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Flying FPV Drones Indoors VS Outdoors: What You Need To Know!

FPV Drone Indoors

How to safely fly your FPV drone without getting in trouble

Flying drones is an increasingly popular hobby, and for good reason. Drones offer a unique perspective that can’t be achieved with any other type of camera. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a business owner interested in using drones for photography or video purposes, it’s important to understand the differences between flying drones indoors and outdoors. In this article, we will guide you through the basics of flying FPV drones indoors and outdoors in the UK.

Flight characteristics

First important thing to consider is which drone is best for the task or shots you want to achieve. If you need a drone that can carry a payload, then a larger drone will be better suited for you. If you are looking to get nimble and fast shots, then a smaller drone will be better. Another thing to consider is the environment that you'll be flying in. Indoors, there are more obstacles and tighter spaces, so a smaller drone will be easier to manoeuvre. Outdoors, you'll have more space to work with, so a larger drone may be able to achieve the shots you're looking for.

Indoors FPV drones

When flying indoors, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, make sure that you have enough space. You'll need to be able to fly the drone without hitting any walls or obstacles. Second, consider the lighting. If it's too dark, the drone's sensors may not be able to properly track the environment and could lead to a crash. Third, be aware of any people or pets in the area. You'll need to make sure that they are not in the path of the drone. Lastly, indoor flying can be more challenging than outdoor flying, so it's important to start slow and practice before moving on to more complicated shots.

The best FPV drones for indoor flying are small cinewhoops, 2" or 3" size that allow tight manoeuvres, hitting small gaps, and most important safe to fly around soft targets. These drones can carry about 40g payload in terms of filming camera, which is enough to fit a Light GoPro Hero 10 or 11, to record up to 5.3K video footage.

Outdoors FPV drones

For flying FPV outdoors, it is important to check the area for any potential hazards. This includes power lines, trees, and other obstacles. You'll also want to make sure that there is enough space to take off and land safely. Other things to consider are adverse weather conditions, as winds could highly impact the drone flight and eventually may damage the drone.

The best FPV drones for outdoor flying are usually larger ones, 5" or 7" size that better support outdoors conditions, and can be equipped with heavier payloads. Some of these drones will carry a full GoPro, a BlackMagic 4K camera, or even a RED Komodo. These cameras are ideal for filming outdoors, where lighting sometimes can be poor if compared to indoors.

Legal limits of FPV drones

The UK has different laws regarding where you can fly your drone, both indoors and outdoors. If you are flying for commercial purposes, you will need to obtain a license from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and adequate third party liability insurance.

When flying indoors, the unmanned aircraft does not impact air navigation and does not have any impact on flights by aircraft in the open air. As a result, FPV drones piloted indoors are no subject to navigation legislation, therefore drone operators have to refer to Health and Safety regulations only. This means that there is no weight limit or size to drones to be operated indoors.

When flying outdoors, all unmanned aircrafts have to refer to UAS Regulations. This might put limitations on the size and the weight of the drone can fly within the shooting area, which directly impacts the camera payload. For instance, it's easy to fly lighter drones in residential and highly condensed areas, while it becomes more problematic if you need to carry a heavier camera which requires a larger drone. Luckily enough FPV drones are highly customisable, and allow for small drones to keep up with winds and still carry a 5K camera. Check out our fleet here, we have the right tools for your job.

Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) 

There are some physical and practical limits to flying an FPV drone outdoors. The pilot must keep the drone within visual line of sight (VLOS), which usually means employing a visual observer standing next to the UAV operator. This is necessary because it is impossible for the FPV pilot to keep an eye on the drone when they are wearing immersive FPV goggles. The visual observer can help keep track of the drone's position and orientation, as well as any obstacles or other aircraft in the vicinity.

The other main practical limit to flying an FPV drone outdoors is that the CAA prohibits flying drones near airports or above 400 feet without special permission. In addition, there are restrictions on night flying and flying over people.

Flying over people and cars

When flying outdoors, it is generally forbidden by the CAA to overfly uninvolved individuals and cars. However, there is an exception for flying over people in the case the drone is under 250 grams, which allows for very small drones to be flown in more populated areas.

For this reason, we have a wide range of sub 250 FPV drones that allow us to film in residential areas while still maintaining a high quality video footage up to 5K. This is a substantial benefit of in-house built drones, where shaving off a few grams can make a big difference in what is and isn't allowed.

Not sure you can fly your drone safely for business?

Drones are a great way to capture unique footage that can’t be achieved with other types of cameras. The limits to flying drones outdoors can seem restrictive, but our team of experts have the right tools for the job. We have a wide range of sub 250 FPV drones that allow us to film in residential areas while still maintaining a high quality video footage up to 5K.

If you are looking for a professional and legal way to film indoors or outdoors, our FPV drone services might be just what you need. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your filming goals.

November 15, 2022

Flying FPV Drones Indoors VS Outdoors: What You Need To Know!

How to safely fly your FPV drone without getting in trouble Flying drones is an increasingly popular hobby, and for good reason. Drones offer a unique perspective that can’t be achieved with any other type of camera. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a business owner interested in using drones for photography or video purposes, it’s […]

FPV Drone Indoors

How to safely fly your FPV drone without getting in trouble

Flying drones is an increasingly popular hobby, and for good reason. Drones offer a unique perspective that can’t be achieved with any other type of camera. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a business owner interested in using drones for photography or video purposes, it’s important to understand the differences between flying drones indoors and outdoors. In this article, we will guide you through the basics of flying FPV drones indoors and outdoors in the UK.

Flight characteristics

First important thing to consider is which drone is best for the task or shots you want to achieve. If you need a drone that can carry a payload, then a larger drone will be better suited for you. If you are looking to get nimble and fast shots, then a smaller drone will be better. Another thing to consider is the environment that you'll be flying in. Indoors, there are more obstacles and tighter spaces, so a smaller drone will be easier to manoeuvre. Outdoors, you'll have more space to work with, so a larger drone may be able to achieve the shots you're looking for.

Indoors FPV drones

When flying indoors, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, make sure that you have enough space. You'll need to be able to fly the drone without hitting any walls or obstacles. Second, consider the lighting. If it's too dark, the drone's sensors may not be able to properly track the environment and could lead to a crash. Third, be aware of any people or pets in the area. You'll need to make sure that they are not in the path of the drone. Lastly, indoor flying can be more challenging than outdoor flying, so it's important to start slow and practice before moving on to more complicated shots.

The best FPV drones for indoor flying are small cinewhoops, 2" or 3" size that allow tight manoeuvres, hitting small gaps, and most important safe to fly around soft targets. These drones can carry about 40g payload in terms of filming camera, which is enough to fit a Light GoPro Hero 10 or 11, to record up to 5.3K video footage.

Outdoors FPV drones

For flying FPV outdoors, it is important to check the area for any potential hazards. This includes power lines, trees, and other obstacles. You'll also want to make sure that there is enough space to take off and land safely. Other things to consider are adverse weather conditions, as winds could highly impact the drone flight and eventually may damage the drone.

The best FPV drones for outdoor flying are usually larger ones, 5" or 7" size that better support outdoors conditions, and can be equipped with heavier payloads. Some of these drones will carry a full GoPro, a BlackMagic 4K camera, or even a RED Komodo. These cameras are ideal for filming outdoors, where lighting sometimes can be poor if compared to indoors.

Legal limits of FPV drones

The UK has different laws regarding where you can fly your drone, both indoors and outdoors. If you are flying for commercial purposes, you will need to obtain a license from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and adequate third party liability insurance.

When flying indoors, the unmanned aircraft does not impact air navigation and does not have any impact on flights by aircraft in the open air. As a result, FPV drones piloted indoors are no subject to navigation legislation, therefore drone operators have to refer to Health and Safety regulations only. This means that there is no weight limit or size to drones to be operated indoors.

When flying outdoors, all unmanned aircrafts have to refer to UAS Regulations. This might put limitations on the size and the weight of the drone can fly within the shooting area, which directly impacts the camera payload. For instance, it's easy to fly lighter drones in residential and highly condensed areas, while it becomes more problematic if you need to carry a heavier camera which requires a larger drone. Luckily enough FPV drones are highly customisable, and allow for small drones to keep up with winds and still carry a 5K camera. Check out our fleet here, we have the right tools for your job.

Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) 

There are some physical and practical limits to flying an FPV drone outdoors. The pilot must keep the drone within visual line of sight (VLOS), which usually means employing a visual observer standing next to the UAV operator. This is necessary because it is impossible for the FPV pilot to keep an eye on the drone when they are wearing immersive FPV goggles. The visual observer can help keep track of the drone's position and orientation, as well as any obstacles or other aircraft in the vicinity.

The other main practical limit to flying an FPV drone outdoors is that the CAA prohibits flying drones near airports or above 400 feet without special permission. In addition, there are restrictions on night flying and flying over people.

Flying over people and cars

When flying outdoors, it is generally forbidden by the CAA to overfly uninvolved individuals and cars. However, there is an exception for flying over people in the case the drone is under 250 grams, which allows for very small drones to be flown in more populated areas.

For this reason, we have a wide range of sub 250 FPV drones that allow us to film in residential areas while still maintaining a high quality video footage up to 5K. This is a substantial benefit of in-house built drones, where shaving off a few grams can make a big difference in what is and isn't allowed.

Not sure you can fly your drone safely for business?

Drones are a great way to capture unique footage that can’t be achieved with other types of cameras. The limits to flying drones outdoors can seem restrictive, but our team of experts have the right tools for the job. We have a wide range of sub 250 FPV drones that allow us to film in residential areas while still maintaining a high quality video footage up to 5K.

If you are looking for a professional and legal way to film indoors or outdoors, our FPV drone services might be just what you need. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your filming goals.

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