Drone News & Articles

After a spate of relentless leaks, the new DJI Avata drone has officially arrived with a starting price of $629. The latest first-person view (FPV) drone from DJI has a lot to be excited about, beginning with a fully immersive flight, the likes of which you wouldn’t experience with a traditional drone.

In the tech giant’s own words, Avata is designed to offer an “almost out-of-body experience.” Its intuitive controls make FPV flying accessible even to novice pilots. At the same time, there’s enough tech wizardry packed inside Avata’s petite frame to allow for more professional, creative aerial moves in up to 18 minutes of flight time.

DJI Avata is compatible with DJI Goggles 2, the DJI FPV Goggles V2, and the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2. But what exactly is it that makes Avata the safest and arguably the most powerful CineWhoop-style FPV drone to fly today, straight out of the box? Let’s find out…

1. Avata is much smaller than DJI FPV Combo

Compared to the $999 FPV Combo DJI released in 2021, the new Avata is much more compact and lightweight so it can glide through even the tightest gaps. Avata’s unique design strips down the chassis of a traditional drone into a body built for speed and agility, weighing only 410 grams while still integrating aerodynamic propeller guards for added safety.

2. It comes with a 4K imaging system and 20GB of internal storage

DJI Avata has an outstanding imaging system that outstrips those found on any FPV racer drones. Avata comes with a 1/1.7-inch 48 MP Photo CMOS sensor with an f/2.8 aperture, and an ultra-wide-angle lens with a viewing angle of up to 155 degrees.

The wider field of view enables immersive aerial photography and videography at up to 4k/60fps, as well as slow-motion footage at 2.7K/100fps.

Then there’s the D-Cinelike color mode, which offers a wealth of color information for tuning the color mix of your video in post.

And finally, there’s 20GB of internal storage space available, which means you have the freedom and spontaneity to get creative even without a microSD card installed in the onboard drive.

3. Drone footage is stabilized through DJI’s flagship tech

DJI Avata keeps videos sharp and stable even during sharp maneuvers using two flagship stabilization technologies. DJI RockSteady eliminates the overall picture shake, and DJI HorizonSteady keeps the picture oriented toward the true level. Both these technologies power DJI’s rugged action camera series as well.

4. DJI Goggles 2 will provide you with an exceptionally clear view

Also announced today, DJI Goggles 2 is a next-generation video headset that offers a smaller, lighter, and more comfortable fit, with a crystal-clear FPV image comparable to those of other DJI drones.

The goggles come with clear Micro-OLED screens with adjustable diopters, so people who normally wear glasses do not need to use them with the headset. When used with the DJI Motion Controller (detailed below), you can control the aircraft and the gimbal camera freely. Meanwhile, an intuitive touch panel on the side of the goggles means that you can control its settings with only one hand.

To remain oriented during flight while wearing goggles, DJI Avata and DJI Goggles 2 display the Home Point where the drone took off from. This augmented reality (AR) perspective gives an extra sense of orientation to help the pilot locate the immediate environment in seconds.

5. Avata uses DJI’s most powerful video transmission system

DJI Avata and DJI Goggles 2 connect using DJI O3+ transmission. It’s the most powerful and reliable technology yet by DJI for precise control, ultra-low latency, and detailed video at 1080p/100fps with H.265 decoding.

The transmission delay is as low as approximately 30 milliseconds with O3+. But at the same time, the transmission distance is pretty long – up to 10 kilometers. The other technologies that go into ensuring a reliable feed from the FPV drone include auto-switching dual frequencies, a high bitrate of 50 Mbps, and state-of-the-art anti-interference methods.

6. DJI Motion Controller reads hand motions for maneuvering

The DJI Motion Controller is a flight control device that allows you to fly complex maneuvers based on the natural motions of your hand. So, you simply move the controller in space and squeeze the throttle trigger to propel the drone. The system is basically so intuitive that even complete beginners can get started quickly and learn to fly in continuous fluid motions, even when swooping close to the ground, whizzing past obstacles, and gliding through tight enclosures into open spaces.

​7. The drone can flip itself up into a flying position after a collision

DJI Avata FPV drone comes with built-in propeller guards that make the fuselage more durable and greatly reduce the probability of risk. The aircraft is built to withstand minor collisions, gently bouncing back into space at the same altitude if it hits something. But in case there’s a collision where the drone ends up on its back, you can activate what is called the “Turtle Mode” to flip the drone back into the flying position. Just how thoughtful and handy is that!

8. DJI Avata has a ton of incredible safety features baked in

DJI’s consumer drones are generally considered the most reliable for their safety features but the Avata takes the company’s dedication to a safe flying experience up a notch. There’s a dedicated Emergency Brake and Hover feature that stops the drone in place to hover at any time during the flight. The Failsafe Return to Home brings the drone back to its home point automatically with a press of a button, or in the event that transmission is lost or the battery reaches a critically low level.

But the safety features that have impressed us the most is that even at its small size, DJI Avata includes the GEO 2.0 geofencing system that advises pilots of airspace restrictions and potential hazards, and prevents the drone from straying into high-risk locations, such as airports. That’s not all. DJI Avata also features DJI’s AirSense ADS-B receiver system that warns drone pilots when airplanes or helicopters are nearby, and broadcasts DJI’s AeroScope signal to help authorities monitor airborne drones in sensitive locations.

In addition, DJI Avata is equipped with both an Infrared Sensing System and a two-camera Downward Vision System. They help the aircraft maintain its current position, hover more precisely, fly indoors or in other environments where satellite navigation is unavailable, and identify areas such as bodies of water that are not suitable for landing.

9. The drone supports multiple flight modes for different skill levels

DJI Avata allows pilots from beginners to professionals to choose from multiple flight modes to match their skill level:

• Normal (N) Mode: During N mode operation, DJI Avata operates similarly to other DJI drones, hovering in place with the use of satellite navigation and/or visual positioning systems (VPS) on the bottom of the drone.
• Manual (M) Mode (only with the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2): Fly in M mode for complete, limitless control and the full FPV immersive flight experience. Experienced users can customize parameters and enjoy flight and footage unlike anything else.
• Sport (S) Mode: A new hybrid blend of M and N mode, S mode offers some of the dynamic movement capabilities that come with M mode along with some of the key safety features of N mode. S mode is the middle step between the three modes and was developed to give pilots more room to explore their skills as they get accustomed to the drone.

10. Avata’s accessory universe is vast and growing

DJI has released an array of new Avata accessories to help pilots get the most out of every flight and make the most of their equipment. Third-party accessories should also become available soon. For now, you get to pick from:

• DJI Avata Intelligent Flight Battery
• DJI Avata Battery Charging Hub
• DJI Avata Propellers
• DJI Avata Upper Frame
• DJI Avata Propeller Guard
• DJI Avata ND Filters Set (ND8/16/32)
• DJI 65W Portable Charger
• DJI 65W Car Charger
• DJI Goggles Carry More Backpack

Australians will be able to purchase the Avata in-country soon.

DJI’s intelligent farming solutions arm, DJI Agriculture, has just released a new industry insights report focusing on best practices for drone spraying. But one detail that immediately stands out in that document is that the sale of DJI agricultural drones has really taken off in the last couple of years.

Agricultural drones have become a huge business for DJI. The tech giant has been adding at least two new precision farming drones to its product portfolio every year since 2019, with the latest cutting-edge models being Agras T40 and T20P. It’s known that DJI pilots completed agricultural missions covering a total of 66.7 million hectares of farmland in 2021 alone. And more recently, the company expanded the availability of its SmartFarm mobile app for the Agras line to support English, Japanese, and Thai languages — indicating a wider adoption of spraying drones.

Now, let’s take a look at the numbers:

In its Agricultural Drone Industry Insights (2021) report, DJI agrees that it has taken “a quantitative leap” in terms of the total number of drones and operating areas; this has happened despite rules and regulations in the US and Europe hindering growth. The company remains hopeful for the future though. Here’s DJI:

We believe that with the continuous exploration of best practices, pest management, and pesticide use will be more reasonable and have less impact on the environment, the policy environment of agricultural drones will be gradually relaxed, and the space for the development of agricultural drones will broaden.

But why are agricultural drones becoming so popular in the first place? The reasons are many:

1. Precision spraying reduces adverse impact on environment

When pesticide spraying is done by drones, only the plots that need to be sprayed are targeted. In contrast, small fixed-wings and helicopters used in farming can lead to serious spray drift because of their speed and high flight altitude during spraying.

2. Risk to the operator becomes minimal with drones

Mountain farming operations require pilots to fly manually and constantly ascend and descend to ensure effective spraying. Meanwhile, in large-scale farmland operations, many pilots struggle to successfully level the aircraft after flying close to the ground for spraying. Both these scenarios, which increase the likelihood of a crash, are negated while using agricultural drones.

3. Reduced carbon emissions and noise pollution

Unlike traditional aviation platforms or ground-based tractors guzzling gasoline, agricultural drones use lithium batteries, which are a cleaner, emission-free source of energy. Also, let’s not forget the noise pollution caused by helicopter propellers. They can produce a sound as high as 110 decibels, or 1.5 times of what the human body can tolerate. But a drone working away from the operator would not cause any damage to the human body.

4. Helps to save precious water

Due to the use of low-capacity spraying technology, agricultural drones can save 44 liters of agricultural water per hectare compared to manual operations. So, if drones are used to spray 1 billion hectares of farmland, agricultural water consumption can be reduced by 44 million tons. This is equivalent to the amount of water consumed by 79.87 million residents in a year.

5. Improves the utilization rate of pesticides

The application of agricultural drones has also brought about an improvement in the utilization rate of pesticides. According to the findings of a study referenced in the report:

Compared with the conventional knapsack large-capacity spraying on the ground, the use of agricultural drones can increase the utilization rate of pesticides by more than 10%. As such, 1 billion hectares of operation is equivalent to reducing the waste of 1,515 tons of pesticides.

6. Cost-effectiveness of drones

The purchase and maintenance cost of a traditional spraying aircraft can be pretty steep. The global best-selling helicopter Single Squirrel AS35, which comes with a 10m spray rod, costs about 3.6 million euros. In contrast, a farmer wouldn’t need to shell out more than 25,000 euros for an agricultural drone. The repair and maintenance of agricultural drones are also relatively simple. While the replacement of high-consumption parts such as blades can be done by the operator, more complex repairs can be handled by dedicated service centers. 

It’s simple to see why agricultural drone adoption is growing in many parts of the world. 

Drones For Hire completed yet another full day of setup and training for a new T30 spray drone customer near Braidwood NSW.  

We find it’s more stable to update the aircraft firmware via a cable from the laptop directly into the T30 instead of doing it via the RC.

Updating the firmware on the charging station

Updating the firmware on the RC

The new SpaceX system is used for low latency, broadband internet - helps speed up the firmware update processes dramatically.

The DJI Ag management platform (free with your Agras) automatically logs all your flights, the amount sprayed/spread, the locations sprayed (map overlay), and various other useful data for you and for the land owners.

Just waiting for the charging station firmware update to complete

The T30 controller (RC) has a nice large bright screen, both internal and replaceable aux battery (wb37) for redundancy. An excellent and intuitive menu for settings management and Field Mission Planning, and an RTK dongle (grey device on top) for high accuracy spray area boundary planning.

The T20’s spreader (hopper) carries a load of rye grass seed. The hopper can carry 40kg of dry particles such as seeds, fertilizer, mouse baits, or e.g. flupropanate granule herbicide.

T30 spreading rye grass seeds as a demonstration to calibrate the spreader and create a template for the customer for future rye grass application flights

Preparing for the maiden flight!

Another happy customer – feeling prepared and ready to put the T30 to work – spraying chemical and spreading seeds. 

Stunning drone footage over an Italian ghost town that’s been plagued by tragedy has been filmed by the Dutch photography team Boys with Drones.

Sven van der Wal and Roman Robroek posted the stunning 4K footage of the Southern Italian town that dates all the way back to the eighth century.

The pair of camera operators spoke to PetaPixel about the equipment and methodology they use to film their videos.

“We use a DJI Air 2S drone to capture the footage, and we usually spend around 30-90 minutes to shoot each video,” explains Robroek.

The cool video flies through the ancient ruins of the town that’s located in the province of Matera. Because of the destination’s unique look, it has been the setting of many television series and movies, appearing in 2008’s Bond classic Quantum of Solace and 2004’s The Passion Of The Christ, by Mel Gibson.

Boys with Drones

Van der Wal and Robroek, both from the Netherlands, created Boys with Drones after Van der Wal, who is a professional videographer, and Roman, who is a professional photographer, wanted to combine their skills and create something for themselves.

The pair “use state of the art DJI equipment, experience, and a lot of enthusiasm,” to capture the spectacular videos.

“We are planning on visiting Austria soon, to capture some nature footage in the country, and we are planning on filming a series of some of the most stunning (abandoned) castles in Europe.”

Craco has a fascinating history. In the 1200s it served as a military outpost and due to its strategic location and the natural barrier of nearby hills, the building was later used as a fortress and prison. The community went from about 450 inhabitants in the 13th century to a little over 2,500 by the 1500s.

However, the town sadly experienced tumultuous times in later centuries. Residents became struck down by the plague and the settlement later found itself caught in the conflict between the new republican movement and Italy’s old monarchy. Many of Craco’s residents left the city between 1892 and 1922 for America due to poor agricultural conditions, landslides, earthquakes, and floods. Its desertion accelerated during the 1960s when the town was hit by more landslides, while an earthquake in the 1980s left it completely abandoned.

Today, most of the original premises remain visible, and those hoping to get a glimpse of history for themselves can access the town via guided local tours.

Written by Matt Growcoot | 15 July 2022

Ecuador is the world’s leading export of cacao, the chief ingredient in single-origin chocolates. Over 90% of the cacao production in the country is undertaken by small farm owners. But a downward trend in crop prices and labor shortage during the busy season has left farmers struggling to improve efficiency and remain profitable. This is why they have now turned to drones for fruit tree spraying.

XAG, one of the top three commercial drone manufacturers of 2021, has detailed in a new blog post how its partner company Megadrone was recently contracted to manage a 180-hectare cacao farm in Guayaquil, the second largest city in Ecuador.

The cacao farm in question is located on a mountain, and its sloped, undulating terrain makes it hard to reach by large ground machinery. Over the years, hired workers have manually sprayed the crops and spread fertilizers on the farm. This process would take at least a month, even with sufficient labor.

This growing season, however, the farm deployed two XAG P series agricultural drones, and wrapped up fertilizer and fungicide spraying in less than four days.

The farm owner explains that he has often missed the best time to spray for pest control or disease prevention during manual operations. But with the help of drones, he can now apply timely fungicide sprays and supply fertilizers to boost growth right after heavy rains. In addition to aerial spraying, the drone can be fully automated to deal with the complicated landform of cacao trees.

“XAG’s agricultural drone can be easily operated by most people. Before launching the drone, the pilot just plans the flight path and sets up parameters on a mobile app. This is convenient to learn even for our elderly workers,” the farm owner says.

In the coming three months, the cocoa plantations in Ecuador will enter a vital stage where foliar feeding and insecticide spraying are required for a bumper harvest of cacao pods. With their high agility and efficiency, drones can strongly support cacao farmers to produce fine aromatic cacao beans that the global market adores.

Written by Ishveena Singh | 14 July 2022

DJI’s latest remote controller with a built-in display, DJI RC, is now compatible with the tech giant’s flagship Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine drones. While the DJI RC was initially launched alongside the new Mini 3 Pro aircraft, it can now be purchased as a standalone device for $309.

Until now, Mavic 3 users have had only two remote control options: the DJI RC-N1, which requires drone operators to mount their smartphone to their controller, and the DJI RC Pro, which has its own screen but costs almost four times as the DJI RC.

The compatibility for DJI RC has been enabled through firmware v01.01.0000 of the remote controller. This firmware update also adds support to download photos (except panoramas) and 1080p videos to an external SD card.

DJI RC drone remote controller

The affordable yet pro-friendly DJI RC packs in a built-in 5.5-inch FHD display supporting screen brightness of up to 700 nits.

The device is lightweight and easy to use, boasting all-new dual-spring control sticks for a smoother control experience. The DJI Fly app is already integrated and the remote controller allows for customizable buttons and dials for more convenient flying operations.

When paired with drones that support O3+ video transmission, such as the Mavic 3, DJI RC can provide low-latency HD 1080p/60fps live feed with a max transmission range of 15 km. The remote controller lasts for up to four hours on a full charge, ensuring enough juice to shoot at multiple locations.

It’s worth highlighting that the Mavic 3 has received many noteworthy firmware updates since its launch last year, the latest of which has unleashed the full potential of its tele lens, thus enabling the drone to fully justify its $2,049 price tag.

What is the difference between DJI RC Pro and DJI RC?

While both DJI RC Pro and DJI RC have a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, the RC Pro supports higher screen brightness of up to 1,000 nits. DJI RC Pro also supports third-party apps, which the DJI RC does not. In addition, the RC Pro controller is equipped with four antennas while the DJI RC comes with only two built-in antennas.

Written by Ishveena Singh | 11 July 2022

• Property too wet to get your spray rig across
• Weeds getting out of control on your steep sections and gullies
• Cost of diesel becoming an issue
• Tractor churning up your root systems / destabilising soil on wet banks

In many cases, our customers are reporting their DJI T30 spray drone is getting the same kill rate as a spray rig or helicopter but using at least 60% less liquid (chemical plus water). The T30 propellers push the vapour down and circulate it in and around the surface areas of the vegetation, including the vulnerable undersides. One customer was using a helicopter spraying 50L per ha on blackberry, his T30 achieved the same kill rate spraying 18L per ha. The drone was also more precise (less drift) and is always available (kept onsite).    

With La Niña predicted to continue for several more months, spray drones will become increasingly relevant for jobs like spraying Grazon Extra, spreading Super, seeding banks, or spreading mouse baits. The T30 spray drone will cover up to 70 ha per day in open flat terrain (e.g. oats, corn), 35 ha per day in more complex terrain.

Using a spray drone is probably easier than you may think - most of the time you are not actually flying it. Rather, you prepare a Field Plan – mark your spray area boundaries over a ‘Google map’, input the desired L/ha, and the drone will set its speed and fly the mission autonomously. When it runs out of liquid or dry particles the T30 will automatically come home for a refill and then go back and resume spraying/spreading from where it left off. See video tutorial.

Drones For Hire has been operating since 2013 and is an official DJI Ag. Dealer in Australia. Here is a 2 min video of a T30 demo we did in Golspie NSW.

And some images from a T30 setup we did on Kangaroo Island.

View T30 EOFY bundles. Or consider the T10 - the little brother of the T30, better suited for smaller properties, hobby farms or less frequent spraying.

Broadly grown on 600,000 hectares of farmland in the country, cassava cultivation provides employment to thousands of rural workers in Cambodia. But cultivating a crop that can grow higher than one meter, and sometimes even surpass the average height of farmers, is not the easiest thing to do. So now, to meet the growing demand for cassava-based products such as food, flour, paper, and alcohol, farmers are looking at agricultural drones that bring with them the promise of increased productivity.

Chhay Thi, who owns 20 hectares of land in Varin District, Siem Reap Province of Cambodia, is an early adopter of spray drones. Last month, he used a XAG agricultural drone for autonomous weeding on his 10-hectare cassava field.

The drone flew over ridges of cassava plants, sprayed precisely along the pre-set route, and finished 8 hectares of herbicide spraying in an hour without any operator intervention. Chhay says the same amount of work would have more than a week to complete manually.

Now, the issue isn’t that the agriculture sector doesn’t have an adequate workforce. But when workers are hired for pesticide spraying, the cost to farm owners could be as high as $18-$25 per hectare. Moreover, a group of farm workers can tackle only one hectare per day, which is certainly not sufficient during the busy season of cassava growth.

Chhay Thi believes the increased efficiency of agricultural drones can help farmers like him reduce the overall planting costs. He says:

If I have a XAG drone in busy seasons to help me with crop protection, I can save $8-10 per hectare that is typically spent on manual spraying. Drone operation also reduces the use of chemicals by 10-30%, so the resources and money saved can be reallocated to the other crop cultivation.

And let’s not forget that using a drone helps to protect farmers from unnecessary chemical exposure. In addition, the way an agricultural drone sprays top-down from the air prevents direct contact of large ground machinery on crops, thus avoiding damage while ensuring that pesticides or fertilizers penetrate the plants with precision.

In Chhay Thi’s hometown, many villagers cultivate cassava as their main source of income. “I believe the high efficiency and affordable price will accelerate the scale-up of drone operation among more farmers. XAG’s agricultural drone can not only help me reap more harvest, but also serve other farmers with the same demand for cassava boom,” the farmer sums up.

Written by Ishveena Singh | 10 June 2022

For 1 magical night on the 29th of May, "a fleet of 600 perfectly choreographed LED-equipped drones shape shift and synchronise into enormous 3D images and sequences". 

This is the complete show from that night, combined with a sweeping soundtrack and characters from Paramount movies. 

The largest drone show ever performed in the southern hemisphere as of June 2022 is here at your fingertips. 

NOTE: Show starts at 2:08

Drones For Hire visited Kangaroo Island to help customers set up their DJI T30 spray drone and Phantom 4 RTK. A lot of vegetation has grown back since the island suffered extensive bush fires in 2020. Unfortunately, some of the regrowth is unwanted weeds. DFH assisted by providing a solution to enable the customer to map the hilly terrain (P4 RTK) and then use the T30 spray drone to spray weeds and increase the proportion of grazable land.