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The best indoor drones of 2024

Posted by Dronerator

A lot of people fly drones outside, but what about inside? Whether the weather is rough outside, or just the airspace is too chaotic to operate in, flying indoors is often a preferred solution. But drones don’t always perform well inside. Some drones are BETTER when flown indoors. So with that, here are the best indoor drones of 2024:

Many of the drones in this guide are on the cheaper end, which sadly means they don’t hold up well in the slightest breeze. But many also work great outside, providing you with the most options. Our top pick among the best indoor drones out there has an incredible Level 5 Wind resistance.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re seeking advice and legal guidance around flying drones indoors, I’ve got you covered right here.

So without further adieu, here are the best indoor drones of 2024:

Best indoor drones, in a nutshell

The best indoor drone: DJI Avata

To fly Avata, you’ll need a controller, goggles and the drone itself. Pictured here are the DJI Goggles 2, DJI Motion Controller and Avata drone.

Price: Starts at $579

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.

DJI released its Avata drone in the summer of 2022 as a Cinewhoop-style FPV drone, made with indoor drone flights in mind. At just 180×180 mm in width and length, it’s ideal in tight spaces. Plus, it weighs just 405 grams. Built-in propeller guards eliminate the risk of scratching walls or other items inside, should you crash.

The Avata drone is a bit different from all the others in this list in that it’s an FPV drone (thus is designed to be flown with FPV goggles). It was also designed to be flown with what DJI calls a Motion Controller, differentiating itself from standard controllers with sticks. However, if you prefer flying line of sight and want to use a standard controller, you can do that too, by way of the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, which you can buy for less than $230.

This drone wins as the best indoor drone not just for its ease of use, small size, and beginner-friendly modes, but comes out on top for its camera. Some DJI Avata camera 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
  • An 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

DJI Avata is the best indoor drone, but it also holds up incredibly well outside thanks to Level 5 max wind resistance. That means it can fly at wind speeds ranging from 19 to 24 miles per hour (which is about the equivalent of winds that generate moderate waves at the beach). 

Avata is absolutely amazing for so many use cases, indoors and out. Here’s an example of how the Avata effortlessly executed an incredible real estate tour:

The standalone Avata goes for $579, though it can run upwards of $1,398 for the Pro-View Combo with DJI Goggles 2. The Fly More Kit goes for $279.

The best indoor drone if you’re on a budget: Tello (as long as you can find it)

DJI Tello drone review Ryze drone

Price: $159

Flight time: 13 minutes per battery

Camera? Yes; 5-megapixel camera and shoots 720p video

The Tello is an all-around awesome drone. It does it all, and it does it all well.

It’s great indoors, but it still flies well in most conditions outdoors. It’s got a camera that takes decently great photos. It can perform stunts like flips to make the act of flying a bit more fun. It can even teach you how to code.

While it’s technically made by a company called Ryze, the drone often gets put under the DJI umbrella of drones because it was built using DJI flight technology— and an Intel processor.

The drone doesn’t come with an RC transmitter. Instead, it’s controlled via a mobile app (or an external one can be purchased separately). You can also control it via hand gestures. Video quality is decent for a $159 drone, but it doesn’t compare to DJI’s camera drones like the Mavic 3 Pro, or even the $399 Mavic Mini.

One standout feature is how the Tello can teach you how to code, making it an excellent STEM drone. The drone pairs integrate with a programming language called Scratch. With it, you can program the drone to fly in certain directions based on the “code” you have written.

All that for under $200 is a pretty good deal.

Best place to buy: Amazon ($159)

Was the Tello drone discontinued?

Now if that all sounds too good to be true, sadly it might be. It appears that Tello might be discontinued. As of mid-to-late 2024, the $99 Tello drone appears as sold out on DJI’s stop. Third-parties such as Amazon still sell Tello. But even there, quantities are limited (mostly to used versions only).

The Drone Girl reached out to DJI for official comment, and only got a vague answer.

“Currently, the Tello series is still being sold in the United States, and we will continue to provide technical and after-sales support to the customers,” a DJI spokesperson told The Drone Girl. “We have been working hard to provide global users with drone products that meet different needs. We will continue to launch new products that are accessible, easier to use and meet entry-level or educational needs, so stay tuned.”

As for you, jump on this one now if you want a Tello drone. Otherwise, it’s potentially gone for good.

The best indoor drone if you also want to fly outdoors: DJI Mini 4

DJI Mini 4 Pro

Price: $769

Flight time: 34 minutes per battery

Camera? Yes; 1/1.3-inch CMOS camera; shoots images at up to 48MP and video up to 4k/60fps

The DJI Mini 4 Pro is designed as an outdoor drone, and I recommend mostly using it for outdoor flying. However, it stands out for its omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. While DJI won’t outright call it crash-proof, this is pretty much as close as you can get.

Here are some DJI Mini 4 camera specs:

  • A 1/1.3-inch CMOS camera sensor with dual native ISO: This means footage from either camera can be packed with rich coloring and natural lighting transitions.
  • Aperture: f/1.7, which is ideal for low-light and nighttime performance 
  • High-quality capture: It shoots images at up to 48MP and video at up to 4k/60fps 
  • Digital video zoom: It’s available up to 2x in 4k, up to 4x
  • HDR Video recording: Available in 4k/60fps 
  • Night Shots video: Delivers clear, cleaner footage in low-light conditions  

Additionally, the DJI Mini 4 Pro is under 249g, films high-quality photos and videos, and is the best drone option if you are looking for a drone that gives you the versatility of flying indoors and out.

Best place to buy: Amazon ($769)

Best indoor drones for Star Wars fanatics: Propel Star Wars High-Performance Battle Drone (with collectors edition box!)

star wars propel drone tie fighter best indoor drones

Price: $140

Flight time: 5 minutes per battery

Camera? No

Star Wars nerds! Whether you love Baby Yoda, Kylo Ren, Ewoks, or all of the above (that would be me!), the Propel Star Wars Battle Drones are incredible. No other drones in this guide have the combination of aesthetically stunning AND truly fun to fly.

They’re hand-painted and highly realistic drones, arriving in all sorts of various designs like a tie fighter, speeder bike, or X-Wing. Not only do the Propel drones fly, but they can also actually battle. That’s possible due to eye-safe lasers that can be fired at other Star Wars drones. You can pair drones together to turn them into a battle game, where the drone wobbles and the controller vibrates in your hand if hit. After three hits, the drone will crash land.

Also, you can either play with a buddy. Or, if you’re truly in single isolation, you can battle against others via a system that records, combines, and compares your performance against virtual players in the world.

Now at $140, this one is not cheap. Consider it more of a collector’s item or an amazing gift for a diehard Star Wars fan. It’s listed at $140, though you can often find it for far less. Set a price alert or browse many websites for the best deal.

Best place to buy: Amazon ($140)

If you’re curious about drone racing: the Fat Shark 101 Training system

Fat Shark FPV drone racing thedronegirl best indoor drones

Price: $250

Camera? FPV camera

Fat Shark’s FPV (first-person view) headsets are the gold standard among drone racing pros. But even if you’re not a pro, there’s great news. Also, Fat Shark makes a kit with everything you need to get started drone racing.

However, with the Fat Shark 101 Training system, you get a radio, goggles and tiny quadcopter all in one kit. The RC transmitter has two modes for beginners and more advanced pilots, giving you an opportunity to improve your skills as you’re at home self-quarantining.

I love how easy this kit is to upgrade. While the quality of each individual piece is good, should you decide to step it up, you can swap out individual pieces (ie. just the goggles, or just the drone) and incorporate them into the kit.

Best place to buy: Get FPV ($249)

Now for the bad news. As of publication, this drone is out of stock. However, GetFPV’s product page allows you to subscribe to alerts where the company will notify you when the product is back in stock, which you can do via this webpage.

Read my full FatShark FPV drone kit here.

Best true FPV drone: the Flywoo Explorer with Naked GoPro 10

Price: Naked camera ($689) and drone itself costs ($489), putting this total kit at just over $1,100.

Camera? Flywoo Naked GoPro 10 Action Camera

For a true FPV drone, there’s no better bet than the Flywoo Explorer LR 4″ Quadcopter HD w/ DJI O3. Fly it with the Flywoo Naked GoPro 10 Action Camera w/ Touchscreen + Filter Set mounted on top, and you’re looking at incredibly high-quality footage.

This one stands out as an especially great indoor drone for its 4″ size, enabling it to better fit through tight spaces. Plus, that help it makes a lot less noise than a 6-7″ drone.

This drone is best when used in tandem with the the Flywoo Naked GoPro 10 Action Camera w/ Touchscreen + Filter Set, which is effectively a GoPro Hero 10. Flywoo took it and stripped out all the unnecessary features beyond what you need for FPV flying to make it weigh just 44 grams (critical in your FPV flight).

I especially love this pick if you’re looking for an indoor drone for real estate agents.

The best indoor drone if you want to record sound: HoverAir X1 

Price: $439 (frequently on sale for $399)

Flight Time: 11 minutes per battery 

Camera? Yes; 12-megapixel camera and shoots 2.7k video 

The HoverAir X1 does not come with a controller. Instead, it flies with a selection of pre-programmed paths, including Hover, Follow, Zoom Out, Orbit, and Bird’s Eye. If flying indoors, I recommend flying with manual control mode ensuring total control. 

The stand-out feature of the HoverAir X1 is its ability to record sound. The drone records sound from your phone (the controller). While the sound quality itself is pretty solid, the sound does not always match up to the video recording. HoverAir X1 recommends downloading a third-party app to edit the sound to fix this issue. 

The HoverAir X1 can do all the same features outdoors, has a level 4 wind resistance, and reaches a maximum height of 15m. You can read an in-depth review of the HoverAir X1 here.

Best place to buy: Directly from the HoverAir website for $439

A cheaper alternative to the Mini 4 Pro: DJI Mini 2

Price: $379

Flight time: 31 minutes per battery (or about 20 with the propeller guards)

Camera? Yes; 5-megapixel camera and shoots 720p video

The DJI Mini 2 was designed for outdoor flight, and should primarily be flown outdoors. That said, it’s surprisingly well-suited for indoor flying. Given that it’s just 11.3 inches wide when unfolded (including the propellers) and the average interior doorway is about 30 inches, it has more than enough clearance to fly through doorways. The Mini 2 also comes with lightweight propeller guards to keep your walls and indoor objects safe. Plus, it made the list of the best DJI drones under $500.

With the Mini 2, you will lose out on video and photo quality compared to the Mini 4 Pro, but you will certainly save in price.

Best place to buy: Amazon for $379

What are the best indoor drones in your opinion? Leave a comment below!

The post The best indoor drones of 2024 appeared first on The Drone Girl.

How many female drone pilots are there in 2024?

Posted by Dronerator

How many female drone pilots are out there in the United States in 2024?

The Federal Aviation Administration in March 2024 updated its U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics report. The FAA updates the report annually with detailed airmen statistics not published in other FAA reports. And the data provides some pretty interesting insight about the number of female drone pilots in the U.S. It also sheds light on the number of female commercial and air transport pilots, too).

This fresh batch of data released on March 7, 2024 shows that there were 30,935 female pilots in the U.S. in 2023 (which is the most recent set of data). That’s a huge increase from the figure reported in 2023. Then, the FAA said there were 24,293 female drone pilots in the U.S. as of 2022.

And the share of female, remote pilots is increasing, too. According to the 2023 data, women made up 7.9% of all certified remote pilots. But as of the new 2024 data, they make up 8.39%.

The statistics that show how many female drone pilots exist come from broader data about airmen (both pilot and non-pilot). The FAA obtained the data through official airmen certification records maintained at FAA’s Aeronautical Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Then another group Women and Drones, which is an online drone community and support network, analyzed the data. Women and Drones also runs the annual Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Awards, a related Hall of Fame, an annual in-person summit and its own drone diversity study, among other projects.

Women and Drones compiled a neat graphic visualizing the data. (Graphic courtesy of Women and Drones)

Women and Drones did all sorts of number crunching to better dig into what the female drone pilot area looks like. The study also showed where within the U.S. most women drone pilots are located.

Where do female drone pilots live?

The Women and Drones analysis broke out number of female drone pilots by state. It turns out that California (which is where I live!) is home to the most female drone pilots of any U.S. state. These three states have the most female drone pilots, according to the Women and Drones analysis of FAA data:

  • California: 3,128
  • Texas: 2,651
  • Florida: 2,559

Meanwhile, these three U.S. states have the fewest female drone pilots, according to the Women and Drones analysis of FAA data:

  • Rhode Island: 64
  • Vermont: 78
  • Delaware: 87

Check out the number of female drone pilots in your state by visiting the Women and Drones analysis page here.

Of course, note that the figures analyzing how many female drone pilots by state do somewhat represent a population map. Given that, California at No. 1 shouldn’t be all that surprising. After all, California is the most populous state, followed by Texas at No. 2 and Florida at No. 3. That’s the exact same ranking in terms of female drone pilots. That said, the least-populated states don’t necessarily have the fewest drone pilots. Wyoming is the least-populated state, but still has 108 female drone pilots. Then comes Vermont, which unsurprisingly has few drone pilots. But the third least-populated state, Alaska, has surprisingly many female drone pilots — 333 to be exact.

The rate of female drone pilots is increasing

(Graphic courtesy of Women and Drones)

Women and Drones also broke out the average age of female drone pilots. Despite the stereotype that tech is for the youths, the average female drone pilot is aged 38.

There are also more female drone pilots than the number of female commercial pilots and air transport pilots combined.

Again, this metric might be perhaps unsurprising as the barrier to entry to become a drone pilot is far lower. Experts describe the Part 107 test to earn your Remote Pilot Certificate as a pared-down version of the written test pilots must take to be able to fly piloted aircraft. There’s also a practical component to fly piloted aircraft in the U.S. That’s not the case for drone pilots (though other countries such as Canada do have a practical component for drone pilots, too).

Another encouraging metric? The number of female drone pilots in the U.S. is growing.

Year Number of female drone pilots Overall number of drone pilots % of female drone pilots
2016 793 20,362 3.9%
2017 3,462 69,166 5%
2018 6,188 106,321 5.8%
2019 10,818 160,302 6.7%
2020 14,882 206,322 7.2%
2021 19,366 254,587 7.6%
2022 24,293 304,256 7.9%
2023 30,935 368,633 8.39%

While women drone pilots are still a small minority at just 8.4%, that number has increased every single year since the data has been tracked. In 2016, just 3.9% of all drone pilots are women, but that number is growing.

On a percentage basis, the rate of all drone pilots who are women has doubled. And on a numbers basis, it has increased by about 30x. The rate of overall drone pilots has increased by a still-impressive, but not nearly as high 15x.

In short, female drone pilots are joining in the industry at a far faster rate than men these days.

Check out the rest of the Women and Drones analysis here.

The post How many female drone pilots are there in 2024? appeared first on The Drone Girl.

For the Win Robotics on the Drone Radio Show! Innovating Education With New Generation Drones

Posted by Dronerator

Don’t miss For the Win Robotics on the Drone Radio Show as Rob Harvey, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder talks with host Randy Goers about the company’s Hopper Drone, and how new drone technology is enhancing STEM Education. Listen here: Drone Radio Show · Innovating Education with New Generation Drones: Rob Harvey, Exe Chairman and Co-Founder […]

The post For the Win Robotics on the Drone Radio Show! Innovating Education With New Generation Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE.

Lawmakers Call for Increasing Tariffs on Import of Chinese Drones

Posted by Dronerator

Bipartisan Lawmakers Push for Tougher Tariffs on Chinese Drones Over Security Concerns by DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill The latest move in the ongoing battle between parts of the U.S. government and drone manufacturers based in China involves an effort to make those products prohibitively expensive for American consumers. On Tuesday, March 19 a bipartisan […]

The post Lawmakers Call for Increasing Tariffs on Import of Chinese Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE.

GA-ASI Adds New Capabilities to its Predator Mission Trainer

Posted by Dronerator
In a move that will be welcomed by many of its international customers, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has installed enhanced operating software into its Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) simulator that resides at GA-ASI’s Flight Test & Training Center (FTTC) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The new PMT Plus software was developed jointly by GA-ASI […]

Ukrainian Troops Successfully Use Autonomous FPV Drone

Posted by Dronerator
Ukrainian activist and volunteer, Serhii Sternenko, has shared video footage showcasing the use of a new FPV drone equipped with autonomous targeting capabilities. The drone reportedly demonstrated its ability to strike targets without direct operator commands, marking a new milestone in Ukrainian military tactics. The footage, shared on social media platform X (formerly known as […]

QinetiQ Reports First Successful Flights of New Rattler Supersonic Target

Posted by Dronerator
QinetiQ, in partnership with the United States Department of Defense and White Sands Missile Range High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF), announces the successful flights of the first two Rattler Supersonic Target MkIs. As part of the High Energy Laser Measurement (HELM) Rattler program and a QinetiQ funded Research and Development project, the flights […]

Firestorm Labs Gets $12.5M Seed Funding Led by Lockheed Martin Ventures

Posted by Dronerator
Firestorm Labs, a California-based Unmanned Aerial System manufacturer that is leading the charge in expeditionary additive manufacturing has announced $12.5M in seed investment by Lockheed Martin Ventures and prominent defense investors. “Firestorm is excited to announce this latest round of funding that will propel the company forward to shape the rapidly evolving needs of a […]

Alentejo, Portugal

Posted by Dronerator

After an excellent holiday in the Algarve we decided to come to Lisbon close to the border instead of going along the Vicentina coast. We went to discover the São Domingos mines near Mértola. A beautiful land with its plains and even a very pleasant river beach. The road is very good and access is very easy, as always the Alentejo in Portugal never disappoints.
 

 

 

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