Let us experiment. Let us practice. Let Us Drone. I don't think there are many things that DJI enjoys more than making flight modes for their drones. As if learning the flight modes wasn't difficult enough, DJI had to go and give them names like P-mode, S-mode and ATTI mode. What on earth do they even stand for?

The “P” in P-mode stands for positioning; this mode uses GPS and vision systems. The “S” in S-mode stands for sport; forward obstacle sensing is disabled and stick movements are more aggressive. ATTI stands for attitude; GPS and vision systems are disabled in ATTI mode. 

Every drone user should have a working knowledge of each of these three flight modes, and be able to adapt accordingly when one of the flight modes is selected. In this post, we will take an in-depth look at P-mode, S-mode, and ATTI mode, and learn about how to be a pro at each.

Why P-mode, S-mode and ATTI mode are “regular” flight modes

You have likely heard of the “regular” flight modes and the “intelligent” flight modes. Well, what's the difference and does “regular” imply that they are not that smart?

For those who are new to DJI drones and their flight modes, I'd like to give you an analogy. 

Picture your standard commuter bicycle. Cruising around on that bicycle while wearing a helmet, knee and elbow pads would be like flying in P-mode. It's safe, practical, and meant for everyday use.

Switching over to S-mode (sport) would be like jumping on a road racing bicycle while wearing a helmet but nothing else for protection. It's strictly meant for speed, and every movement needs to be done with precision as small adjustments are amplified.

Finally, flying in ATTI mode is like riding a bicycle on ice while wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt.

Now that we have our three basic bicycle scenarios, we can begin to understand how intelligent flight modes come into play. Let me ask you a question: do you think it's easier to do a wheelie on a commuter bicycle, a road racing bicycle, or a bicycle on ice? You'd be correct if you went with “commuter bicycle”. DJI chose the commuter bicycle (P-mode) to perform all of their cool tricks (intelligent flight modes) on, as this mode is the safest and most versatile. 

So as a recap, the regular flight modes are the types of bicycle you are riding, and intelligent flight modes are the tricks you can perform on the commuter bicycle (P-mode). So no, just because they are called regular flight modes does not imply that they are any less smart than the intelligent flight modes, as this is comparing apples to oranges. 

DJI lets you choose if you would like to jump on the commuter (P-mode) or road racing bicycle (S-mode) with just a flip of a switch on the RC, and some drone users (Phantoms & Inspires) get the option of choosing to ride on ice (ATTI) as well.

I want to point out that this guide is not drone specific. There are small variances in the way each DJI drone will respond while in P-mode, S-mode, or ATTI mode. I would recommend that you refer to your drones manual for flight mode specifics in addition to the information you gather from this post. I have attached each drone user manual at the end of this post.

Related Questions

Should you turn off the vision positioning systems (VPS) when flying over water? Remember that P-mode uses the VPS, which can be affected by water movements. Should you turn off the VPS? How high do you have to fly for the water to not interfere with the VPS? I answer these questions and more in my post-Tips for Flying a Drone Over Water; VPS on or Off?

What are the best tips for a new drone user? If you are just learning the ropes of drone flying, there are a lot of mistakes that can be made, some of which could cost you the drone if you're not careful. I discuss the most important things that should be done in my post-Best 17 Drone Flying Tips for Every DJI Beginner.

How do I switch between flight modes?

Before dissecting each flight mode and learning the advantages and disadvantages of each, I'd like to show you how to switch between the modes on each DJI drone model.

Spark: To choose between S-mode and P-mode on the Spark, simply toggle the switch in the middle of the RC as seen in the picture below. There is no switch for ATTI mode on the Spark.

Mavic Air: Similar to the Spark, you can choose between S-mode and P-mode by toggling the switch in the middle of the RC. There is no switch for ATTI mode on the Mavic Air. 

Mavic Pro & Pro Platinum: The selector switch for P-mode and S-mode on the Mavic Pro and Pro Platinum is on the right side of the RC as seen below. Again, you can not manually select ATTI mode on the MP and MP Platinum.

Mavic 2 Pro & Zoom: The Mavic 2 series also has the flight mode selector switch on the right side of the RC, but gets T-mode in addition to S-mode and P-mode. “Trevor, you didn't talk about T-mode! What kind of bicycle is that?” The “T” in T-mode stands for “tripod”, and DJI's other drones have tripod mode listed under their intelligent flight mode list. T-mode mode is basically like flying in P-mode with all of the stick adjustments slowed down to allow for a stable drone when shooting video. You can now select T-mode on the Mavic 2's RC, but there is still no ATTI option for this series. Oh, and we'll call T-mode a single-speed beach cruiser ;). 

Phantom 4 Series: The flight mode selector switch is on the top left side of the RC for the Phantom 4 series. In addition to being able to select between S-mode and P-mode, you are able to choose ATTI mode on the RC. 

Inspire 1: Leave it to the Inspire 1 to go and be different from the rest. The Inspire 1 has P-mode, A-mode, and F-mode. F-mode? Oh, come on, another flight mode to learn about? I won't go into F-mode much as only the older Phantom 3 and Inspire 1 had F-mode, but here's a quick description.

The “F” in F-mode stands for Function. F-mode allows the operator to use Intelligent Orientation Control (IOC), which opens up three working modes:  Point of Interest (POI) mode, Course Lock (CL), and Home Lock (HL). 

Inspire 2: The Inspire 2 flight selector switch is also on the top left side of the RC, but we are back to the S-mode, P-mode and ATTI mode options. 

P-mode

First up is the commuter bicycle. As previously mentioned, P-mode (positioning) is where you'll likely find yourself on a regular basis. It's great for learning the basics of flying, getting used to the controls, and for taking videos and pictures. 

I would say that about 90% of my flying is done in P-mode. Being the safest and most versatile, there is a reason why positioning mode is considered the standard flight mode for DJI drones. Read on for everything there is to know about P-mode to know when you should choose this flight mode over the others. 

What is enabled in P-mode?

I said that P-mode is the safest to fly in, and here's why. The drones GPS and Vision Position Systems are enabled in this mode. These are the helmet, knee, and elbow pads in the bicycle analogy.

GPS: The global positioning system (GPS) is how the drone knows where it is at any given time. It is very important for the drone to have an adequate number of satellites before taking off and while flying as losing GPS while in the air would cause the aircraft to enter ATTI mode. So how many satellites is adequate? I once saw a DJI rep saying that the drone needs more than 6 satellites for the home point to be recorded, and you absolutely need to record the home point before taking off. 

There are many factors that can interfere with the GPS signal while on the ground and in-flight. The drone's compass lets it know which way the drone is facing, and compass errors can affect the GPS system. Your environment plays a big part in how much GPS signal you are likely to receive. Expect a weaker signal in urban areas that have a lot of tall structures.

Vision Position Systems (VPS): DJI drones come equipped with small cameras on various parts of the drone that use the images gathered to let the drone's computer know where the drone is in space. This allows the drone to hover in place without letting wind or other outside factors to alter its position, even when GPS is unavailable.

You may have heard of the drones obstacle sensing system, which is basically the combination of every piece of technology on the drone that works together to sense and avoid obstacles. Depending on which drone you have, the common sensing systems are: stereo vision, monocular vision, ultrasound, and infrared. 

What's the difference between P-GPS and P-OPTI?

If you are cruising around in P-mode, you may notice the status bar on the top of the screen displaying “P-GPS”. Occasionally, that will change to P-OPTI, so what is that all about? P-OPTI is when you are still in P-mode, but you lost GPS, so the drone is solely using its Vision Positioning System to keep its current position.

Don't panic if this happens, but glance at your GPS signal and consider moving locations to see if you can improve it. If you notice in the OPTI picture above, the drone only has 6 satellites, and the GPS picture has 11 satellites. 

It's important to note that the VPS only works at altitudes up to 33ft on most DJI drones, so flying higher than that while in P-OPTI will likely cause the drone to enter ATTI mode, where you will have no GPS or VPS. 

Not every DJI drone has P-OPTI mode, so don't be concerned if you don't remember seeing it in your drone's manual. A quick Google search for “*drone model* P-OPTI” will let you know if yours has this mode.

Ideal times to fly in P-mode

I said that about 90% of my flying is done in P-mode, and this is because of a few reasons. I'll go ahead and explain when and why I chose P-mode so often. 

1- When flying in an area with a lot of obstacles, it is important to have the obstacle avoidance system engaged and firing on all cylinders. 

2- When taking pictures and video, you will likely get the best footage as the drone will maintain its current position very well, allowing you to focus on the camera controls without worrying about using the sticks to keep the drone in place. The exception to this is when you want video without the jerky movements of the drones “air brakes”. You can get this desired effect in ATTI mode, which will be discussed in detail below. 

3- When you want to use an intelligent flight mode, you will need to be in P-mode to access them. 

4- When you're just cruising around, it is smart to stay in P-mode as it's the safest and gives you the most options when you're not sure what your plans are after getting airborne. 

Should you takeoff and land in P-mode?

Yes, I would strongly urge you to take off and land in P-mode, even if you intend to use S-mode or ATTI mode while airborne. It's best to have all protections systems engaged to make the drone as stable as possible. Yes, it is possible to take off and land in Sport or ATTI mode, but it's not advised.

I actually just went outside and launched/landed my Phantom 4 Advanced in both Sport and ATTI modes. Sport mode wasn't terrible, as the drone still had GPS. But while landing in ATTI mode, I couldn't completely correct the wind drift and the drone tipped over upon making contact with the ground, sending dirt everywhere and fraying the end of one of the props.

Wait for GPS lock before launching in P-mode

Yes, your drone is designed to use GPS in P-mode and Sport mode, but it doesn't acquire the GPS signal instantly. While on the ground and waiting to launch, look at the top bar in the DJI GO 4 app to see if it says “Ready to Go (GPS)). This sometimes takes a while, so be patient.

Why is it important to ensure you have GPS before launching? Because the drone needs GPS in order to record the home point. If you decide to launch and fly a hundred feet out over the ocean where the drone finally gets a GPS lock, that is where the home point will be recorded. That means that any return to home operations will send the drone to its watery grave. 

Granted, you can go into the settings and set the RC location as the home point after you're airborne, but this isn't a habit that I would advise you to develop.

What intelligent flight modes are enabled in P-mode?

Well, the answer to this is “all of them”. Some intelligent flight modes are drone-specific, but here is a list of common DJI intelligent flight modes:

• Active Track
• TapFly
• Point of Interest
• Follow Me Mode
• Waypoints
• Course Lock
• Home Lock
• Hyperlapse
• Cinematic Mode
• Quick Shot

Top speeds in P-mode

When you look for the top speed of your DJI drone on Google, the speed displayed is for the drone in Sport mode. Finding the top speed of your drone while in P-mode is a bit tricky, as this information is not in every DJI drone manual.

In addition to that information being hard to find, you will likely see two different top speeds for your drone while in P-mode. This is because one top speed is for the drone when the obstacle avoidance sensors are enabled, and the other is for the drone when the sensors are disabled. 

The drone will fly at a quicker speed with the obstacle avoidance sensors disabled, but use caution as you are more liable to fly directly into the tree you didn't see coming because you were showing your friend something. 

The information gathered in the table below is a combination of specs found in DJI user manuals and real-life data collected by other drone users as well as myself. 

Understand that the top speed you are able to achieve on your drone while in P-mode may be different from the numbers listed above, as factors such as wind, environment and firmware updates will greatly effect your results. 

Lastly, while you are flying in P-mode with the obstacle avoidance sensors enabled, your top speed is also dependent upon your altitude. If you are cruising along at 2 feet above the ground, your top speed is going to be greatly reduced. This is DJI's way of reducing the amount of collisions caused by users who are flying close to the ground that don't anticipate objects or ground elevation changes that are in their flight path. 

S-mode

Oh S-mode (Sport mode), DJI's solution for the thrill-seeking newbie and for those in a hurry. All of those adrenaline spikes will likely be had while you're in Sport mode, exploring the skies in a manic fashion. 

Going back to the (possibly) overused bicycle analogy, we're now on the road racing bike. We've doffed the elbow and knee pads (forward VPS) to get as nimble as possible, and due to our skinny road tires (increased tilt-angle of the drone), we're now able to corner at lighting-quick speeds. We're ready for speed, baby.

I probably used S-mode more than P-mode for the first couple of weeks I owned my first DJI drone. It's fun to zip around at the drones top speed, and while demoing your new drone for family and friends, S-mode is usually a crowd favorite. 

What is enabled in S-mode?

The forward Vision Position Systems are disabled while you are in Sport mode, so that obstacle avoidance feature that we love so much about our DJI drones is on the sidelines while in this mode.

You will still have GPS. What this means is that if you're flying along in Sport mode and lose GPS for some reason, the drone will enter ATTI mode (as VPS was already disabled).

When should you fly in S-mode?

When should you fly in Sport mode? I don't know, when should you drive a Porsche? There isn't much of a utilitarian use to Sport mode, so it's difficult to say that you “should” fly your drone in Sport mode. 

I said there isn't much of a utilitarian use, not that there isn't any. There are times when flying in Sport mode is actually advised. I'll give you a couple of scenarios:

1- If you have limited daylight and would like to get the best possible cinematic shot possible but you have to fly a few hundred yards to get there. Put that baby in Sport mode and get your butt over there.

2- Maybe the drone is running low on battery but it's a half a mile away from you. You think you're fine because the status bar at the top is saying that you have enough battery for the return flight, but you just remembered something. On your way out you realize that there was a tailwind, meaning that a headwind on the way back is going to require substantially more battery to cover the same distance. Put that aircraft in Sport mode and get back ASAP. 

3- Heck, maybe you use your drone for search and rescue operations, in which case, time is of the essence. A big part of my job in the Coast Guard was SAR, and those poor souls on-board that we'd eventually get to were often tired, freezing, hurt, or worse. 

Flying your drone in Sport mode is mostly just, fun, but it does have a few good purposes. Do you use Sport mode for any other reasons? Let us know in the comment section below!

Top speeds in S-mode

Below is a list of the top speeds for DJI drone models. Real life results will vary depending on environmental factors such as the wind. 

You will still have GPS in Sport mode, but remember that the forward obstacle avoidance sensors will be disabled, so don't expect the drone to stop on its own when you fly it into a wall ;).

You may be wondering why a drone in P-mode without the obstacle avoidance sensors enabled won't fly as fast as a drone in Sport mode (since they would both only have GPS enabled). The reason for the higher top speed of the drone in Sport mode is because of the greater tilt angle enabled when the drone is in Sport mode. 

Lastly, I should note that in addition to horizontal speeds being quicker in Sport mode, the drone will be able to ascend and descend quicker in Sport mode, compared to P-mode. 

Does S-mode use more battery?

Does a car traveling at 55 mph get better gas mileage than the same car traveling at 100 mph? Of course. This is no different for drones. 

In fact, in each drone manual, you will find the speed at which DJI tested their drones to get the claimed max flight times.

With all of this being said, I need to point out that DJI tests the max flight times of their drones when the aircraft is in motion, moving forward. Why wouldn't they just let it hover and see how long it can stay up; that would use less battery, right? Nah, not exactly. 

Hey, guess what? You're going to be thrilled about this. Here's another bicycle analogy. Does it take more energy to keep a bike moving when you're only going 1-2 mph, or when you're going 6-8 mph? If you answered 6-8 mph, you need to stop reading this post and go break out that old huffy in your garage for a real-world test.

This is the same for a drone. Once the drone is in motion, it takes a lot less power for it to stay in motion as it surfs along than for it to hover in place.

Continuing on with the bike analogy, does it take more energy to pedal a bike at 6-8 mph or at 18-20 mph? If your last name is Armstrong, you're exempt from answering this one. For the rest of us, cruising at 18-20 mph is going to zap our energy pretty quick. 

Finishing up here, just because the drone is in Sport mode doesn't mean that it's going to have a shorter flight time. But flying at 40 mph is going to use the battery faster than flying at 20 mph. 

Will RTH work in S-mode?

Yes. Since the GPS is enabled, your drone will still be able to return to your location if you manually engage the RTH function on the RC or if the aircraft gets disconnected and the preset signal-lost instructions were set to RTH. 

Now, here's an interesting scenario that is worth bringing up. Say you are flying along with your Mavic 2 Pro in Sport mode and you see a “aircraft disconnected” message pop up on your screen. Since obstacle avoidance is disengaged in Sport mode, will your Mavic fly smack dab into that tall tree on its RTH flight?

Sure it will, if you failed to set the correct RTH instructions. Luckily, DJI thought of situations like this and their solution is to allow the user to set specific instructions (obstacle avoidance being one of them) for when the drone is executing a RTH operation. 

So if you spent the time to make sure that the obstacle avoidance feature was engaged during an RTH operation, your Mavic 2 Pro will avoid that tall tree while returning to home, even if you're in Sport mode where obstacle avoidance is disengaged. Refer to the picture below for what that looks like in the DJI GO 4 app.

ATTI mode

We're now riding our bicycle on ice. Okay, if you're still reading the post at this point, I want to make a couple of observations.

1- You're probably wondering “why all of the freaking bicycle analogies, Trevor?” And to that I'd say, “eh, what can I say, I really like bicycles”.

2- This is not exactly a short post, so I'd like to thank you for making it this deep into the LUD's look at DJI flight modes. You must either not have much else to do, or you really want to make sure you know the finer details of these flight modes. Whichever the case…onward!

What is enabled in ATTI mode?

Nothing! The only thing your drone will be able to do when in ATTI mode is maintain its altitude, as GPS and VPS are disabled.

So why is flying a DJI drone in ATTI mode like riding a bicycle on ice? Well, it's slippery. 

You know how you can let off the stick when flying full speed ahead and the drone will come to a pretty quick stop when in P-mode or Sport mode? Well, letting off the stick in ATTI mode will level the drone out, but it will drift on for quite a distance. 

Wind is your biggest enemy challenge when the drone is in ATTI mode as the aircraft will simply be taken in whichever direction the wind is blowing, until you make the appropriate stick adjustments to correct the drift. 

Fly in ATTI mode for smoother shots

Since the drone is going to drift when it's in ATTI mode, this is a good time to get some smooth video. 

When the drone has GPS enabled (in P-mode and S-mode), the drone will apply its “air brakes” when you let off the sticks. If you are recording video, this will make for a lot of jerky movements. 

Flying in ATTI mode will allow you to get the smoothest video possible as there won't be those repetitive stop and go movements.

You should practice in ATTI mode

You should practice in ATTI mode because the chances of you never losing GPS are slim-to-none in your time of drone ownership.

Maybe you are in an area with GPS interference, or you suddenly have compass issues. Whatever the case may be, if you lose GPS, the drone will enter ATTI mode. 

Because we can't know exactly when a drone might enter ATTI mode, it's important that you get comfortable with the flight mode while in an open environment. 

Start with the drone close to you at a fairly low altitude. If you have a drone that lets you toggle ATTI mode on the RC, switch to ATTI for a moment and see how the drone drifts. I recommend doing this on a windless day, at least for your first ATTI outing. 

As you get more and more comfortable, perform more advanced maneuvers like landing on a small landing area or following a preset flight path that has twists and turns. 

I almost lost my drone once at the beach when it entered ATTI mode and there was a ridiculous amount of wind. I was standing on rocks with water all around me and I was unable to control the drone enough to bring it back to my location. I had to hop from rock to rock to get to the staircase that led up to the street where I'd have more room to land, all while looking over my shoulder to make sure the wind didn't take my drone hundreds of feet down the shoreline.

Now, remember that not all DJI drones have a selectable ATTI mode. If your drone has a selectable ATTI mode, you will see it on the RC. If you don't have one of the drones that let you chose ATTI, consider buying a cheap drone that doesn't have all of DJI's fancy flight tech to get some practice on.

I have been flying radio controlled helicopters and drones for about a decade now, and if you can control an RC helicopter from 2008, you can control a modern day DJI drone in your sleep.

Trevor's Take

Part of being a well-rounded drone pilot is being familiar with all of your drones flight modes. It's easy to get comfortable with what you know and stay in your safe place, but I say go out there and push the boundaries a bit. I like using intelligent flight modes so I find myself in P-mode quite often, but that doesn't mean that I don't tear it up with Sport mode on occasion, and switch over to ATTI when I'm feeling up for a challenge. What flight mode do you fly in often? Do you have any tips for others that I didn't mention in this post? Let us know in the comment section below. 

And I'd like to extend a special thank you for those who made it through this long-winded post. I think it's a safe bet to say that you've never seen so many bicycle analogies in one place!

DJI user manuals