’s inside the building, but to be able to make a full 3D map of it. The Elios 3’s key feature is a SLAM engine (that’s short for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) that can generate 3D models through a new software called Inspector 4.0. The Elio 3 drone has proven valuable for mapping areas that are out of reach or too dangerous for humans to enter, like sewers or caves. Exploring buildings damaged by fire might be a use case too.
The FlyAware SLAM Engine in action.
There’s also no safer drone to fly indoors. The Elios 3 relies on a combination of computer vision, LiDAR technology, and a powerful NVidia graphic engine to maintain centimeter accuracy when flying indoors, even if there is no GPS signal available. And it’s surrounded by a signature cage and is equipped with unique reversing motors, which can help it recover from flipping upside-down without crashing. It also has a P-44 compliant design, which is a rating to show it can fly in rugged, harsh environments without concerns of water splashes or dust — again something that might be critical if flying amidst ash.
While the Elios 3 is all-around a far more powerful drone than the Avata (and comes with a heftier price tag), there is one huge reason why the Avata is superior, beyond accessibility and affordability. That’s battery life. The Avata offers 18 minutes of flight time, while this one offers up to 12 minutes and that’s without a payload. 6 minutes might not seem like much, but when you consider the Avata entails 50% more flight time, that can be critical.
Picking the best indoor drone
Indoor drones have seen substantial improvements in their stabilization and control systems in recent years, now boasting sophisticated algorithms and onboard processors that enable them to maintain steady flight even in tight or cluttered spaces. As a result, the risk of unexpected crashes or unintended landings has been dramatically minimized, granting users greater confidence in operating these aerial machines indoors.
The Drone Girl, Sally French, flying the DJI Avata.
Furthermore, the integration of intelligent software has revolutionized indoor drone autonomy. These drones can now perform pre-programmed tasks with exceptional accuracy, eliminating the need for constant manual control. This increased autonomy significantly reduces the chances of human error during flights, making using indoor drone for fire inspections more reliable and less prone to accidents.
Of course, while battery technology is good, it’s still not great. Many indoor drones are capable of only a few minutes of flight time. My two picks offer at least 8 minutes (assuming the maximum payload).
The bottom line is: you have two real choices to make when it comes to the best indoor drone for fire inspections, and they are so different that it should be an easy choice. For a drone that simply shows you what’s inside the building, the DJI Avata is your best bet. But for a more advanced use case that has ultra safe flight and can even map what’s inside, you’ll want the Flyability Elios 3.
Drone simulators can be a great way for newbies to learn how to fly a drone without risking damaging your expensive new toy. But they’re not just for newbies. Pilots using drones for industrial applications, intricate cinematography and even competitive drone racing turn to drone simulators to practice advanced maneuvers and to prepare for flying in challenging conditions.
Given the range of use cases and target audiences, there are all sorts of drone simulators on the market — and not all of them are created equal. Some are more realistic while others have more of an imaginative video game vibe. Some offer more features — and often typically come with a higher price tag.
As you search for the best drone simulator, here are a few things to consider:
Realism: How realistic is the simulator’s physics engine? Does it accurately simulate the flight characteristics of real drones?
Features: What features does the simulator offer? Does it have a variety of different drones to choose from? Does it allow you to practice flying in different environments?
Price: Drone simulators can range in price from free to hundreds of dollars. Choose a simulator that fits your budget and needs.
With those three features in mind, we analyzed about a dozen drone simulators on the market, and decided to call out a few of the best ones. So with that, here are the best drone simulators on the market in 2023:
Zephyr: the best drone simulator for industrial applications
Screenshot courtesy of Zephyr
Cost: starts at $10 for “hobbyist” version, though full feature version costs $50
Target audience: hobbyists who might be interested in getting into the industrial side of drones, as well as pilots seeking to practice for industrial applications
Company behind it: Little Arms Studios, based in Manassas, Virginia
Zephyr Drone Simulator is a drone pilot training simulator developed by Little Arms Studios, which is a Virginia-based software company building flight simulation products for high schools, higher education, public safety entities, businesses and even the United States Air Force.
Zephyr takes the cake as the best drone simulator for industrial applications because it has among the most realistic flight models you’ll find in a simulator. When using the simulator, you can select the specific drone you want to use from more than a dozen popular enterprise and camera drones, ranging from the DJI Mavic Pro and Autel X-Star on the consumer end, to products like the DJI Matrice or Freefly Alta X on the enterprise end.
The customization doesn’t stop there. You can select flight conditions to operate in (e.g. ultra-bright, sunny day vs. heavy rain) and the place you want to fly (e.g. interior of a warehouse vs. through the posts of a bridge).
When you first use Zephyr, you’ll likely want to start out with the hobbyists version, which costs just $10. If you’re ready for more, you might upgrade to the full-feature version for $50. There are also a few options for in-simulator purchases to add on more flight scenarios, such as a bridge inspection scenario and a NIST/APSA bundle designed specifically to provide training and test prep for the NIST Open Lane Test.
Zephyr has some pretty strong endorsements, including a partnership with APSA and DRONERESPONDERS, as well as a partnership with the United States Air Force through the AFWERX program.
Download the Zephyr drone simulator here. Or if you want to learn more, check out The Drone Girl’s in-depth, Zephyr flight simulator review.
DRL SIM: the best drone simulator for FPV racing
Cost: $10
Target audience: Gamers, drone racers
Company behind it: Drone Racing League, based in New York, New York
The Drone Racing League, which is generally considered the largest drone racing company in the world, offers its own drone simulator, which is available for purchase for about $10 on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam and the Epic Games store.
The video game nature of this drone simulator makes it a fun pick for people who might not necessarily be interested in flying physical drones, but who like gaming and might want something a bit more unique from the classic car racing games. Then again, it’ll likely inspire you to actually get into drone racing, regardless.
The whole thing has an incredible community vibe, with fun features like a public leaderboard posted online.
The DRL SIM is also pretty neat in that it has a real, in-person component of high value: DRL hosts an annual Racing Cup to find the world’s best drone pilot. And every year, one of the slots to compete in the tournament comes from the DRL Sim. DRL hosts DRL SIM Tryouts, with the winner of that receiving an invite to compete as the official DRL SIM Pilot in the real DRL World Championship for that year.
DJI Try Virtual Flight: best free option for DJI pilots
Cost: $0
Target audience: Consumer drone pilots looking for a free option
Company behind it: DJI, based in China
DJI Flight is a fun, free simulator built into the DJI Store app, which is available in the Google Play and Apple App stores. When you download the app, the homepage is all about the DJI Store (after all, DJI wants your money). But when you navigate to the Explore tab, you can virtually fly DJI’s latest consumer drones, such as the DJI Mini 4 Pro.
The app is free, and it definitely serves as cool marketing for the latest and greatest features, which in the case of the DJI Mini 4 Pro is omnidirectional obstacle sensing (with four wide-angle vision sensors and two downward vision sensors).
The simulator app is pretty fun in that DJI gives you ‘missions,’ like ‘find the source of the river,’ upon which you’ll have to navigate through their made-up animated world along the water.
The app is pretty basic with three flight modes, but it does throw in some realistic flight physics that entail real-world scenarios like wind gusts.
Unlike the other simulators, it’s not very robust so will likely only keep your attention for a limited time. But given that it’s free to download and play, there’s not a lot to lose by giving it a try.
DJI Flight Simulator: best paid option for serious DJI pilots
Cost: $0 for trial version, otherwise varies by dealer
Target audience: Enterprise drone pilots using DJI drones
Company behind it: DJI, based in China
DJI Virtual Flight is fun for casual consumer pilots, but drone pilots seeking serious skills training specific to enterprise applications such as power line inspections or search and rescue will want to turn to the DJI Flight Simulator.
This professional pilot training software uses DJI’s existing flight control technology to recreate the natural flying experience in a digital format. There is a freebie trial version, though you won’t get all the features with that one. For the most valuable features like application training, you’ll need to reach out to a DJI enterprise dealer to buy the full software.
You’ll also need a Windows PC and DJI Remote controller to access the DJI Flight Simulator. Once downloaded, you can use it to simulate flying various DJI drones from the Mavic Series, Phantom Series, Inspire Series, and the Matrice 200 Series. Then again, while the price tag isn’t cheap, it’s a lot cheaper than getting into a crash in a hairy flying environment on critical infrastructure.
Clearly there’s a drone simulator for everyone. Serious enterprise users flying DJI drones and who want to ensure they’ve received top-of-the-line practice might pay $7,500 for DJI’s official Flight Simulator software. But even for just $50, third-party flight simulators like Zephyr offer a similar experience at a far lower price point.
And for people looking to just mess around and have fun, products like the DJI Try Virtual Flight simulator or the DRL Simulator can provide some of the joy of flying drones, without actually having to fly a drone.
Which drone simulator do you use and recommend? Leave a comment below!
We all love the beautiful aerial footage shots captured on drones, but we know a lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into getting the perfect shot. The behind-the-scenes often stays just that, behind the scenes.
But now it’s time to embrace the wobbles, spins, and uh-ohs because every epic fail is a chance to win flight lessons in disguise. That’s because the team over at drone training website UAV Coach recently announced their Drone Fails Challenge.
As a relatively new drone pilot, I have already had my fair share of epic drone failur (stay tuned for one below), so I am excited for the chance to feel a little less alone in my drone failures and laugh along with The Drone Girl community.
As a part of the Drone Fails Challenge, UAV Coach invites you to submit your most epic drone fail to be featured on their social media and have a chance to win free access to their online skill builder course.
Why should we participate?
Because it’s not only fun to laugh at ourselves, but a chance to learn from them too! By analyzing your crashes and learning from them, you can sharpen your skills.
Plus, the Drone Fails Challenge is about coming together as a community of drone enthusiasts. We love our community here at Drone Girl. This is a chance to share your crashes, laugh at the moments that went awry, and support fellow pilots on their journey. (If you post your drone fail to social media, tag @thedronegirl too so we can see and repost!)
But most importantly, with each drone fail submission you get a chance to win FREE access to the Drone Pilot Skill Builder course– a $119 value!
Every month, UAV Coach will award three fails FREE access to their online skill builder course (because we all could use some extra practice). They are opening up voting at the beginning of each month so you can help choose the winners.
And stay tuned, because UAV says there will also be chances to win other prizes as part of their annual contest.
The Drone Pilot Skill Builder (what you can win in the contest) is an online self-paced course that covers a range of topics for beginner drone pilots such as:
Where you can fly legally
How to do airspace research + plan flights like a pro
Flight exercises that hone your drone piloting skills
Techniques to capture breathtaking drone footage
Intelligent flight modes to get the most out of your drone
Troubleshooting & emergency procedures for any situation
The Drone Pilot Skill Builder course usually costs $119 but is on sale now through Oct. 31st for $99, but you’ll get the chance to get the entire course for free simply by submitting your epic drone fail.
Convinced? Ready to submit? Before you do, make sure your video follows the guidelines:
Vertical or horizontal format
Text on video is okay but not preferred
Up to 2GB in size
Max 1 min long
UAV Coach is looking for a video of a drone crashing or generally acting strange. Perhaps the drone was in follow-me mode and crashed into a tree. Maybe those sneaky phone lines got you and your drone again, they want to see it. Perhaps, you captured from another device a drone failing or falling that would also be a great submission. The more epic fail the better.
Really any drone failure goes and since drone fans will be voting, the more epic and funnier the better.
Submit your drone fail here, for the chance to win. And if you post to social media don’t forget to @thedronegirl, as we’d love to see your drone fail!
My submission to the Drone Fails Challenge
And without further ado, my epic drone fail. I thought my HoverAir X1 was going to land safely in the palm of my hand, but my drone had other plans. The HoverAir X1 landed right into a tree! It was made even more embarrassing because I was with a friend who was taking photos of me for my review of the HoverAir X1, who you can see in the background. It was a massive failure. Feel free to laugh.
the convent of the Poor Clares in Stary Sącz located at pl. Saint Kingi 1, in the Tarnów diocese. In 2018, included (together with the Old Town complex) on the list of historical monuments as part of the “100 Monuments of History for the Centenary of Regaining Independence” campaign.
