How to Land the DJI Avata (With a Motion Controller)

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The first time I landed my DJI Avata was a disaster. Frankly, it didn’t land. It hit the ground.

I felt sad, as I thought I had broken it. Because I thought the landing was so simple, I neglected the adequate landing procedures.

And it is a simple process, but you better follow some steps.

You can land your DJI Avata manually or automatically.

Tilt your Motion Controller 90 degrees until the circle in the Goggles fits into the descend icon. Then push gently the accelerator trigger to land the Avata manually.

Move the throttle stick down in the DJI FPV Remote Controller V2 for a manual landing procedure.

You can land your Avata automatically by holding down your Motion Controller Lock button or activating the RTH with both RC.

I want you to land your DJI Avata while avoiding unnecessary risks.

In this article, I’ll take you by the hand in the DJI Avata landing process. Let’s get started!

Manually landing the DJI Avata #

You can’t use Return to Home when you start a flight without enough GNSS satellites. Other times, you merely want to land your Avata manually, as you have enough battery.

Whatever the case, you can use both remote controllers for a manual landing.

I don’t encourage a manual landing with any of the controllers unless you’re experienced or haven’t another choice.

Motion Controller #

With this RC, you lack the throttle control to lift or descend the drone vertically. Here, you have the acceleration trigger that allows your drone to go forward.

Follow these steps to land your Avata safely:

Ensure the landing site is flat and isn’t excessively wet.
Lower your hand gently while holding the Motion Controller.
The white contour navigation circle will go down on the Goggles.
Fit the navigation circle into the descend icon.
Press the accelerator trigger gently.
The Avata will descend until it touches the ground.
Shut down the engines by double pressing the Lock red button.

DJI FPV Remote Controller 2 #

If you use the other RC available for the Avata, here’s how to manually land the Avata:

Ensure the landing site is flat and isn’t excessively wet.
Push the left throttle stick down.
Your Avata will descend.
Your Avata is now on the ground.
If you were flying in Sport or Manual Modes, push down the throttle stick and hold it for three seconds. Or you can perform a Combination Stick Command CSC.
If you were flying in Normal Mode, press backward Start/Stop right trigger twice.
Now your Avata is on the ground with the engines shut down.

Automatically landing the DJI Avata #

This is the easiest and safest way to land your aircraft.

When available, RTH finds the safest path to approach your aircraft at the location you take off. Once it touches the ground, engines shut down.

The Motion Controller also has a built-in function when you don’t have enough GNSS satellites and can’t RTH.

Motion Controller #

The DJI Avata doesn’t have an automatic landing feature like the Mavic. You won’t see an auto-landing button on any compatible remote controllers.

That doesn’t mean you need to maneuver your aircraft to land it manually.

The Motion Controller has the capability of landing your drone by following these steps:

Check the surface you want to land on is dry and flat as possible.
Hover your Avata at approximately 1 meter or 3.3 feet.
Holding the Motion Controller, find the red Lock button on the left.
Hold it down for two seconds.
You’ll hear a beep, and the Avata will descend until it gently touches the ground.
It will automatically shut down the engines.

Please don’t mistake this function for RTH. Your Avata won’t return to home when you perform the procedure above. It will land in the place where it is vertically located.

Some pilots that attempt this procedure say that their Avata doesn’t land.

One common issue is that they try to land the drone from altitudes where the downward and infrared systems don’t work adequately.

Note: I recommend hovering your aircraft at 1 meter or 3.3 feet from the surface.

Another piece of advice is to avoid uneven and wet surfaces. Avata’s sensors confuse these areas, not allowing you to land.

RTH #

You can set the Avata’s RTH function for a safe landing. The only downside is you need to take off with enough GNSS satellites for this function to work automatically.

The satellite icon should illuminate steadily white.

The good news is you can always set the manual RTH when you don’t have enough satellites or if you want to position a different Home Point.

To set it, you only need to follow the steps below.

DJI Goggles 2 #

Put on your Goggles.
Find the touch panel on the right side of the Goggles 2.
Swipe your finger from the forward edge to the center to access the menu.
Swipe your finger down from the top edge until you highlight in yellow the Settings icon. Tap it.
Now the Safety section must be highlighted in yellow. Tap it.
Swipe your finger down from the top edge until you highlight the RTH Altitude option in yellow. Tap it and swipe your finger until selecting the altitude above the higher obstacle.
Now swipe down your finger once to highlight the Update Home Point option.

Here you have two options.

Setting the Home Point to the location of Avata on the ground is useful when you lack GNSS satellites for the automatic RTH function or the first place the Avata gets enough GNSS signal isn’t the Home Point you desire.

Or you can set your RC as the Home Point, which is helpful when moving on a yacht or in a car. Then the aircraft will always return to your RC.

Tap the Update Home Point option, and select the Plane and Home Point icon to fix the RTH where the drone is currently in.
Or tap the Update Home Point option, and select the Person and Home Point icon to fix the RTH where the drone is currently in.

DJI FPV Goggles V2 #

Put on your FPV Goggles V2.
Find the 5D joystick on the right side of the FPV Goggles V2.
Press this button once to access the menu.
Move the joystick down until you highlight in yellow the Settings icon. Press it.
Now the Safety section must be highlighted in yellow. Press it.
Move the joystick down until you highlight in yellow the RTH Altitude option. Press it and then move the joystick until selecting the altitude above the higher obstacle.
Now move the joystick down once to highlight the Update Home Point option.
Press the Update Home Point option, and select the Plane and Home Point icon to fix the drone’s current RTH.
Or press the Update Home Point option, and select the Person and Home Point icon to fix the RTH where the drone is currently in.

Let’s say we have enough GNSS satellites for an automatic RTH. Then you can use its functions starting with the Smart RTH.

Smart RTH #

You have flown your Avata for several minutes and want to land it. You don’t want to do it manually because the Avata is above an obstacle.

You only need to press the Brake button twice. Once you hear the beeping sound, the drone will automatically RTH.

It doesn’t mean your Avata will land automatically, as it will depend on the surface.

The Downward Vision System and Infrared Vision System check the surface is safe to land. When it’s not a flat surface, it returns to a safe altitude near you, waiting for you to confirm it’s safe to land.

While returning to the Home Point, the drone sometimes stops around knee level but doesn’t land. This scenario is due to a faulty landing protection system, so you must land the Avata manually.

Low Battery RTH #

You are enjoying your Avata. Suddenly the battery is in red, and the Goggles prompt a battery low warning message.

The drone stops and starts to RTH automatically. DJI programmed the Avata to save some battery to return to the Home Point, so you rest assured the drone will land safely.

Failsafe RTH #

So your RC loses signal with the Avata, and it immediately stops.

If 3.5 seconds pass and the drone doesn’t recover the signal, it will return to the Home Point.

These automatic RTH functions are a helpful tool to save your Avata from getting lost.

However, always set the RTH Altitude to a safe height, or your Avata will crash. This drone lacks collision avoidance sensors, and the brake button can fail when the battery is low or the RC signal is poor.

Finally, constantly check the battery level. If it’s below 20 percent, flying the Avata in an obstacle-free area is betst.

That way, your DJI Avata can RTH safely.

Should I land my DJI Avata manually with the Motion Controller? #

DJI doesn’t have this landing in its procedures and only explains how to land it with the Lock button.

Then it’s better to avoid it unless there is no other alternative.

Is the DJI Avata landing gear important for landing? #

Some pilots like to remove the propeller guard to lighten the Avata. These will make the drone more prone to attractive maneuvers.

However, you are losing protection.

This component comes with integrated landing gear that will protect your propellers from hitting the ground when landing intentionally or by accident. Besides, it serves as the antenna’s guard, protecting them from dust and hits.

Both components will suffer without the propeller guard, so while the landing gear isn’t necessary, it’s a tool to protect your drone and thus worth considering.