an inside job...

[aerialimagery]

So, have you ever flown your drone and done photography in a warehouse?

I have a customer who wants to have that done possibly in addition to some other work.

I have never flown inside a building and just wanted to know what the risks are and whether it's worth the risks. Is there a minimum height you would want the ceiling to be, and how close would you fly to it?

 

[aerialimagery]

I received an email with an answer and a link, but it's not showing up here.

 

[jack.s]

So, have you ever flown your drone and done photography in a warehouse?

I have a customer who wants to have that done possibly in addition to some other work.

I have never flown inside a building and just wanted to know what the risks are and whether it's worth the risks. Is there a minimum height you would want the ceiling to be, and how close would you fly to it?

Have done quite a few indoor flights, mostly arenas.
These are the issues we run into.
Most buildings have a LOT of metal that messes with the compass
---We walk around the interior handheld to identify compass issues preflight.
Some may have large source of magnetic signal from large electric motor ,compressor,etc. ( these may be behind a wall and not in sight of flight area.Also there maybe large frequency emissions in receivers range that can affect the control link
---We use a frequency scanner to identify frequency strength and hz
Most likely to lose GPS and therefore stability.
---We start flight in manual with GPS off as if GPS kickes in and out the AC bounces around. With GPS off you just keep maintaining control over the drifting.
---If you have downward sensors aka VPS(DJI) be careful the floor is clear below flight as benches , boxes , other items rising up from floor will cause the AC to jump up a bit as you fly over.
It does add some stability but if you have the obstructions on the floor I think better to turn it off.
The floor may have heating and/or electrical piping in the floor, also rebar. This might prevent a takeoff from floor.
---Use the travel case or non metal stand to launch.
Make sure there are no people within the flight area.
Watch out for overhanging wires, lighting, fans ( they can put out alot of air which may tumble the AC), banners, loose string etc.
I don't get too close to ceiling normally 6 to 8 feet below but have had to to 1/2 that with no issue.
Your mileage may vary, these are just what we found.

 

[BigAl07]

I received an email with an answer and a link, but it's not showing up here.

The original posted of the Reply has deleted his posted for some reason.

 

[BigAl07]

We've flown numerous times indoors and it's a little different animal for sure. The cleaner the area the better because depending on the aircraft you're going to kick up a lot of dust & debris. Also keep in mind when you get close to walls/objects you'll create a lot of turbulence and you'll want to stay as far from those things as possible.

Check your RTH settings because you don't want a RTH to kick in and the aircraft to climb up into the upper structure.

Be proficient in flying ATTI mode and if your aircraft supports it Tripod modes slows things down nicely.

 

[aerialimagery]

Thank you for your helpful comments.

 

[Vantage]

I received an email with an answer and a link, but it's not showing up here.

(I just did the exact same thing again!)

That was me sorry. I need sleep. Bit of an error when I'd made my accounts... Didn't realise until I saw my name set as my username, which I don't want, so I deleted my post.

The only things I can add now are that I have successfully flown in P mode in a foundry with lots of metal and little to no GPS signal.
There was no drift like in ATTI, and it also gives you the ability to use Tripod mode which is brilliant for precise movements.

I will not recommended it, in case your situation is different and your UAV crashes due to GPS shift, but I can say it worked absolutely fine for me.

Skip to 1 minute 15 and there're a few shots of the type of building I was in.

As above - You need to think carefully about your RC signal loss settings. RTH, hover and land all have their pros and cons for every scenario.

If you need to use ATTI, consider fine tuning your control EXP to give less response for minute movements. It will help.

 

[Red90]

We flew a job indoors at a local school that is being built. They have a large atrium that they wanted covered - so we flew up the centre and then over the balcony towards a very narrow corridor.

We then took over the shot with an Osmo, walked down the corridor, through the uncovered uprights of a stud-partition wall before then cutting back to the flight at the other end of the corridor and out into the sports hall. Made me look like the best pilot ever!! Lol

 

[BigAl07]

We flew a job indoors at a local school that is being built. They have a large atrium that they wanted covered - so we flew up the centre and then over the balcony towards a very narrow corridor.

We then took over the shot with an Osmo, walked down the corridor, through the uncovered uprights of a stud-partition wall before then cutting back to the flight at the other end of the corridor and out into the sports hall. Made me look like the best pilot ever!! Lol

Splendid idea. When it's finished you should share the vid here.

 

[R.Perry]

That sounds really cool, would love to see it.

 

[John Githens]

We flew a job indoors at a local school that is being built. They have a large atrium that they wanted covered - so we flew up the centre and then over the balcony towards a very narrow corridor.

We then took over the shot with an Osmo, walked down the corridor, through the uncovered uprights of a stud-partition wall before then cutting back to the flight at the other end of the corridor and out into the sports hall. Made me look like the best pilot ever!! Lol

That is a great technique for some situations. Recently a customer had a similar idea to get an eye-level shot (without props) while rolling toward an opened, glass door, beyond which was an expansive view. A smooth fade in post to a flying shot made it look like one flight from indoors to outdoors. The shots could also have been done in reverse direction, outside to inside of an unforgiving structure. Less risk!