The DJI Avata is a fantastic FPV drone you can start flying as a beginner. But can Avata fly in acro mode?
DJI Avata is a drone capable of flying acrobatically and even freestyle, but it comes with significant risks of tumbling due to a poor center of gravity. Therefore, it’s best to do it cautiously.
What is the acro mode, and how is this different from Manual Mode? What else do we need to know about Avata and acro mode?
We’ll tell you ahead, so keep reading!
To help, we’ve identified and reviewed the best drone courses for beginners and professionals.
What is acro mode in an FPV drone?
Acro mode is the ability to fly an FPV drone acrobatically. For the DJI Avata to fly acrobatically, you can only do it in Manual Mode after you disable the “M Mode Attitude Limit” from the settings.
To fly acro with any FPV drone is a long way of training and practicing in simulators with significant risks of crashing, especially if you freestyle.
Acro mode does not mean you will fly an FPV to freestyle, but embrace the fundamental way of manually flying an FPV drone with no assistive or leveling sensors.
When flying acro, you can freestyle with your drone, flip it over, dive, split-S, and so much more because the drone will not self-center.
But does Avata fly in acro mode?
DJI Avata in acro mode
When you fly Avata in acro mode, you don’t have any stabilizers, and the accelerometer will not stop you anymore from reaching the drone’s true potential.
You will reach impressive speeds and can freestyle at will.
Compared to a standard drone, you can fly the Avata smoothly, cinematically, and uniquely.
Flying with the DJI Avata in acro mode
We will explain the difference between Manual and acro modes to simplify things.
- Manual Mode is when you switch your Avata to manual from the remote controller.
- Acro mode is when you disable all limitations (such as M Mode Attitude Limit) so the drone can fly in any direction.
Note: Please do not confuse attitude limit with altitude limit. The altitude limit will limit your Avata to a specific maximum altitude, whereas the attitude limit will disable the drone leveling mode.
In Manual Mode (just switching to manual), you cannot do freestyle and enjoy full acro mode.
How to fully activate acro mode on DJI Avata
The first step to activate the acro mode is to release the spring tension of the controller.
Your FPV Remote controller throttle gear will have spring tension enabled (similar to a standard drone) from the factory.
You must follow the short guide in your DJI Avata paperwork on removing the spring tension of your FPV remote controller 2.
You can also check out this video:
The second step is enabling Manual Mode from the menu.
Go to Settings > Control > Remote Controller > Button Customization > Custom Mode and select Manual Mode.
The next step is to disable the attitude limit:
Go to Settings > Control > Remote Controller > Gain & Expo > Disable “M Mode Attitude Limit“
Now you can fly acro mode with your DJI Avata.
Warning: If you don’t have the necessary experience to fly acro, you will likely crash your Avata, as flying FPV acro will be different from flying a standard drone. I strongly recommend practicing with FPV simulators before flying your DJI Avata acro.
Doing freestyle with DJI Avata in acro mode
Avata can freestyle if you set the acro mode correctly, as advised above.
Here are a few things you need to remember:
- Avata is not made to freestyle. It will perform poorly in this case, and you will not enjoy the experience compared to a drone specifically made to freestyle.
- Avata will have a significant chance of tumbling over when freestyling because of the poor center of gravity and battery placement.
- Because of the duct guards, Avata is NOT the ideal drone to freestyle with.
If you still decide to acro freestyle with Avata, always start with simulators and learn there first. It is a challenging skill to learn and master.
For instance, I learned FPV for the first time with Liftoff Simulator, a fantastic choice to start flying acro before you do it with your Avata.
When you freestyle with your Avata, do it above the grass and soft ground in case the drone tumbles. You can recover and maybe still use it.
DJI Avata compared to other drones in acro mode
DJI Avata is inferior for flying acro compared to DJI FPV and many custom-made FPV drones.
But why?
- On average, Avata’s motors are weak compared to other FPV drones.
- For the reasons mentioned above, it’s too risky to fly acro and freestyle with this drone, whereas many FPV drones are made to fly acro and freestyle and will not have these issues.
- If you crash this drone when flying acro, it is heartbreakingly expensive and challenging, if not impossible, to repair.
- To get started flying acro with an FPV drone, DJI Avata is not a bad decision, but getting started to freestyle in acro mode with the Avata is the poorest decision ever.
Any positive thoughts about flying the DJI Avata acro mode?
- You can have fantastic control over the drone at slower speeds, indoors and through objects, to fly cinematically in acro mode and enjoy the immersive FPV experience.
- Moreover, the video and radio signals are strong for this drone. This doesn’t impact how the DJI Avata flies in acro mode but is an above-average positive characteristic compared to other FPV drones.
- If you don’t take sharp turns on acro mode or fly aggressively with your Avata, flying acro is a smooth experience. You just need to be careful and aware of the risks.